Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Among humanity's most basic needs, food, oxygen, and water
are at the basic foundational level. We could include shelter in the
"essentials" category, but Jesus added one more during His most
notable sermon: the right relationship with other humans. When he preached
about "hunger and thirst for righteousness," some may assume he was
talking about a personal desire for holiness. However, righteousness according
to Jesus and the entirety of the Word of God is concerned with a right relationship
in the ways of Godly love. Jesus was teaching those on that hillside that day
and, in extension, all people down through the ages that loving others is an
essential human requirement, just as food and water.
Our
English term "righteousness" comes from the Hebrew word "tzedakah" and the Greek word "dikaiosune".
Even if we completely comprehend and understand what righteousness truly means, a key question still arises: What did Jesus mean when He directed us to hunger and thirst for righteousness? As profound as it sounds, the teachings of Jesus are not a new concept. This concept of an upside-down manner of relationships with others lifts them rather than tearing them down, which God points out in His Word from Genesis through Revelation, is not a new concept.
When our first parents, Adam, and Eve, ignored the Word of
God that told them they could partake in any tree in the Garden except the
"tree of the knowledge of good and evil," it was a decision to stop
relating well with their creator, almighty God. When our first parents made
this decision, a world-shaping shift in how they related with God began; it was
the beginning of the "blame game" that humans are still engaged in
right up to this day. When God asked Adam why he had eaten from the tree they were
told not to eat from, Adam blamed Eve.
Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
When God turns his attention towards Eve, she continues the
blame game:
Genesis 3:13 Then the Lord God said to the woman,
"What have you done? "The woman said, "The serpent deceived me,
and I ate."
However, God did not want to leave things this way, so He
has occasionally instructed us to counter humanity's self-centered desires.
First, it was the Messianic Law given to the Children of Israel, and after the
coming of the Savior of the World, Christ Jesus, we now have the clear,
unambiguous Word of God.
Despite these instructions from God, humanity still maintains a self-supremacy with the resolve of a hungry, ravenous wolf in search of prey. In response, God continually calls his people back to a way of having the right relationship with him and other humans that will finally appease their deepest longing.
No comments:
Post a Comment