Jesus wasn’t finished sharing with the crowd about the qualities of a blessed life on the hillside overlooking the sea of Galilee. It was likely on that same hillside some time later in His ministry that Jesus would feed over 5,000 people with just a basket of fish and bread. And, there is little doubt that Jesus realized that by the end of His message on this particular day, people would be getting both hungry and thirsty, wanting to be satisfied. And so, Jesus continued, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mt. 5:6).
I am going to spend two weeks unpacking this “beatitude,” as I want to first begin with two appropriate illustrations, and then ask you to contemplate during the week what it means to be really hungry and really thirsty. I know that we have all experienced being hungry and thirsty at times, but I doubt it has ever been to the extent that these illustrations will show us.
In 1908, Sir Ernest Shackleton and three companions attempted to reach the South Pole from their winter quarters. They set off with four ponies to help carry the load. Weeks later, with their ponies dead and rations virtually gone, they turned back toward their base without ever reaching their destination. In his book “The Heart of the Antarctic,” Shackleton records that their entire return journey was spent talking about food – elaborate feasts, gourmet delights, and exotic menus. As they staggered along, not knowing if they would survive, every waking hour was occupied with thoughts of eating. In all, they spent 127 days on their journey and much of it without food.
The following illustration comes from a major military engagement toward the end of WWI. Major V. Gilbert wrote in his book “The Last Crusade” an account of the liberation of Palestine by British, Australian, and New Zealand troops. As the Turks retreated over the desert, the water supply of the liberating troops began to dwindle and by afternoon, it had completely run out. Major Gilbert described the effect of the scorching sun on the men’s physical bodies, and the circling of vultures waiting for them to die on their mental state. Tongues began to swell, and lips cracked for lack of water. They knew that at Sheria there would be water, but the town was occupied by the Turks, and they had to be driven out. Major Gilbert realized that if they did not occupy Sheria by nightfall, thousands would die of thirst.
Throughout the afternoon, the men fought for their lives, not just to avoid enemy fire, but to reach Sheria for water. When the Turks were finally driven back, the great stone cisterns full of fresh, cold water came into view. Rather than rushing headlong toward them, these disciplined troops waited their turn. As they waited, first for the wounded, and then for their company to be called, they could all hear the sound of water running into the tanks, enhancing the mental anguish of the men dying of thirst. In the end, it took four hours for the last company of men to have their drink from the cistern. For over four hours, these men had been standing just twenty feet from a low stone wall, on the other side of which were thousands of gallons of fresh water. And yet, they waited their turn, knowing that their thirst would soon be quenched.
This week, I’d like each of us to think about what it means to be really hungry and thirsty, not for physical food and water, but for spiritual food and water. Jesus wants us to be as hungry and thirsty for righteousness as we are for food and water. And so, my challenge for each of us this week is to pray, asking God to give us a hunger and thirst for righteousness, that is, a desperate desire to be “right” with Him and to live a life that is the natural outflow of that relationship, a life characterized by “righteousness.”
We’ll talk more about this in my next blog, but for this week, I invite you to pray that God will give you a desperate hunger and thirst for righteousness. And I’ll be joining you in that same prayer.
