Abundance
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” -Matthew 5:6
We find the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. This powerful teaching opens with the great wisdom of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). The setting for this teaching is on the side of a mountain that Jesus has climbed. Although Jesus often leaves for the solitude of the wilderness, this time a large crowd follows him. Jesus does not turn them away. Jesus addresses the crowd with one of the longest and most profound teachings within Matthew’s gospel.
What would cause the crowd to follow Jesus in such a way? They would have had to leave the comfort of their homes, remove themselves for the safety of their communities, and leave behind their daily work. Why would such a large group follow Jesus up a mountain, away from all they knew? Surely, they thought Jesus offered more than what they had already experienced.
When He began to speak, the people heard Jesus articulate the hope they had as a people of faith. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Our lives are filled with such abundance. It may not always seem that way, but we live in an age when our most basic needs are easily filled. Food, water, clothes, and shelter are more readily available than at any other time in history. The people did not live in such luxury when Jesus climbed that mountain. They worried about these things and so much more. They had been conquered by one empire after the next. The Romans were now in charge, but before them were the Greeks and the Persians. Not only did the people worry where their daily bread would come from, but they also desired freedom, justice, and peace.
Jesus’ words were comforting. He knew we all worry about these things. So, Jesus tells us that our hunger and our thirst will be filled. Later in the same sermon, Jesus would reinforce this by saying, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” (Matthew 6:31-32) He reminds us that, just as God cared for the people in the wilderness with manna, God will care for us today. This is why we can pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
But there is much more to life than bread and water. The deep hunger we all experience is a craving for a closer relationship with our Creator. We long to know Jesus more. We want to experience the peace and joy of a life immersed in God’s loving grace. The good news proclaimed in the Beatitudes is that this is possible. God is not far away. The kingdom of heaven has arrived. (Matthew 4:17) If you are hungry for spiritual food, God will provide. If your soul thirsts for living water, God will provide.
The people knew they needed more and so they made the journey up that mountain. They followed Jesus and found He had all we need to be sustained and to truly thrive. God is with us. We are blessed, indeed!
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” (Psalm 42:1-2)
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
