Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

This is the fourth beatitude told by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6)(NASB)

In the context of the Bible, righteousness means the state of innocence before God, which can be achieved only through faith in Jesus Christ from the heart and repentance.

Here’s how a man hungry and thirst for righteousness proceeded when he found out about the Lord Jesus Christ:

He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” (Gospel of Luke 19:1-8)(NASB)

How is your hunger and thirst for righteousness shown, that is according to God’s justice? How much do you love to study the Bible and go to church? Do not apologize that you worry too much about earthly things, because Lord Jesus said:

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)(NASB)

Translated by Felicia Rotaru