Righteousness
Matthew 5:6 (NASB)
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Righteousness occurs when someone is in a condition where they are completely innocent of doing anything against the commands or will of God. In our legal system, if someone is accused of committing a crime, they are either found guilty or not guilty. The judge and jury do not attempt to claim that the person has done nothing wrong, only that they don’t believe they committed this crime.
The righteousness that Jesus is speaking of here is where someone is completely innocent of any wrongdoing against God and others. People who long for this righteousness the same way that someone who is starving or dehydrated longs for food or water will be satisfied, which will make them blessed.
Of course, the only person that I know of Who has ever been completely innocent and righteous is Jesus.
Sinless
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus never sinned (“knew no sin”). He knew what it was like to live a sinless life. Even though He was God while walking on this earth, He was still a man. He still had temptations and trials. He had to overcome them, the same way that we need to.
Sinners
Romans 3:23-25a (NASB)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.
The Bible plainly tells us that we have all sinned, and none of us deserves the glory of God. We had no hope, because just one failure was enough for us to be sinners. Some people think that they are better than other people because they don’t sin as much as they do. Unfortunately, we were all in the same position, because we all have sinned.
Hopeless
Jesus told a parable about someone who owed a huge amount of money – so much so that it would be impossible to pay.
Matthew 18:23-24 (NASB)
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
In Jesus’ day, a talent was about 75 to 100 pounds of weight, either in silver or gold. Assuming that it was only 75 pounds per talent:
1 talent = about 75 pounds
10,000 talents = about 750,000 pounds
Current price of silver: $32.78/ounce
Current price of gold: $2,927.90/ounce
10K talents silver = $393,360,000.00 ($393 million)
10K talents gold = $35,134,800,000.00 ($35 billion)
1 talent = ~6,000 denarii (19 years labor)
10K talents = 192,307 years labor
For the average laborer (much less a slave), it would take them over 192,000 years to earn enough to pay that debt, assuming they spent nothing on anything else.
Our sin debt was just as hopeless for us. Because Jesus knew this, He provided the only way possible for our debt to be paid – He paid it Himself.
Substitute
Romans 3:23-25a (NASB)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.
Jesus took our place. He became our propitiation (substitute). He paid all of the legal obligations of sin that we had. We literally owe Him our eternal lives.
Hunger and Thirst
Matthew 5:6 (NASB)
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Considering all that Jesus did for us, you would think that more of us would be longing to do everything we could to please Him, and seek His righteous. That’s what Jesus said we should be doing. He doesn’t just say to do this, though; He also tells us that if we seek His righteousness in this way that we will be satisfied. That’s a promise! That is why and how we are blessed, because if we hunger and thirst for His righteousness, the righteousness that He purchased for us with His own blood, we will be satisfied. We will be righteous.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NASB)
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
It’s All About Jesus!
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