Matthew 5
Those who Crave Righteousness v.6

Ps. 37 is not alone. Again and again the Old Testament speaks of the short shelf-life of the godless rich, and the long, everlasting future that awaits the virtuous poor. The young Virgin Mary captured it in what we not know as “The Magnificat” when she said, “God has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Lk. 1:53). The poor are hungry for righteousness.

We’re talking about a real hunger and thirst — a healthy, hearty spiritual appetite. It’s something that transcends our predisposition to failure, and even in the grip of moral or spiritual iniquity, there is a deep visceral longing for the highest good. One commentator astutely observed it’s like bing “haunted by goodness.” And, just like our hunger and thirst for food and water has to be satisfied on a daily basis, so too must our spiritual craving.Indeed, our need for righteousness is an indicator of health. Otherwise we are in decline, suffering, as Robert Louis Stevenson put it, “the malady of not wanting.” “Bring your hunger and thirst to the table,” Jesus is saying. “There’s more than enough to satisfy your deepest longing.”