TITLE: 04 Hunger and Thirst

Transcription

1 TITLE: 04 Hunger and Thirst TEASE: Are you hungry? So often we say, I m starving as we get ready for a meal or a snack, but few of us have ever experienced real hunger over a prolonged period of time. To find out what Jesus said about hunger, please stay with us today here on Windows of Hope. FEATURE: SERMON What is the longest you ve ever gone without food? Did you fast for medical reasons, for religious reasons, or to lose weight? Fasting has a long history as both a religious and a political practice. Nearly every world religion encourages some form of fasting Muslims, for example, fast between sunrise and sunset every day during the month of Ramadan. Many Christians also fast on certain days, and the Bible tells us that Jesus fasted for forty days when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Fasting as a form of political pressure was a practice popularized by the great Indian leader Gandhi. He fasted in an attempt to pressure Hindus and Muslims to observe the principles of non-violence during India s struggle for independence. But the idea wasn t new to Gandhi others had fasted for political reasons in the past. The longest recorded hunger strike in history ended on October 25, 1920, with the death in prison of Terence MacSwiney, who was protesting British rule in Ireland. MacSwiney lasted seventy-four days without food before finally dying. Some people fast to lose weight not a very effective or safe method of doing so, doctors warn! Others fast to raise awareness of those in the world who are starving. For example, many church and school groups participate in an annual Thirty Hour Famine to raise money and awareness around issues related to world hunger. And that, of course, brings us to the largest group of hungry people in the world not political protesters, or religious devotees, or weight watchers, but those who are starving because there simply is no food. 854 million people around the world a number that s steadily growing don t have the choice to end their fast and grab a bite to eat. They are hungry because they have no choice, no food, and no hope. Every day, about 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes that s almost one child every five seconds. In the light of those staggering, overwhelming statistics, how are we to respond to the fourth of Jesus Beatitudes. In Luke chapter six, verse 21, Jesus says: Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. When we read the parallel passage in Matthew chapter 5, verse 6, we find the same message but with a twist:

2 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Just as we saw with Jesus first Beatitude Blessed are the poor in spirit we find a difference between Matthew s version of the sermon and Luke s. Luke s once again, is more practical and rooted in basic human needs. According to Luke, Jesus blessed both the poor and the hungry and promised them that their needs would someday be filled. But Matthew includes in the blessing not just those who are physically hungry, but those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? And what connection if any is there between that kind of hunger, and the genuine hunger of those who cannot get enough to eat? Was Jesus giving two different messages in these passages recorded by Matthew and Luke? Was He blessing two completely different groups of people? Let s look a little more closely at that word righteousness the word that is added in Matthew s version of the sermon to see what it adds to our understanding. It s not a word that gets used much anymore outside religious circles. Generally we associate righteousness with right behavior, with following God s laws, with avoiding sinful activities and being holy. But there s something more to the word righteous that our modern ears may miss. The root of the Greek word that the New Testament writers would have used for righteousness was dike [dee-kay], and it carried the idea not just of goodness and holiness, but of justice. In fact, the word came from the name of a Greek goddess, who was the goddess of justice. The Hebrew word that the Old Testament writers used for the same idea was tzedek, and it also included the idea of justice. That s the idea that we see expressed by the prophet Amos in Amos 5, verse 24, where he says: Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! If you look at that verse in its context, in Amos chapter 5, what is the prophet talking about? He s talking about the injustice with which the wealthy people in Israel treat the poor. He says that they go through the outward shows of religion they offer the right sacrifices, they say the right prayers but their worship is abhorrent to God, because it s built on extortion and abuse and lack of caring for the poor. God says through the prophet Amos that He doesn t want prayers and offerings; He wants justice and righteousness. I wonder if this concept of righteousness and justice might suggest a way we can link those two statements. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst there s no doubt that God has a special care and concern for the hungry and starving people of this world. But how has He chosen to relieve their suffering, by inspiring other human beings His followers to pursue justice and righteousness.

3 What Jesus says here is that those who long for righteousness and justice those who hungrily, earnestly seek to do right are blessed by God. And through them, God is able to bless those who are literally hungry and thirsty. So often, in our modern Western society, those of us who are church-goers and believers concentrate our whole idea of righteousness on outward appearances. What we wear, where we go for entertainment, what we eat and drink, who we associate with we believe that those things make us righteous. And while those things are important, we are often ignoring some of the heavier issues including the issue of justice for those who are hungry and in need. In some ways, we may be a little like the Pharisees of Jesus day. Do you remember what Jesus said to them about their religious practices? In Matthew chapter 23, verse 23, we read His words of condemnation: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. The Pharisees were so concerned about obeying the outward forms of the law that they were even paying tithe on their herbs and spices! But Jesus said they had neglected more important things like justice and mercy. That s the kind of righteousness He is looking for. Not that these other things are unimportant Jesus makes that point but they re not the heart of the gospel. The heart of the gospel, the center of Jesus idea of righteousness, is caring for those in need. In fact, this wasn t a new idea that Jesus was presenting. We ve already seen how Amos cried out for righteousness and justice to flow down like mighty rivers, washing over the people. The prophets of the Old Testament called on God s people to pay attention to these issues, especially to caring for the poor and hungry. Look at the words of Isaiah 58, verses 5 to 7: Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

4 God pronounces a blessing upon those who are hungry. But He also blesses those who ally themselves with the poor and hungry, who actively work for justice and righteousness by helping to feed the poor. If you hunger for that kind of righteousness if you long to serve others sacrificially the way Jesus Himself did then you will be filled. Filled with the Spirit of God, because you will be like Jesus. What does this mean for you and me, friend, in practical terms? Does it mean laying aside an afternoon to go volunteer at the soup kitchen or the homeless shelter? Well, it might mean that very thing for some of us. Helping in a hands-on way gives us a wonderful opportunity to really interact with people in need, to appreciate what the needs are and to be part of solving them. But one or two volunteer outings that allow us to pat ourselves on the back and feel like we re doing good does that really match with Jesus picture of people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness? If you re hungry, it permeates every aspect of your life. You can t be hungry for an hour or two a week and then go off and forget about it. Hunger is the defining quality of your life when you haven t got enough to eat. Is your longing for righteousness and justice, your longing to help those in need, as strong as hunger or thirst? Is it the defining quality of your life? If you truly seek to follow Jesus, it will be. Maybe that s an ideal for you at this point. We aren t all filled with that kind of hungry, thirsty desire to live God s way, one hundred percent. But Jesus words point us in the direction our priorities should go. Righteousness is about more than an hour a week at the soup kitchen. It s about our priorities, the way we live our lives. It s about the choices we make about our own wealth, our consumption, our use of resources making sure that blessing others is our first priority, rather than buying the latest electronic gadget. It s about the causes and movements we choose to support and become involved in. In other words, it s something that needs to become a part of who we are. It s a high standard, isn t it? But let s place it in the context of everything else Jesus has had to say in these Beatitudes so far. God s blessing rests on the poor and those who are poor in spirit, who recognize their need of Him. He blesses those who mourn, promising comfort. He blesses those who are meek in other words, gentle and humble people who rely on Him and put others ahead of themselves. And He blesses both the hungry, and those who are passionate about justice and righteousness, who can be His hands in feeding the hungry. What a picture Jesus is painting here of the Christian life! It s a picture of a God Who is at once incredibly tender and gentle with the weakest of us, yet Who sets a high standard for us to reach. This sermon here in Matthew chapter 5 that begins with the Beatitudes will end with a seemingly impossible commandment in Matthew 5, verse 48, where Jesus says: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Yet as we follow His teaching throughout this chapter we see that Jesus definition of perfection is not about flawlessly following a set of rules and regulations, but about having a spirit like His being a

5 person who relies on God, who is open about needing God, and who in turn genuinely loves and cares for others. That s the kind of person God blesses. And that s the kind of person He is leading each one of us to become. Please join me now as we pray? PRAYER: Dear Lord, please make us hungry and thirsty for You. Teach us to love and care for others and pursue justice and righteousness the way Jesus did when He was here on earth. We are so unlike Him, and yet we know that You long to make us like Him. Please fill us with Your Spirit s power so that we can live the lives You want us to live. In Jesus Name, Amen.