Jesus Said,
They shall be filled…Matthew 5:6
Ten times in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus spoke of being happy, that is “blessed.” Jesus is speaking to common, ordinary people. People who had seen His miracles and followed Him to see what else He might do. The Messiah would do miracles. He could be the Christ, they thought.
Jesus said He had come to fulfill the law, not destroy it, Matthew 5:17-19. Then He says, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. What? Where does such righteousness come from if not from the Pharisees? Answer: from God.
The Pharisees took grace out of the law by insisting obedience to the law must be their way. Therefore, what was created by God to bring people to Him, pushed people away from each other. A great division was created between those who sought after the blessings of God and those who sought after praise of men. Jesus is correcting this in His message on the mountain side.
God created us to need Him. God also created us to need each other. Friends and family are important. Not only spiritually important, but physically. Strong friendships foster good health. The man born blind, John 9, needed friends to guide him. Even to the pool to wash and receive sight. Grace brings people together.
God through Jesus invites us to leave our old desires behind and accept the gift of His righteousness. Jesus said, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled, Matthew 5:6.
Do you see His promise?
Those who seek after God like they seek after food and water will be fulfilled. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant by fulfilling the law. The purpose of the law was to show us who we are without God, spiritually dead sinners. The law did this by showing us who Jesus is, grace and truth.
God created us for fellowship. Fellowship with each other and with God. But we replaced fellowship with rule-keeping. Jesus said, Come to Me. The invitation was to everyone who carried the heavy load of false expectations, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. Jesus added to His invitation a promise: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18.
In doing so, Jesus shows us the blessing of our right relationship with God. You can read all ten for yourself in Matthew, chapter 5. There is more than being content with being in the kingdom of heaven. There is comfort, mercy, peace, and righteousness from God. Jesus said you will be filled. Are you? If yes, then share your joy with others. If no, then why not?
