Sermon on the Mount 05- Being Truly Satisfied

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Sermon on the Mount 05- Being Truly Satisfied

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6-7

Now we have come to the fourth blessing. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be satisfied. Is thirst and hunger compatible with being satisfied? But the Lord is talking about a very incompatible combination of thirst and hunger and being full. Being thirsty and hungry is actually being full. That’s what he is saying. Please do not miss that this Sermon on the Mount was given to the Jews who were waiting for the Messiah and His earthly kingdom under Roman oppression. The Lord is making an anomalous statement to the Jews, who thought getting out of such pain and hunger was the arrival of the kingdom of a Messiah, that mourning, being poor, being thirsty, and being hungry like that is a blessing. They were expecting something else. The people swarmed like bees after seeing the Lord healing diseases in chapter 4.

To that, Jesus is now speaking the Sermon on the Mount. You are doing it right. That is how you should live.

He is telling them living like that is the life of the blessed, not getting out of there.

To paraphrase the text to make it easier to understand, it is “Blessed ones, you are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. But you are full.” You would become like this. It means that those who have received God’s blessing will be, with directionality, pushed to go to the place of trusting only the rightouesness of God, prepared by God.

However, those who are being pushed to go like that are denied of their own righteousness and having their righteousness denied means that all actions coming out of their lives are pronounced as sins. It means they will be defined as such. Those who are being pushed to go like that will be denied of their own righteousness and will live a life of spiritual poverty, mourning, and meekness in this history, but that is being truly full. It’s saying this. I have nothing, not even a little, to please God. This is spiritual poverty, right? And realizing oneself as being a sinner brings mourning and such mourning is what? It’s meekness, sustaining one’s humbleness before the will of God in whatever situation or environement. So that leads to meekness and that meekness is revealed as the appearance of a person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. As we have thoroughly looked during the study of Romans, there is no one in this world who can be righteous on his/her own. Let’s take a look again.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. - Ecclesiastes 7:20

As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one. - Romans 3:10

Then what should we do? There is not a single element of righteousness that can be produced in human beings. Then, what should we do? We must hunger and thirst for righteousness. I don’t’ have that, so somebody pour that down on me. This is being hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is what bursts out from the lives of those who realize that no ingredient or element of righteousness exists inside of them whatsoever. Despite this, men bet their entire lives on pursuing a man-made righteousness based on morals, ethics, and human-likeness. That is the nature of men who have departed from their original place. The Lord is now asserting that whoever can bring out what’s in them is not the one who is hungry and thirsty. Didn’t the Jews and Pharisees at that time have a lot they could bring out?

How could that be being hungry and thristy? A hungry and thirsty man is thisty and hungry when he possesses nothing. If he has something he owns, then he can eat that. When he does not have what he can pick up and eat, he is thirsty and hungry. The same word “hunger” used when Jesus fasted for 40 days and was hungry is used here. State of having nothing in the intestines in the abdomen because of not having eaten for 40 days. It’s saying that is hunger. And now that is being required of the saints. Are you admitting that there is truly nothing in you? He is saying this. He is saying but that is being truly full. He is saying those who say they have something in them are actually feeling bloated (having a false sense of satiety?) and not truly full.

It’s like air puffed bread. It means those who cry out to God from deficiency and fill themselves with God’s grace after having recognized themselves as being hungry and thirsty are the ones to be blessed, but those who are drumming their bloated stomach, laying out something made in themselves are in fact the famished ones who have nothing to do with the heavenly blessing.

People, why did God create this history? Why on earth does this history exsit? People. People, why does your life exsit? Why must we, who have already been saved in eternity, live out this history? There is only one thing this history and life must prove out, all things in heaven and earth must prove out. It is to explain why Jesus must be the Lord and Christ. They are props to explain this. This hurts the pride of humanists.

And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;¹¹ they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,¹² like a robe you will roll them up,  like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”  Hebrews 1:10-12

God created heaven and earth, it says. Then why did He create? To perish them. They are to perish and God created them with that intention. Then, why did He create what will be taken down? Isn’t it saying that? God created the heaven and earth in the beginning but they will perish. It means He created to detroy, but then why would He create to destry? What is being contrasted with the things that will perish? “They will perish but you remain,” there “you remain” is being contrasted, right?

What is being constrasted with the world to be perished is “the Lord who remains”. Thus it means, the world to be perished is a temporary building, a prop to reveal the Lord who is to remain.

All things in the universe and this history are nothing but props that prove and reveal that only the Lord is to remain forever and has true worth and is the owner of all things. All things in heaven and earth are a temporary building to explain God’s new creation that begins and is completed only by the merit of Jesus.

A temporary building cannot avoid demolition when the real one comes. So this history, life, and even the flesh are just a temporary building. So they must be demolished when the real one comes. Like this, this history, this life, the universe, and flesh are props to explain the real substance of the new creation.

Through the history and life as such props, we must thoroughly learn why one can be an existence only in Jesus, why one must live only by Jesus, and why Jesus must be the king of all things.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by^[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  - Colossians 1:15-17

This is a passage describing the first creation, but it is also a passage describing the new creation. All creation under the first creation, which came to being by Jesus Christ the first born, is an exsistence absolutely dependent on God. First creation being created by God, who exists first, means it is explaining that the people of God will be created by Jesus, who is the firstborn. That is why it is declaring in verse 17 that all things exist only in Jesus, who is before all things. In the latter part of verse 17, the phrase “hold together” is a translation of the Hebrew word “synistao” and it means place together, standing together, existing together. So it means all things can only exist in Jesus. So it means that all things outside of Jesus are dead. Only what is in Jesus exists. It means whatever that is not standing together with Jesus is nothing but dead. That is denying the existence of all things outside of Jesus. It means they do not exist. It means they are not alive, no matter how they move or think. They are all dead. So, all things can do nothing but to live as an existence that longs for the vitality of God, because without it they are dead. It’s only death outside of Jesus. That is why John reveals Jesus, the word, is the creator and only in Him there is life.

In the beginning was the Word, (The beginning is “reshith”, the same word in Genesis 1:1) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. – John 1:1-4

The beginning of Genesis 1:1 is appearing the same way and I have told you that that first creation is a model for the new creation, right? In that place of creation, which is the beginning, there was Jesus. It says He created all things and there is not even one thing that came to being without Him. If translating verses 3 and 4 literally, “All things were created thought the word and nthing was created without this word. All things created by the word received llife from Him and that life was the light of men.” This is the literal translation.

Therefore, the purpose of existence of this history and life, and all things in the universe is to verify who the owner of the kingdom of God is and they exist to prove that there is no other way for a being to come to existence other than to enter into Jesus.

It is saying Jesus created all things and there is life only in Jesus. So it means what Jesus did not give life to is not life. The Bible is saying this and the history is saying this and our lives are being used as props to reveal this, props to reveal God, Jesus Christ. And then, when this is completely revealed to those whom this needs to be revealed, props are to be demolished. A temporary building is to be demolished. That is the end. So the saints should learn why you are a dead man without Jesus and why you are nothing unless clothed by the grace of Jesus as you pass through your journey of faith. That is being the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. It is so because the righteousness of God is a required premise for being alive. Without that righteousness, all beings cannot be beings. That righteousness itself is the zeal of God, the vitality of God, and that itself is “barak” the blessing. To make it easy, this history, life, and flesh are passing throught the process of self-denial, in which they come to depend only on the righteousness of God, while being completely denied of their own righteousness made by themselves. Same for history and civilization. In that sense, this history and civilization are perishing and are not continuously advancing and prospering. Those with eyes can see this. You know the legenday person in the IT industry, one of the early adopters, who wrote the book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains? Nicholas Carr said this in his book: The development of information technology is drowning men as ones who do not think. So he said he quit things like Facebook and Twitter.

He is saying that those things can build a certain virtual fence on the internet and provide much information, but they turn people into a very passive being. Similarly, after navigation systems came out you cannot find your way without it. We are becoming stupider. Losing our ability to think, that is perishing. People, but we call this development, don’t we? This is God’s plan.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ⁶ A voice says, “Cry!” And I said,^[c] “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty^[d] is like the flower of the field. ⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. - Isaiah 40:5-8

In verse 5, the glory of God and flesh are being contrasted, right? And starting in verse 6, the reason why a saint should exist in flesh in this history. God is comparing human flesh to grass and flowers. Then what is being blown over the flesh? The breath of the Lord blows on them and they wither and fade, right? It is not doing that by itself, but God is blowing on the flesh, on the people, on the history with His breath and He is withering them to death. Then what comes to be revealed in verse 7 and 8? The word of our God will stand forever. This is history. This is the meaning of the existence of history. The word of God is Jesus Christ, who created the heaven and earth in the beginning. To reveal the merit of Jeuss Christ and His grace, the history and flesh are being brought to destruction. The breath of God is leading that. That is why we are coming to ruins. People who are coming to ruins, you are going well.

The reason why we must live in flesh on this earth is to become those who would praise the glory of the Lord, the glory of the new creation through Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul summarizes this like this:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness^[c] were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Galatians 2:20-21

Paul was a man who ran with the law like a freshly caught mackerel. He believed that he had the strength to live like a people of God. But then once he rightly knew the gospel, he realized that there is nothing he could do. He realized that he died already nailed on the cross with Jesus. “I died. Then who is this living in me? Ah~ It’s the new creation that came to life in Jesus”. The end. There is nothing I can do in Jesus. All you need to do is praise Him in thankfulness. Apostle Paul knew that. He is even confirm‎ing his point by saying that if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. By the law, I could not make any kind of stepping-stone or bridgehead into Jesus. God just covered me with grace. He is saying this. Therefore, it’s right that I am dead. Despite this, men, without knowing their original place and being prideful, continuously prepare man-made righteousness. It has been like this since the Garden of Eden. To this day. It will continue to be like this till the last day. The Bible clearly distinguishes between the righteousness of God and self-righteousness.

For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. –Romans 10:3

What does it say that the rightousenss men try to produce based on their morals, ethics, or being humanistic do to the righteousness of God? It is saying that is not submitting. Not even just not obeying but not submitting. Trying hard not to obey. Paul calls this kind of self-righteousness the righteousness of the law.

…though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: (He is saying, “I am confident if I were to compare my credibility in the flesh with others. I am confident.”) ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,^[c] blameless. –Philippians 3:4-6

By the righteousness of the law, he lived zealously to the point of being blameless, very well doing his best. But that zeal by the law resulted in persecuting the church instead of building it up. That righteousness of the law, that zeal, is tainting the true meaning of the church.

Was there law in the Garden of Eden? The 631 laws were given during the time of Moses. Eden was a paradise even though it had no laws. Living naked if God makes you naked, eating if He says to eat, and not eating if He says no, this is called paradise. A place where only the will of God is poured upon, without any personal identity, intention, will, vision, or aspiration, and one being administered and moved only by the will of God is called paradise. Then the law is thrown down. The law of “do not eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil” is thrown down and what role does this law play? As soon as a man receives the law, his true identity is exposed. Do not understand this simply as he had sinned or he had fallen as it is showing that men are always to be exposed of their own identity when the law is given. That was being given to us as the law and also as many commandments in the New Testament. When those are given, we come to realize “Yes, it is true we are sinners.” Through the law, it is not we are going to God but it is to expose “Yes, I am a sinner”. People, the law was given after Israel came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, right? But were they to be sent back to the Red Sea if they would not keep the law? So would God put them back into Egypt? No, they cannot go back. That is why God closed the Red Sea as soon as Israel crossed it. They could not go back. If they could not go back, why was the law given? It is for them to know who they are. It is to teach that despite who you are, I have saved you. That is the wilderness. What is wilderness? Isn’t it history, life? God is killing Israel in that history. He is killing all of the 1^st generation. The law exposes the true identity of men before the law of God, and at the same time, it shows where God will lead His people to in this history. That is the mass killing of the 1^st generation in the wildnerness. We are dead people before the law of God. There, before the law, we cannot bring out our righteousness, not even a little. It says the best righteousness of all men is a filthy rag. Dirty clothes. A dump cloth. It comes out in Isaiah. Even so, men are endlessly building the tower of Babel. They are building the righteousness of men, to keep their pride. Such history and the role of the law are well described in Romans 3:20.

For by works of the law no human being^[a] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. –Romans 3:20

So in this history, you receive the law of God, receive the word, and learn “Yes, I am a sinner. Yes, I am a dead man. From this dead body, nothing contributable to life can come out. Do you know which lecture at Harvard has been most popular for the last 30 years? It is Justice by Michael Sandel. You have heard a lot of it right? It came out in a book and also in a video. It is a very difficult book and the video is very difficult. It is hard to watch and draining. But, people, that difficult book sold a million copies in Korea in a very short time.

I think among the million who bought this book, less than five people could fully understand that book. But where are those million copies? It is placed in the bookshelf of those experts of building self righteousness, who are interested in justice, what is righteous life. Justice, what people want, justice. Human beings are, men are, the general population has much interest in the justice of men. That is why they buy that book and put it on their shelf, even though they cannot know or understand it. “I heard this is very popular at Harvard”.

Let me tell you once more. Knowing that men can finally come to exist when completely dependent on God is the meaning of this life and history and learning that men are nothing but dead meat before the righteousness of God is life and history. And the Bible is the book that is written. The impossibility of men and God’s unconditional grace. Those who, despite this, menially interpret the Bible as a book containing doctrines on righteousness men should produce will be cursed by God. It’s not me saying this. Jesus said this.

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ⁸ “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;⁹ in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” –Matthew 15:7-9

What is a short cut to worship God in vain? It is to teach the commandments as doctrinal lessons. This is what God said even in the time of Isaiah. From west to east, and high to low, all men are taking the word of God as doctrinal lessons. God gave the commandments, the word, to understand the righteousness of Jesus, but all men take this as a doctrine and aspire to follow Jesus as a model. In Chinese characters, “following the model” is written with a character that means intrinsic substance. So that means following someone as a model is only possible if you are of the same substance. Following Jesus as a model is an act of bringing Him down to the level of a human being. How would you model after Jesus? We need the righteousness of Jesus and we are not to imitate him. That’s nomism. That is a heretic ideology, people.

It is not having reflection and determination on “how to live right in a place where the word of God is being preached right”. That is the main theme of the book Justice. How should I live to live right? But the writer himself could not come to a conclusion. He does not know how to live right. He is a famous philosophy professor. Not having that kind of determination or refelction but the correct realization of “I am a dead man without the grace of God” must burst out. That is why the Bible calls the word of God a fire and a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. It is smashing into pieces. It is melting it, burning it up.

Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ³⁰ Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. - Jeremiah 23:29-30

Who is stealing the word of God? Instead of giving the word of God as a fire, as a hammer, they are giving it as a word of encouragement and comfort. That is stealing the word of God.

Let’s go to 2 Timothy Chapter 4 to see how Paul is writing about that.

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. -2 Timothy 4:2

He is saying to preach the word and saying that the word is to reprove and rebuke, right? And that is to comfort and exhort. He is saying this. Here, “elegcho” a translated word for “reprove”, is to make realize sin, rebuke, and expose and show to be guilty. It has a strong meaning. “Epitimao” a trasnslated word for “rebuke”, means admonish, charge sharply, censure severly. Both reprove and rebuke means digging out the sins. So if you do not feel like your sins are being digged out when listening to a sermon, the preacher is preaching wrong and the audience is listening wrong. But those robbers are uplifting human existence, identity, and worth with the word of God and outrageously comforting men. Those who have not received the grace of God consider it a curse when the word of God is correctly given because it is pointing out their sin. “Hey, what do you think men are?” Like this, they accept it unhappily because they consider it a curse. But the people of God receive it as a reproof and go to “That is why I need the righteousness of God”.

To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. –Jeremiah 6:10

Why? They think they are just being yelled at. So instead of going “That is why you need Jesus”, they say, “Why just keep yelling at?” That’s why they consider it a curse.

¹¹ Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary of holding it in. “Pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the gatherings of young men, also; both husband and wife shall be taken, the elderly and the very aged. 

-Jeremiah 6:11

Where? Wrath of God. They should take that as a reproof and go to a place of recognizing the necessity of the cross of Jesus Christ, but they think they are just being yelled at and say, “Why always rebuking? I don’t want to hear it.” So upon here the wrath of God is being poured out. As we have learned during the study of Romans, the righteousness God requires can only be made by the death of Jesus.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. - Matthew 3:13-15

As you people know, the baptism of John is a baptism of repentance. It means confessing “I am a sinner who needs ssalvation” is the baptism of John. Confessing “I am a sinner” is the baptism of John. You are not being saved by receiving this baptism. Yes, I am a sinner. So I need help. This is John’s baptism and Jesus is receiving this. Jesus and a sinner are being united, right? But the baptism of John symbolically represents a baptism of which Jesus said “I have a baptism to receive and it is something you cannot even imagine, the baptism of the cross”, right? So by Jesus going down to the place of a sinner who should die and becoming a sinner himself, then being baptized on the cross and dying, and then resurrecting again, all righteousness is accomplished. Not just 90% of the righteousness but all righteousness. All righteousness. There is no room for our righteousness to dig through and go in. That righteousness is freely imputed. We become righteous because it is simply imputed not because we add something to it.

 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. -John 12:24

Who is this grain of wheat? It’s Jesus. This is of the parable of the soils, right? The parable of the sower. This is the seed sowed there. This, Jesus is. We become good soil because the grain of wheat called Jesus is sowed and not because we make the seed produce fruits by making the soil good. Much crop being produced by this seed falling, the grain of wheat falling and dying, means by the merit of, the death of this seed, the righteousness is imputed on them and they are becoming living things, right? This is called righteousness, not anything else.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

-1 Corinthians 15:20

Many grains are produced by one kernel of wheat falling on the soil and dying and this kernel, being the first fruit, is talking the rest of the fruits up to heaven. The book of Hebrew is saying it like this:

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, (who is this? As we have looked at before, Jesus the creator) in bringing many sons (It’s talking ahout the one who is the frist born. He who is the first born is bringing many sons) to glory, (what is happening) should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering (through the suffering of the cross). –Hebrews 2:10

Here, “for it was fitting that he… should make perfect” does not mean that He was not perfect before but made perfect through the cross, but rather it means that although He was perfect God, by Him taking upon the cross, the work He had to do, the work of the Messiah was completed. That is why it is saying He was made perfect through suffering. This is becoming our righteousness.

So this is being pictured in the baptism of John the Baptist, and it’s Jesus drowning and dying in the baptism of John, the storm of curse. And what happened after He rose to life? It says the heaven opened up, right?

The reason why that is written in there is to say that the heaven was closed to earth before Jesus was baptized. Then, Jesus goes into the water, which is the circumcision of the cross, being torn on the cross. It is saying when Jesus was torn on the cross, heaven is torn. Heaven is often expressed as a curtain, right? So by Jesus, who is the curtain being torn, heaven is opened up and a way from earth to heaven is made. But that way can only be made by Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. That is righteousness. There is no other righteousness. However, what is built trying to tear the heaven is the tower of Babel and that is men’s work of building the tower of Babel, streaming on the other side of the history. It is building of self-righteousness.

The heaven will not be torn by any other things. Because it is heaven, it has to be torn by the owner of heaven. So the heaven is being torn, opening up where righteousness, all righteousness is completed. Even so, human beings are securing their own righteousness saying “justice” and such.

This is said in Jeremiah 23:5:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,

(Who? Jesus. Who will raise up a righteous branch? God.) and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. (Justice is not something we execute but what the righteous branch does.) ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’  –Jeremiah 23:5-6

Who is he? Jesus. What is He? The Lord, our rightouesness. God is requiring His righteousness. Then does it make sense that we would bring out the righteousness which He can make? The Lord who is our righteousness, it’s this righteousness. That is why words like “You are a dirty existence that cannot be cleansed even if washed by whatever kind of soap, even if washed in lye” come out repeatedly in the book of Jeremiah. Things like “your righteousness is a filthy rag, a dirty cloth. It comes out repeatedly in Psalms, too, right? You cannot be washed by anything. You cannot be forgiven by a sacrifice. You cannot be forgiven by money. It comes out numerous times. Then, what can be our righteousness? Bring Jesus! Bring Jesus. That is Christianity. It is only Jesus, a sacrifice that only those who have faith believing in Jesus Christ can bring out. You should not judge men good or evil by an existential analytic approach. “Wow, He seems really nice, doesn’t he?” There can be an evil man who seems nice. That’s how human beings are.

Then, let’s think about this. How would those who consider the righteousness of men worthy understand being hungry and thirsty for righteousness? Think about it. How would the humanists who think “men have potential and power to do righteousness” understand being hungry and thirsty for righteousness? How would they interpret it? “How can we do righteous things? How can we live right?” They would misunderstand these as being hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Right? What would those who believe “we have the potential and power to do it” do when they are told to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness? They would say, “Right, I should do what is righteous. I should live righteously.” They think this is being hungry and thristy for righteousness. It is totally the opposite. People, listen carefully. That is not being hungry and thirsty for righteousness but it is proudly drumming their stomach full of their own righteousness. “It is here, right here. I can do this.” Isn’t that what it means? How is that being hungry? How is that being thirsty? What God requires is “the Lord, our righteousness.” It is not the righteousness of the saints. It is the righteousness of the Lord, God. Then, how can we interpret being hungry and thirsty for righteousness as how to live righteously, how to live justly? The Bible says such people are “rich men”. Those who are not hungry are called rich men. “I have something in me. I own something. So I can do something using that.” The Bible calls such a man a rich man.

That is a symbolic word. The rich man the Bible is talking about is not someone with a lot of money. Being hungry and thirsty means someone who correctly recognizes that he has none of the righteousness God requires in him and holds on to the righteousness God prepared with a pure heart. “Without this, I die in thirst. Without this, I die in hunger.” That is being hungry and thirsty for righteousness. But those crying out for a righteous life and realization of a just society do not have such thirst because they have something.

Doesn’t believing that I can contribute to my own maturity and transformation by doing something mean that I have elements and ingredients to make such righteousness? That is a rich man, someone who has something, someone who owns something.

For example, you know the rich young man who enthusiastically came out to follow Jesus? He was that kind of person. That rich young man asked Jesus, “How can you have eternal life?” That question itself means “Just tell me. I will do it.” This is called being a rich man, not because you have a lot of money, but this. But Jesus is using this rich man as an example because what this kind of rich man and monetarily rich man pursues is the same. Jesus said to keep all the commandments, right? Then, what did the rich young man say? He said, “I kept them all.” He has it, right? “I kept them all”- that is being rich. So Jesus said to him, “Sell all your possessions and give to the poor.” Then, he replied, “That I can not do.”

Then, was the young rich man’s keeping of the law until now for the glory of God or was it to keep his own worth and honor and benefit? He could not give away his money, not even a little bit. Jesus is saying, “You are telling me that you loved God with your life but you are not able to serve God because you cannot give it away when I tell you to give that one thing away and follow me. Then, for what have you kept the law? Wasn’t it to keep your own benefit? That is called being rich.” So He is saying, “You cannot serve God and Mammon- It is “I”, an idol called “I”- at the same time.” Ultimately, what was he hungry and thirsty for, really? He was hungry and thirsty for his own righteousness, his own glory. That is being rich. But that really is being poor and pathetic. The Laodicean Church was like that, wasn’t it? Didn’t Jesus say, “You are rich? You are poor and pathetic.” Like this, those who prove and show off themselves because they possess might and resources inside them are called rich men. But in fact, they are pathetic and poor men. That is a thirst that leads to death and hunger that leads to death. In Luke 16, the parable of the unrighteous manager, which you know well, comes out. What is the conclusion of that unrighteous manager?

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” –Luke 16:13

This is not simply saying that you cannot serve both money and God. This is the conclusion of the parable of the unrighteous manager and as you studied during the lecure of parables, it is a story of salvation where the holy Son of God came down to the place of unrighteousness and made the unrighteous righteous. So the act of those who received salvation like this, admitting themselves as being unrighteous as they are and entrusting themselves to the mercy of the owner, is called wisdom. What explained this was the parable of the unrighteous manager, wasn’t it? So Jesus is praising and calling wise the manager’s act of entrusting himself to the mercy of the owner, as his condition of still being in the place of the owner and acting unrighteously, being exposed as is. Thus, the theme of this parable is showing that those who trust the mercy and the righteousness of God cannot at the same time follow the humanism of the world that says one can make himself righteous and beneficial with his own might. That’s why it is saying you cannot serve both money and God. What money indicates is not simply money but it is trusting men’s potential. That is being rich. It is saying how can you serve such “richness” and God at the same time? It is saying how can you acknowledge both the rigtheousness of men and God at the same time and pursue them? It means that cannot be. That is why the Pharisees who are legalists and humanists are expressed as lovers of money in the end of the parable.

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. –Luke 16:14

People, at the time of Jesus, there were about 6,000 Pharisees. For Jews to become Pharisees, they are tested for a year. And those who pass the test are trained for another three years to finally become Pharisees but it is to become just Pharisees, not Sanhedrin members. Do you know how incorruptibly they lived? But Jesus is calling them lovers of money. Jesus is describing the Pharisees as lovers of money to explain and make it easy to understand that they are trying to build up their own status with their righteous works, just like those who serve money, or Mammon, trying to buy and build their own status with money. Shall we look at how Jesus expatiates the phrase, “the Pharisees who were lovers of money” just under it? It comes out.

And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. –Luke 16:15

Suddenly after saying you are lovers of money, He is explaining that you are those who justify yourselves before men. It means that is being rich. It means that is loving money. That is why, out of blue, the story of the law appears in the verses right under that.

 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.^{[a] 17} But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. –Luke 15:16-17

People, does this all connect? It does not connect at all unless you read down with “the law, what is true rich and true poor” as the core of the whole context. The parable of the unrighteous manager comes out, and all of sudden the story of Pharisees, who are lovers of money comes out, and again the story of the law comes out, and the story of those who call themselves righteous before men come out. What is it talking about? What is this? Loving money means “I am an alright person. The owner does not need to be completely merciful with me because I also have in me the power to act righteous. I can contribute something”. This being denied is the parable of the unrighteous manager. He is unrighteous till the end but the owner pours out mercy and Jesus called the one who understood this wise not because he did something wise, didn’t He? After this, He is saying, “the Pharisees disliked this parable because they are lovers of money, that they disliked this parable which explains the mercy of God. And who are the Pharisees who love the money, what is their identity? It is those who boast that they are righteous before men, those who boast with what they have in them.” And after that He is saying, “time of the law ends with John.” After that, He is saying, “the gospel of the kingdom of God will be preached and that gospel will be forcing into you, but you are not understanding this, you Pharisees.” And then He adds another parable under that with rich Pharisees, money loving Pharisees as a main character and that is the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. So if you do not understand the whole context, if you do not understand the consistent context beginning with the unrighteous manager, the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus becomes an off-the-wall kind of parable. I mean, think about it. In the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus, why should the rich man go to hell? Should all go to hell if they have a lot of money? No, he is going to hell because he is a Pharisee. The money loving Pharisees, who tried to add something to the righteousness of Jesus with their own righteousness, not holding completely unto the righteousness of Jesus, not completely trusting His righteousness, will all go to hell. This is the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. But then, think about this. That rich man, the Pharisee, and the beggar Lazarus are separated by a chasm, right? It is a chasm that cannot be crossed. Who made this chasm? Pharisees said, “I am a truly blessed man because I am not like that tax collector or a prostitute. Thank you.” Right? This distinguishment and separation is called a chasm. It is made by the Pharisees. It means if they make this kind of chasm in this history, it will become a chasm that will separate hell and heaven in eternity.

The scene of the Pharisees separating with a chasm comes out in Luke 18. Look at verse 9.

 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: -Luke 18:9

This is a chasm, right? Those who believe they themselves are righteous and treat others with contempt. It is the look of a Pharisee who looked at the beggar and said, “I am rich but why do you not have anything?” That is the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus.

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed^[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ –Luke 18:10-13

Look at this. What is it? It means “Have mercy on me! I am a sinner! I am a beggar.” This is a continuing narrative from the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. “I am a poor man. I am thirsty. So I am grateful even for the crumbs that fall off from the owner’s table. I am nothing but a being that can do nothing but die unless I see those.”-this is the beggar, beggar Lazarus. It means that the saints will be pushed down in this world just like that. “God, there is not even a little righteousness to pull out. God, please feed me even a few crumbs.”-this is a beggar. But the rich man is saying, “Why should I eat such crumbs? I have things. Look at me. I am a nice man who would allow that dirty beggar, whose boils are licked by a dog, to beg at the door of my house.”-this is the Pharisee. However, the rich man is saying “I am thirsty. Please dip a drop of water and drop it on my lips”, right? “I am okay in this world. Why should I thirst? I have power to do justice, to do what is right and I have potential.” It means that those who were not thirsty and hungry will go down to the place of “please give me a drop of water” after going up to the kingdom of heaven, after going up to the world of eternity. But the beggar who said in this history, “I am thirsty, I am hungry. Please fill me up with the righteousness of God,” is embracing all the riches of the kingdom of heaven.

People, saints must go up into eternity and see the history. This rich man goes up into eternity and there he is the beggar. He is the thristy one. There is not even a drop of water. So he looks down on the history and there are his brothers. It does not mean he can see. People, this is a parable. Then, this man knows what is really important in eternity. What did he ask for? He asked to go and witness this eternity so his brothers could repent. He does not say “please tell them to live nicely.” He does not say “please tell them to buid righteousness.” He does not say “please tell them to diligently offer a sacrifice.” “Please tell them to repent.” What is repentance? Repentance is “God, come and find me because I have not even a little righteousness that can come out of me,” right?

Didn’t we learn during the study of the Parables? The parable of drachma. The parable of the lost sheep. Isn’t Jesus saying repentance is the father and the owner coming to look for them? So, asking to have them repent means he knows that “they will be rich men here if God goes to them and saves them. God, what is really important to men in this history is repentance.” You must realize that as you look down again on the history in eternity. What is important to us is repentance. It is trusting completely the righteousness of God the Father. We are learning this in history. How could such people make a chasm between them and others? What does Abraham say in that parable? “Rich man, you must be poor here because you ate well in the world. But Lazarus was hungry and thirsty in the world. That is why he is being treated well here.” He says this, right? This is this story, the story of today’s text.

“I can do it. I am telling you I have righteousness.” Like this, if you live a life of proving and boasting yourselves, you may live as a well fed man in this world, but you will become a real poor and pathetic man who cannot even drink a drop of water in the kingdom of God. That is why you must be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Being hungry and thirsty is being full. Now you know what this means, right? It’s nothing else.

“Do many acts of righteousness. Do many nice things. Then, you will be full.”-it does not mean this. 

Saints are those who admit that “we can exist and have life only by being dependent on God” as they see the history in eternity. They are the ones who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness and the truly full people of the kingdom of heaven. So, it is okay even if you are not that full now. Being full means you are satisfied with yourself. People, your life of faith must not be satisfying. It is not “you are doing well. You are improving much. Hurray! Hurray!” -This is not it. It means you are full. Rather, you must become more and more hungry and thirsty and at the end heave a groan, “what a wretched man I am! Someone rescue me from this body of death!”, like Jesus would say when he was hungry after completely fasting for 40 days. To that man, the righteousness of God is being poured.

I will end after reading Psalm 103.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. ¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; (Look here. The reason we are continuously being exposed as sinners on earth is to reveal God’s graciousness, right?) ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. ¹⁴ For he knows our frame;^[a] he remembers that we are dust. (What are we? Dust, we are dust. It means “if so, what would God expect of you?” It means “No way! I expect nothing from you”, right?) ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. ¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, -Psalm 103:8-17

Well, what the Bible is saying is about the same, right? It’s all that the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Psalms are talking about. The righteousness of the Lord. We are to learn well in this world that this is the only thing eternal and this is the only thing that gives us life, and leave here.

Let’s pray.

God, thank you for your grace. Father God, we keep wanting to add to the righteousness you have given us as a gift by making our own righteousness. Father God, even though the Bible cleary says that is evil upon which you will be angry and pour down your wrath, we cannot completely trust the grace and merit of God, the merit of the blood of the cross of Jesus. Please break us down more and cut more away. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.