Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
Word
- Matthew 5:6
- John 4: 1-34; 39 - 42
- Psalm 42: 1-2
- What do you think that Jesus is trying to say in this beatitude?
- Do these passages change your mind at all on what you had thought previously?
- Key Phrases:
- Righteousness = Right-Ness/Wholeness with God and others.
- With this new understanding of righteousness, what does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?
- The Beatitude leads us to a story of a woman who meets the One who is Whole. What do we learn from the woman at the well about hungering and thirsting?
- What do these texts show us about God’s heart?
World
- The myth of righteousness is that it’s a pursuit of perfection. Pursuing righteousness leads to pride. But pursuing the Righteous One leads to righteousness. If the beatitude of Jesus is “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, how would our current Christian culture define what Jesus is trying to say?
- What things does the world encourage us to pursue? Will they really satisfy our deepest longings or leave us starving? Why?
Us
- Have you ever tried your best to be good and failed?
- Being connected to Christ makes us right before Him. Coming to know who He is, is what gives us the opportunity to be right/whole.
- Think of a time in your life where you longed for something, and after a period of time, you got that thing. Did it satisfy the deepest longings of your heart? Did you stop longing for things after your needs were met? Why or why not?
- What are some areas in your life where you are longing for something? How can you find satisfaction in the hope-filled promises of Jesus?