In verse 6 the Lord said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Righteousness here is to be right in our behavior. This righteousness is related to what we are inwardly. This is indicated by the fact that we are told to hunger and thirst for righteousness so that we might be satisfied.
In order to understand verse 6 we must also consider verse 20. Verse 20 says, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” In verses 3 and 20 we see two aspects of the kingdom of the heavens. In verse 3 the verb is present tense, and in verse 20 it is future tense. On the one hand, the kingdom of the heavens is ours; on the other hand, we shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens. If we are poor in our spirit, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is ours today. But we still need to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. Remember the two aspects of the kingdom of the heavens: the reality in the church today and the manifestation in the upper part of the millennium in the future. If we are truly poor in our spirit, seeking after Christ, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is ours. Then at the time of the millennium we shall enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. However, in order to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens we need the surpassing righteousness, the righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees. We need to hunger and thirst for this righteousness, to seek after such righteousness, that we may enter into the kingdom of the heavens (vv. 6, 10, 20). If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, God will grant us to be satisfied with the very righteousness we seek. If we seek this surpassing righteousness, it will be given to us.
Righteousness is to be right not only with God, but also with man. The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees was rather low because it was the righteousness according to the law. Our righteousness must not be according to the old law, but according to the new law. As we shall see, the new law is much higher than the old. The old law says, “You shall not murder.” But the new law says, “Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment” (v. 22). By this one example we see that our righteousness must be on a higher level than the righteousness of the Pharisees. We must take care not only of not murdering, but even of not being angry with our brother. This righteousness is on the highest plane.
Our natural life is not able to attain this righteousness. This inward subjective righteousness must be Christ. Only Christ can fulfill the requirements of the new law. When I read Matthew 5 as a young man, I was disappointed and said, “I simply can’t make it. I’ll just have to quit,” But the more I have grown, the more I have come to realize that I can make it because I have a life within me that can do it. The King with His kingdom within me can make it. However, this King needs our cooperation. We cooperate by being hungry and thirsty. We cooperate by saying, “O Lord Jesus, I hunger and thirst after You. Lord, I want to be filled with You.” If you hunger and thirst in this way, you will be satisfied.
The righteousness in verse 6 is simply Christ. It is the surpassing righteousness, the righteousness on the highest plane, that can only be attained by Christ. Because He is the One who produces this highest righteousness, we must seek after Him. We need to pray, “Lord, make me hungry. Grant me an appetite for Yourself. Grant me the appetite to seek the surpassing righteousness.” If you seek righteousness in this way, you will be satisfied. You will receive what you have been seeking.
Verse 7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” To be righteous is to give one what he deserves, whereas to be merciful is to give someone better than he deserves. For the kingdom of the heavens, we need to be not only righteous, but also merciful. To receive mercy is to get better than we deserve. If we are merciful to others, the Lord will grant us mercy (2 Tim. 1:16, 18), especially at His judgment seat (James 2:12-13).
To be righteous is to deal with yourself in a strict way. We must be righteous in dealing with ourselves. We should not give ourselves any excuse. Toward others, however, we must be merciful. If we are diligent to seek the surpassing righteousness, we shall eventually become merciful toward others. In our seeking we shall find that our natural man is weak and that we are prone to failure. If you do not realize the pitiful condition of your natural man, you will never have mercy on others. Instead of showing mercy to them, you will condemn them when they fail or fall. The reason you condemn them is that you do not know yourself. If you know yourself, whenever someone fails, you will say, “Lord, have mercy on me and on my brother. We all are weak vessels and cannot fulfill Your requirements. Lord, even though my brother has offended me, I would still be merciful toward him.” If you have never failed, you will never be merciful. If you are always successful in your pursuit of holiness and perfection, you will have no sympathy toward others when they fail. You will always condemn them. But if you know how weak you are and how many mistakes you have made, you will be merciful to others.
There is a promise for us in verse 7. The promise is that those who are merciful will receive mercy. If you judge your brother without mercy today, you will not receive any mercy at the judgment seat of Christ. Because you judge others unmercifully, Christ will judge you unmercifully. But if you have mercy on your brother, the Lord will have mercy on you at His judgment seat. Thus, the kingdom people are strict in dealing with themselves, but very merciful in dealing with others. Once again, this is not an outward matter, but a matter related to our inward being.