Beatitude #4: Blessed Are Those Who Live Pono
The Discomforting Gospel pt. V
Our ongoing series about the confronting nature of Gospel of Jesus Christ. Part I, II, III, and IV.
One of the blessings of being connected to Hawai’i is the opportunity to discover the truth of God in Hawaiian culture. An example of this would be the state’s motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono. This translates to “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness,” and the officialization of the phrase highlights how Hawaiians value uprightness or pono in human interactions.
This motto is remarkably resonant with Moses’ exhortation to the second generation of Israelites before they entered the Promised Land:
Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you. (Deut. 16:20)
Here, the word for “justice” (צדק) can also be translated as “righteousness.” All this to say: God has embedded within every person an understanding that righteous living is the key to a life of blessing.
The Fourth Beatitude
This message is so important that Jesus reiterates it in the fourth beatitude:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matt. 5:6 ESV)
What Jesus adds, however, is the idea that the promised blessing is not necessarily something that will be experienced “on this side of eternity.” We need only to look at Jesus’ life to see this.
On many occasions, he reached out to the marginalized in society. He slammed the Pharisees for not taking care of their parents (Mark 7:11). He also praised Zaccheus for giving to the poor and restoring what he stole fourfold (Luke 19:8–10).
…Yet, he had nowhere to lay his head (Matt. 8:20).
The Cost of Righteousness
Jesus’ life exemplifies how pursuing righteousness comes with sacrifice.
For example, those who are working on behalf of others are either underpaid or are volunteers who rely on support. It is hard for them to invest in the future because they live paycheck to paycheck in order to put bread on the table for their families. Eating out is a luxury and extra legroom on flights isn’t even a consideration.
But all these sacrifices and inconveniences are worth it because the hungering ones know — with all their hearts — that God will take care of them (Matt. 6:33) and that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17).
So, maybe we can blend the motto and beatitude into something like this: Blessed are those who sacrifice their lives for justice in the land for the day is surely coming when they will experience the life of the land to the fullest.
Live pono. You’re doing great :)
