The Beatitudes
10 Truths
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
Matthew's Beatitude 4
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who keep hungering and keep thirsting for righteousness because they will be satisfied.
Luke's Beatitude 2
Luke 6:21
Blessed are you who are hungry now because you will be satisfied.
You can take this in two ways. The longing for righteousness could be in our inner person and life. We long to see God’s work in our hearts and lives to continue. We rely on the Holy Spirit to make us righteous. We are sensitive to the injustice around us and want to be Jesus’s lights in the world.
The other way you can take this beatitude is that it is about us as a righteous people longing to see righteousness on the earth. It’s hard to understand how people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness will be filled now. Matthew refers to a deep dissatisfaction with the wickedness of the world.
Everywhere you turn, you can see injustice. People abuse the week, poor, and outcasts. We watch court cases on TV that should go one way and end up going the other way. It seems those who cause harm get off Scott free.
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is a continuing process. It grates against what we see in the world. The more we see in justice, the more we long for righteousness.
Sometimes in the Bible, words for feeling or desire mean experiencing them. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is a deep desire to feel and experience satisfaction. The lack of satisfaction drives us to want righteousness in ourselves in the world even more.
This is not a passing desire. It continues to dig deeper wells in our hearts. Instead of reacting to injustice with anger or worldly, political, and economic patches, the injustice we see drives our desire for righteousness. When we don’t see it in the world, we look to God to be filled.
Background and Context
Jesus may be thinking about Psalm 107:5, 9. It has very similar wording to this beatitude. He points to God as the one who fills and satisfies us. We reach out to God and ask Him to do what we do not experience in the world.
What about those who are hungry now (Luke 6:21)?
Luke stresses the real-life conditions people are going through. These aren’t people who are looking for righteousness as much as someone who can help them with their lack of food.
Unlike Matthew, Luke only mentions hunger. This stresses Jesus’s care for us when we cannot provide our daily needs for ourselves. Jesus has promised that God will take care of us like He takes care of plants, flowers, and birds (Matthew 6:25-34). We need to trust that Jesus will provide for us like He does in nature.
Satisfaction for Intense Longing for Righteousness
Jesus promises that those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and those who hunger because of their lack of food will be filled. You will not just be full enough. God works in abundance. You will be filled to satisfaction.
We do not always see righteousness and justice come through for the oppressed today. This satisfaction for those who long for righteousness here and now may not be satisfied until Jesus returns. When Jesus comes in the second coming, He will destroy the unrighteous kings and armies that gather against Him (Revelation 19:11-19). There will be a final day of the Lord when everyone will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
Sometimes we see righteousness and justice happen in our world. These moments are just the beginning of satisfaction for those of us who look for it now. Rejoice and praise God for those moments when justice and righteousness happen. Sense that the full righteousness Jesus will bring with Him is closer now than ever before.
For those who are hungry and cannot provide food for themselves, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3). God will provide for your needs. He cares for you. Rely on God for everything you need. He comes through just in time. He sees you and knows your condition. He knows what you need and provides it because He is good.
Life Change
- Do you hunger and thirst, desperately long for God’s righteousness to work in and through to others? Is this a priority?
- Do you treat others with righteousness and justice? Can they trust you to do all you can to “get it right” if they are accused of something?
- Are you so consumed with a desire for righteousness and justice in the world that you can taste it?
- How do you ensure that everyone around you is treated with fairness and kindness?
- Pray and ask Jesus to fill you with a hunger and thirst for righteousness in your own life, heart, and mind. Seek God to make you a righteous person.