“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” – Matthew 5:6 ESV
Satisfaction in Jesus
In John 4:14, Jesus says, “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (NLT).
In John 6:35, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again” (NLT).
In both of these declarations, Jesus is promising to fill the hungry and satisfy the thirsty. Of course, our physical bodies need physical sustenance. Jesus isn’t saying that once we know Him we’ll never need to eat or drink again. But He is saying that when we accept Him as Lord and Savior, receive His Holy Spirit, and walk in obedience to everything He commands, we will receive a satisfaction that isn’t dependent on external circumstances.
Jesus’s Promise to the Hungry
Jesus uses a very physical metaphor for this blessing: “...those who hunger and thirst.” The people listening to His sermon knew true hunger and true thirst. They didn’t take food and water for granted the way we in the 21st century—when sustenance is readily available in excess—may be tempted to do. So when Jesus made this promise, listeners most likely would’ve felt the longing for righteousness as a physical sensation, as real and uncomfortable as hunger pangs.
Self-righteousness—longing for status, acclaim, or riches—has no place in God’s Kingdom. We’re not meant to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to, compare ourselves to others, or believe we’re in any way superior. The kind of righteousness Jesus is talking about here is not self-serving at all; it’s a righteousness modeled after God’s righteousness, that longs to see justice and mercy and goodness permeate the whole world, not just our own minds and hearts.
Jesus promises those who long for righteousness will not walk away empty. They will be filled—partially filled in this life, completely filled in the eternal life to come.
