On Our Hunger

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

The fourth beatitude listed in the gospel of Matthew mixes together hunger and righteousness. To better understand this beatitude as written here, it can be helpful to look at a few other gospel texts, lest we fall into the trap of interpreting this “hunger and thirst for righteousness” as a mere mystical aspiration and ignore reality.

First, let us take a look at the beatitudes as told in Luke’s gospel account, in what is called the Sermon on the Plain. This is the Luke equivalent of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Luke though clearly articulates poor as poor and hunger as hunger. Jesus says simply, “the hungry shall be satisfied” in this text. To underline the point, Luke places the “woes” of Christ immediately after the beatitudes—where Jesus plainly adds that “those who are full now shall be hungry later”. There is no reference to righteousness in either the blessing or this cursing. (Luke 6:20-49)

So is Matthew wrong? No; the purpose of the text is simply different. Matthew is more concerned with establishing Jesus as the ultimate authority of righteousness. To see this more clearly, we can look at the “woes” of Christ as told in Matthew, which in this case are not mentioned until much later in the book. According to Matthew, Jesus is concerned with how the authorities and the seemingly righteous ignore the “weightier matters of the law”, namely justice, mercy, and faithfulness. (Matthew 23, specifically verse 23)

When we consider these larger hallmarks of righteousness, there is no escaping that feeding the physically hungry would be exhibiting mercy, justice, and faithfulness. And at the same time, seeking out spiritual food in the name of righteousness would also meet the criteria of the blessed. The gospels at large, therefore, urge us to address both literal and spiritual hunger. Both shall be satisfied as we work towards building the Eternal Kingdom of God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes on to say to the disciples that their righteousness must exceed that of the authorities. (Matthew 5:17-20) So too, faithful Christ followers today must exceed the expectations of others, living extraordinary lives for the sake of the gospel. While others—including celebrities, politicians, and even admirable activists—often do what is right for personal gains and fame, Christ followers must do what is right even at the expense of themselves. By doing what is right no matter the personal risks or cost, we follow the path of our Savior, who sacrificed even life for us.