The Beatitudes

Blessed Are The Hungry

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

Jesus doesn't say, "Blessed are the righteous,"
but "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."

To hunger and thirst for righteousness
is to crave a right relationship with God and others-
a life aligned with God's character.

Micah 6:8 captures it simply:
do justice,
love mercy,
walk humbly with your God.

In the New Testament,
Jesus presses it further:
purity of heart,
forgiveness given freely,
love extended even to enemies.

And Jesus is righteousness
in human form.
He perfectly loved His heavenly Father,
and He perfectly loved people-
even His enemies.

The primary word the Gospels use
to describe Jesus' emotions
is "compassion."

He felt compassion for the leper
who said, "If You are willing, You can make me clean"
(Mark 1:40-41).

He felt compassion for the grieving mother in Nain
whose only son had died
(Luke 7:11-15).

He declared His sinlessness openly:
"Which one of you convicts Me of sin?"
(John 8:46).
No one answered.
No one could.

Jesus is righteousness-
in thought,
motive,
action
and love.

Now here's something you may not know about Jesus:
when He promised satisfaction
to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

He was declaring that blessing
over people who seek Him.

And how do we do that?

The Lord answered that question Himself:
"Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood,
you have no life in you"
(John 6:53).

He wasn't speaking literally,
but truthfully.
To eat His flesh
and drink His blood
is to consume Him.

How?

By consuming His words.

Jesus told us plainly:
"The words that I have spoken to you
are spirit and are life"
(John 6:63).

His words carry His life.
They carry His righteousness.

And when His words abide in us,
they nourish us from within
(John 15:7).

This is how our soul feeds on Christ.
This is how our hunger for righteousness is satisfied-

by taking in His words,
that carry His life,
impart His righteousness,
and draw us into Him.

When we feed on His words,
we find our hunger met,
our thirst quenched,
and our souls satisfied
in His righteousness.