Are You Hungry?

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

Few of us know what it really means to be truly hungry and thirsty. We live in a society of plenty of which only the poorest of the poor go through a day without having the opportunity of being well nourished. But we know that in other locations in the world there are plenty of people who know all too regularly the pangs of hunger.

The starving person has a single minded, all-consuming passion for food and water. All other desires pale in comparison. You can show him diamonds and money, houses and land, but if he is starving, his only desire will be for food. It is a matter of life and death. His very existence depends on that one cup of water, or that one morsel of bread.

Jesus uses the metaphor of “hunger and thirst” to teach us an invaluable lesson. As a starving person desires only to assuage the hunger that he feels and that is the singleness of his purpose, so we must hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Kent Hughes states, “The fourth Beatitude is a call to pursue conformity to God’s will stated in the most extreme of terms. The intensity of the expression is difficult for us to feel because if we are thirsty today, all we need to do is turn on the tap for cold, refreshing water; or if we are hungry, we just open the refrigerator. However, to the ancient Israeli the expression was terribly alive because he was never far from the possibility of dehydration or starvation. It is not a comfortable picture. Jesus is far from recommending a genteel desire for spiritual nourishment, but rather a starvation for righteousness, a desperate hungering to be conformed to God’s will.”

The structure of this verse is written in the present tense, meaning that we should pursue the lifestyle of hungering and thirsting for righteousness daily. We could not last for long on one physical meal and so we cannot last on one spiritual fulfilling moment. There can be no perfect righteousness/performances on this earth as we know only God is perfectly righteous and capable. However, our goal and our quest must be a continual pursuit of His righteousness manifest in and through us as we live our lives in the power of His Spirit for His glory.

There is the need for some serious soul searching when it comes to this verse. If you are not honest with yourself you will not be able to see the desperate need and hungering of your soul. Forget the fact of what you profess and your church membership. Ask yourself what it is that means more to you than anything else? What is it that you must have, it drives your life, consumes your thoughts, directs your impulse? This will give you an accurate picture of your heart. You may be guilty of as I have, of idolatry, if your god is anything other than the true God. Is he alone the desire of your heart?

Phil Newton answers this way, “What you hunger for reveals the character of your heart. You can mask your outward performance. You can churn out Christian lingo, and put on a happy face, but you know what you really desire. Multitudes flock into churches each week with “Christian masks” that hide the reality that their appetite is not for Jesus Christ but for the things of the world. But Jesus tells us that only those who have the spiritual appetite to hunger and thirst for righteousness will find satisfaction.”

We need the attitude of the psalmist Asaph in Psalm 73:25, 26 who writes, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

A devoted follower of Socrates asked him the best way to acquire knowledge. Socrates responded by leading him to a river and plunging him beneath the surface. The man struggled to free himself, but Socrates kept his head submerged. Finally, after much effort, the man was able to break loose and emerge from the water. Socrates then asked, “when you thought you were drowning, what one thing did you want most of all?” Still gasping for breath, the man exclaimed, “I wanted air” The philosopher wisely commented, “When you want knowledge as much as you wanted air, then you will get it!” The same is true with our desire for righteousness. (Daily Bread)

This is God’s invitation to you, written by the Prophet Isaiah some 700 years before Jesus’ invitation, “Lo! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.” (Isaiah 55:1, 2)