Matthew 5:6

Berean Standard Bible

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

King James Bible

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

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Matthew 5:6—“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”—is one of the most evocative and searching statements in the Sermon on the Mount. It speaks not simply to the surface level of moral behavior, but to a deep, driving appetite within the human soul. Hunger and thirst are not polite preferences; they are desperate, life-defining needs. In the ancient world, and even in much of our world today, hunger and thirst were not abstract metaphors. They were daily realities that could mean the difference between life and death. Jesus draws on that primal, physical urgency to illustrate the spiritual longing for righteousness—an ache for God’s will to be done both in the heart of the individual and in the world at large.

This longing is not the mild interest of someone who thinks righteousness would be a nice addition to their life. It is the aching necessity of one who knows they cannot live without it. Just as someone starving for food thinks of little else until they are fed, so the person Jesus describes is consumed by a desire for God’s justice, truth, holiness, and presence. This hunger is not satisfied by token gestures, religious rituals, or moral self-improvement alone. It is a desire that looks beyond human performance to God Himself as the source and sustainer of righteousness.

The verse also contains a paradox: those who feel most empty—those acutely aware of their lack—are the ones Jesus calls “blessed.” In the world’s eyes, blessedness often comes with abundance, ease, and self-sufficiency, but here it comes with the humility of spiritual appetite. Such a person is not congratulating themselves on already being righteous; they are yearning for it, admitting that they are hungry because they do not yet have enough. This longing, far from being a mark of failure, is the very condition that opens them to divine fulfillment. God does not mock the hunger He awakens; He promises to fill it.

The satisfaction Jesus promises is not mere relief, like a temporary meal for a starving person. The Greek term carries the sense of being fully, abundantly filled, as when an animal grazes until it can eat no more. Yet this fullness is not static or final in this life—it is both a present experience and a future hope. Even now, those who seek God’s righteousness taste satisfaction in fellowship with Him, in seeing His character formed in them, and in witnessing glimpses of His justice breaking into the world. But the ultimate and complete satisfaction lies in the kingdom’s consummation, when all wrongs are set right, and every desire for holiness is met in the unveiled presence of God.

To hunger and thirst for righteousness is therefore to live in a tension. It is to be both dissatisfied with the brokenness of self and society, and yet deeply confident in God’s promise to satisfy. This posture keeps one from despair—because the promise is sure—and from complacency—because the need is real. It shapes prayer, turning it into a cry of the heart: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It fosters humility, because the one who hungers knows they depend entirely on another to be filled. And it breeds compassion, for those who long for righteousness cannot be indifferent to the hunger and thirst of others, whether physical or spiritual.

This beatitude invites each person to examine the true appetites of the heart. Many hunger for comfort, for recognition, for success, for security—but righteousness? That desire is often faint unless God has stirred it. Yet when He does, it becomes the organizing passion of life, shaping choices, relationships, and priorities. Such longing inevitably draws a person nearer to Christ, for in Him the righteousness of God is revealed, and through Him it is imparted. The satisfaction promised is not the product of human striving but the gift of God to those who ache for Him. In this sense, Matthew 5:6 is both an encouragement and a challenge: it reassures us that our yearning for God’s righteousness is not in vain, and it warns us against letting lesser desires dull that holy appetite.

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Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Himself our righteousness, our bread of life, and the living water for our thirsty souls. I write to you as one who knows the weariness of the journey, the ache of a soul that sees the brokenness of the world and feels the longing for something purer, truer, more enduring than what this present age can offer. The Lord has spoken, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Let this word dwell richly among you, for it is both a promise and a call to live with hearts aflame for the things of God.

Consider, dear friends, the force of our Lord’s words. Hunger and thirst are not mild inclinations but urgent necessities. They are the cries of life itself. A person can endure many things, but not the absence of food and drink for long. In the same way, the Spirit of God works within us to awaken an unrelenting appetite for righteousness—an appetite that will not be satisfied by moral appearances, religious performance, or the fleeting applause of men. Righteousness here is not a shallow self-made virtue; it is the perfect holiness of God, His will and His ways manifested in our hearts, our relationships, and the very fabric of our society. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to ache for the reign of God to break in—first in us, then in the world around us.

Yet how subtle are the temptations that dull this hunger! Many have traded the bread of heaven for the crumbs of comfort, the living water for the stagnant pools of self-satisfaction. The heart grows accustomed to small ambitions and loses sight of the kingdom’s vast horizon. But I tell you, such longing will return if you will turn your eyes again to the face of Christ. The more you behold Him, the more you will yearn to be like Him. This hunger is the holy discontent that keeps you pressing forward, the thirst that drives you to the fountain of life day after day.

Do not despise this hunger. It is the mark of those whom God has called blessed. It is evidence that the Spirit is at work, for no one naturally craves the righteousness of God apart from His grace. The world will tell you to fill your emptiness with possessions, pleasures, or power, but you know these things leave the soul emptier than before. Only the bread that comes down from heaven can truly satisfy, and Christ has promised to give it without measure to those who seek Him. And know this: the satisfaction He gives is not a mere snack to carry you a little further—it is an abundant filling, like the soul’s feast in the house of God, yet it will also increase your appetite for more of Him until the day you see Him face to face.

Therefore, beloved, set your hearts in the direction of this hunger. Make space in your lives for the Word of God to dwell richly, for prayer to shape your desires, for fellowship to stir your spirits, and for acts of mercy to align your hearts with His. Hunger for righteousness in your own walk, that your thoughts and actions may reflect His character. Thirst for righteousness in your homes, that love, truth, and integrity may be the air you breathe. Long for righteousness in your communities, that justice may roll down like waters and the gospel be adorned by the beauty of holy living. This is not an idle wish but an active pursuit, for those who hunger and thirst will follow where the Bread of Life leads.

Take courage, for our Lord has pledged Himself to satisfy you. His promise cannot fail. Even now He feeds you with His Word, strengthens you by His Spirit, and refreshes you in His presence. And there is coming a day when your hunger will be met in full, when every shadow of sin will vanish, and your thirst will be quenched in the river of life that flows from the throne of God. Until that day, keep your hearts tender and your appetites fixed upon Him, for in the longing you are already blessed, and in the seeking you will find that He is your portion forever.

May the God of all grace keep you steadfast in this hunger and faithful in this thirst, until the day you are filled to overflowing in His eternal kingdom.

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O Lord Most High, fountain of living waters and bread of heaven for the souls of Your people, we lift our hearts to You in longing and in need. You are the One who satisfies, yet You are also the One who awakens in us the holy ache that will not rest until it finds its home in You. We confess before You that apart from Your Spirit we would hunger for lesser things and thirst for empty wells. But You, in Your mercy, have stirred in us a desire for what is true, pure, and eternal—the righteousness that is Your very nature. We bless You that this desire is not a cruel teasing of our hearts but a promise that You Yourself will fulfill.

Lord Jesus, our righteousness and our redeemer, You have shown us the path of holiness and have opened the way by Your blood. You have clothed us in the garment we could never weave, and yet You call us to pursue the life that reflects Your glory. We hunger to see Your will done in our lives as it is in heaven; we thirst for Your character to be formed in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We groan with the whole creation for the day when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, when every wound will be healed and every tear wiped away. Until that day, Lord, keep us from dullness of heart. Let not the pleasures of this age numb our appetite for the things above, nor the trials of this world quench our thirst for Your presence.

Holy Spirit, breath of God and teacher of truth, guard this hunger within us. Let it not fade when the path grows long or when the night feels cold. Stir in us the yearning to pray when we feel too tired, to open the Scriptures when we feel too distracted, to serve others when our flesh wants comfort. Make our hunger restless until we find our delight in You, and let our thirst drive us to the living fountain that never runs dry. Cause this longing to shape the very rhythm of our days, so that whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we seek first the kingdom and Your righteousness.

Father, we hold to Your promise that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. We believe that even now, in the midst of our longing, You are feeding us with Your Word, refreshing us by Your Spirit, and shaping us into the likeness of Your Son. And we believe that there is coming a day when our hunger will be no more, when the wedding feast of the Lamb will spread before us and we shall be filled with the joy of Your presence forever. Keep us faithful until that day. Let us live with hearts that burn for what is good, holy, and true. Let our lives bear witness to the satisfaction found in You alone, so that others may see and come to the same table where we are fed.

So, Lord, we come to You again—empty, but believing; thirsty, but trusting; hungry, but confident in Your promise. Fill us until we overflow, and let that overflow water the parched places around us. We are Yours, and You are our portion forever. Amen.