The Beatitudes are found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, and it is a teaching of Jesus that has become popular in recent years. This part of Jesus’ teachings is known as the Sermon on the Mount.
As part of His teaching to His listeners, He spoke about many different things, one of which is the fact that those who hunger and thirst after justice are blessed.
The Lord says, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6, NLT). When we first read this verse of Scripture, we might be confused as to the exact meaning, yet we are going to learn about the meaning today.
Why Hunger and Thirst for Justice?
Jesus’ saying, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,” is one of the many teachings of the beatitudes, with other beatitudes highlighting the blessedness of those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted because of righteousness (Matthew 5:3-10).
During Jesus’ time, the world was corrupt. Particularly in the area Jesus was living in, the people were denied justice.
Similar to the present day, justice would not prevail. The people of Jesus’ time were under the rule of the Roman Empire. As we have studied from the Bible and ancient world history, the Roman Empire was a mighty force.
They were known to be mighty warriors, strong in battle, and had mastered the art of torture. The Romans were the people group who perfected death by crucifixion.
Crucifixion was the most painful death anyone could experience, and the Romans only used this form of torture and death on who they saw as the “worse of the worse” criminals.
Therefore, as we can see, the Jews and Gentiles living under Roman rule were strongly oppressed by the leaders. Since the government was corrupt, justice did not prevail.
The anxieties and stress that would have been over the individual people’s heads would have been overwhelming at times, and they were desperately seeking out justice.
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He emphasizes the point that those who hunger and thirst after justice are blessed, and He also says they will be “satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). In other words, Jesus was sharing the information that those who hunger and thirst after justice would be filled.
The words hunger and thirst convey the idea of deep need and desire. Whenever we are hungry and thirsty, we can experience pains that will only be satisfied by nourishing food and water. In the same way, those who hunger and thirst for justice have a strong desire to be satisfied or filled.
They want justice to prevail and for the captives to be set free. Those who hunger and thirst after justice demonstrate a glimpse of God’s own desires for the world. While we live in a sinful, fallen world, God’s ways will reign and rule.
His purposes will always stand, and they will not be broken down. During the time of the Roman Empire, justice was not prevailing, yet in the future, justice will prevail as Jesus reigns in His rightful place as the King over the world.
Justice is deeply rooted in God. In fact, God is always just, and His very nature holds justice for His people. While God very rarely gives His people justice right away, we know God will always prevail with His purposes.
As previously mentioned, in the future, justice will truly prevail as Christ reigns as the righteous King over the earth. Similar to the time of Jesus’ earthly life on earth, the government was corrupt; we also still have corrupt governments.
Instead of allowing justice to prevail, the guilty are set free, and the innocent are made out to be the “bad guy.” This is because the world is full of sin, and the world will only be made right when God creates the New Heaven and New Earth.
What Is the Significance of Blessed?
It is also important to mention the fact that Jesus addresses those who hunger and thirst after justice as being “blessed.” Similar to the other attributes listed in the beatitudes, hungering and thirsting after justice make a person blessed.
Blessed comes from the Greek word makários. The definition of blessed can be defined as “[…] a believer being in an enviable position for receiving God’s provisions (favor) — as being an extension of his grace. This happens with receiving the Lord’s inbirthings of faith” Thus, those who hunger and thirst after justice are reflecting God’s own nature of desiring justice.
Those who hunger and thirst after justice are, in a way, having a deep hunger and thirst for God. Since justice is part of the very nature of God, those who hunger and thirst after justice are yearning for God.
God is the only One who can truly cause justice to prevail, as everything is under His rule. Nothing in this world exists without God knowing. By hungering and thirsting after justice, we can begin to notice that we will want the same things God wants.
Instead of living to please the human flesh, we are now hungering, thirsting, and desiring God’s will. This is a major hallmark in the believer’s life as it shows they have a strong desire for God as well as they have a strong desire for God’s purposes to prevail.
Justice and righteousness are used interchangeably depending on which Bible version you utilize. The New Living Translation uses the word “justice,” whereas the New International Version and the King James Version use the word “righteousness.”
Both of these words can be used interchangeably, yet the same meaning still prevails. God is both just and righteous.
When we actively hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness, we are desiring God. Through strongly desiring God, we are blessed, and we do have the gift of growing in our relationship with Him.
If you are hungering and thirsting for justice, know that God will prevail. Even though justice might not prevail right away, in the future, everything will be made right (Revelation 21). Through feeling hungry and thirsty for justice, you are deeply desiring God, and there is nothing better than desiring God.
You can be filled by turning to God in prayer, reading about Him in the Bible, listening to how He speaks to you in the Bible and applying what you have learned in your life.
You are truly blessed to hunger and thirst after justice, and you will be satisfied. The Lord is mighty, and in time, everything will be made new again.
Although times in the present might get worse before they get better, we do have hope for the future. Just as Rome fell, corrupt governments will eventually have the same thing happen to them. God’s justice will prevail, yet it might not be right away.
Be patient and turn to the Lord to fill your hunger and thirst for justice. The Lord will fill every desire and need in accordance with His will. Justice has always been needed and desired throughout time, and we can trust that one day in the future, God’s justice will prevail.
What Does This Mean?
Thus, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice means that blessed are those who hunger, thirst, and desire after justice because they are hungering, thirsting, and desiring God and His justice.
While we might not be filled right away, we can spend time with God and continue to reflect His same desires for the world.
For further reading:
What Does the Beatitude ‘Blessed Are the Merciful’ Mean?
How Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness Blessed?
Do We Strive for God’s Justice or Our Own?
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