Blessed are those who hunger and thirst...

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, 

for you will be filled.

Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry"

Luke 6:21a, 25a

 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

for they will be filled."

Matthew 5:6

 

Lesson Four of "Confessing the Beatitudes" focused on the hungry and thirsty, for simple bread and for justice and righteousness.  Jesus promises sustenance to the famished, but calls the "stuffed" into account.

So what about these two passages, one in Luke and one in Matthew?  How do they differ?  Let's review the Greek words in the passages for more insight:

"hungry" or "famished" = "peinontes" in the Greek;

a chronic, deep-seated, life-threatening hunger 

that the poorest of the poor know on a daily basis;

used in the Bible often to describe

those who are fasting for long periods of time

"justice" = "dikalosyne" in the Greek;

often translated "righteousness".

Justice is a stae of right relationship with God

and with neighbor;

it speaks to treating the poor, the destitute,

the widowed, the foreigners with fairness

"fed" = "chortazo" in the Greek;

one way to translate this is "They shall be filled."

Refers to the promise Jesus gives to the hungry.

 

"stuffed" = "empimplemi" in the Greek;

sated, stuffed, filled all the way up.

Refers to Jesus' rebuke of those who "stuff themselves"

while others around them are famished.

Take some time this week to read Lesson Four, "Greatly Honored are Those Who are Famished and Parched for Justice!"  Meditate on the words Jesus intentionally chose and their meanings.  Thank God for His care for those whom the world forgets, the hungry, the famished, the thirsty, those parched for justice.  Thank God for His promise of provision.  

And then, begin to think about what WE can confess as a result of learning more about this beatitude.  What do we learn about our God?  What do we learn about the famished?  Who might the famished and parched for justice be in our own community?  What small steps can we take to honor them?

Jesus said,

"Feed my sheep."

John 21:17