This week, we continue with the fourth beatitude found in Matthew 5:6:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Here’s a truth about our physical desires: they’re never fully satisfied. Think about it—have you ever been truly, painfully hungry? Maybe you skipped breakfast, powered through lunch with too much to do, and by 3:30 p.m. you’ve got a headache and a growling stomach. You’re cranky, foggy, and desperate for something to eat. Then, after a quick meal, you feel totally fine—until a few hours later, when the cycle begins again.

It’s the same with thirst. You can’t chug three gallons of water on Monday and expect to be hydrated for your track meet on Thursday. Our physical cravings are persistent. They demand regular attention. You can satisfy them momentarily, but you can’t fulfill them permanently.

Jesus uses this common experience to point to a deeper spiritual truth. In this beatitude, He shifts the focus from physical hunger to spiritual longing: hunger and thirst for righteousness. He’s asking, “What are you really craving? What are you pursuing like your life depends on it?”

Unlike physical appetites, Jesus promises that the hunger for righteousness—living rightly with God and others, aligning our lives with His will—can lead to true fulfillment. But it starts with desire. It starts with being spiritually hungry.

This idea echoes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. In Genesis, Eve looked at the fruit and saw that it was “good for food.” Her physical appetite played a role in humanity’s first rebellion. Jesus, in contrast, is inviting us to redirect our desires. He isn’t just correcting Eve’s hunger—He’s redeeming it. He’s saying: “Let your deepest craving be for what is good, true, and lasting.”

So ask yourself: What am I truly hungry for? Am I chasing temporary satisfaction or eternal fulfillment? Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Not temporarily—but fully, deeply, and eternally.