Matthew 5:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The word guiding us toward the loftiest heights of joy, as indicated by the Psalmist, who offers uplifting inspiration (Psalm 83:6), speaks of a similar yet distinct fourth ascent: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Thus, it seems fitting to awaken within ourselves this blessed longing for spiritual nourishment, having rescued our souls from the loss of appetite and the dangers of false satisfaction.

A man cannot possess true strength without sufficient sustenance; one cannot feel satisfied with food without first tasting it, nor can nourishment take place without a genuine appetite. In this light, strength is indeed a vital good, preserved by adequate nourishment, which is derived from food that nurtures the body in response to hunger. However, when considering physical sustenance, it is noticeable that not all individuals crave the same types of food; tastes can vary widely—one may prefer sweet flavors while another longs for spicy, yet another may appreciate salty or sour options. Frequently, some may not aspire to beneficial foods, as individuals influenced by particular desires may gravitate toward foods that echo their afflictions. Yet, if they develop an appetite for healthy nourishment, they will undoubtedly experience well-being, as such food sustains physical health.

Similarly, desires for spiritual sustenance do not always align; some seek fame, wealth, or worldly recognition, while others show little interest in material abundance. Others consume bitterness and jealousy as if it were nutritious, while some are drawn to that which is innately beautiful. By definition, what is universally beautiful is valued for its own sake, not chosen for ulterior motives. It consistently retains its appeal and does not lose its allure when fully realized. Therefore, the Word attracts not only those who are hungry but also those whose desires align with true wisdom.

What, then, is truth? This must first be disclosed through the Word so that, when its beauty is revealed, a longing for the beauty of the visible may be elicits in us. It isn’t feasible to crave what is unseen; rather, our nature finds it challenging to engage with unfamiliar concepts unless we gain some insight through what we hear or observe. Hence, some scholars propose that truth reflects the principle of impartiality, rewarding individuals according to their merits. For instance, fairness in distributing wealth is deemed truthful, as is righteous judgment administered without bias. Those in positions of authority, be it as overseers of cities or nations, are expected to govern with equity, ensuring that their judgments correspond to the behavior of those they rule over. In this light, those who earnestly strive to observe truth through righteous conduct rightly earn the title of 'truthful'.

Yet, when we elevate our perspective to divine law, it appears that truth encompasses more than what has been previously described. If the salvific message is offered universally to all of humankind—though not all can reach the status of rulers or judges—it raises the question: can truth be considered just if it is not available to everyone equally? For if earthly wisdom suggests that truth is synonymous with governance, and where there is self-interest, equality is obscured, then we cannot recognize this concept of truth as genuine due to the evident inequalities that exist.

What, then, is the truth accessible to all? It is a longing shared by everyone who partakes in the spiritual feast of the Gospel, irrespective of wealth or status. True equality in the desire for truth remains intact regardless of external circumstances, be it rich or poor, enslaved or free. Consider Lazarus, who lay at the rich man’s gate, finding righteousness without wealth or means to fulfill this truth, as his circumstances seemed to lack the potential to live out such ideals. Hence, if truth is limited to those in positions of power or material wealth, those without control or resources would appear to be deprived of the opportunity to embody truth.

Therefore, we must seek after that truth which can be embraced by all who desire it and receive fulfillment, for it is written, “Blessed are those who hunger after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” As there are various yearnings of human nature, spanning the spectrum from virtuous to detrimental, we must cultivate discernment to differentiate between that which nourishes the soul and what could lead to destruction.

In the context of the Gospel, we see that He who entered into fellowship with us, yet remained sinless (Hebrews 4:15), did not view the experience of hunger as sinful. Rather, He allowed Himself to undergo this natural longing for sustenance. After fasting for forty days, He permitted Himself to hunger, then provided for others (Matthew 4:2). However, the tempter, recognizing this human frailty, suggested using stones to satisfy that need, symbolizing an unnatural approach to meeting basic desires: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3).

What injustice has agriculture committed? How could the Creator’s design be chastised, implying that human life would be better served with stones instead of grains? If stones were more suitable for sustenance, would that not imply a failure in God's provision? The adversary persists in urging those led by excessive desire to turn toward unworthy substitutes for natural nourishment. Those who substitute the bread of life with stones partake of greed and pursue lavish banquets founded on unrighteousness.

Even when engaging in festive meals, we observe how appearances often take precedence over genuine sustenance. What role does valuable metals serve to fulfill basic necessities? If strength is truly lost, it must be replenished through natural provisions—bread or other fitting nourishment. Yet, one who seeks gold instead of bread is missing the point. As hunger calls for food to restore strength, nature signals for what is essential, yet many ignore this calling as they pursue lavish displays, becoming enamored with metallic adornments rather than satisfying their real needs.

Even as excess fills tables with elaborately crafted vessels, do we not see the futility in catering to grandeur rather than necessity? Do we fail to recognize when our desires are misguided? If someone were to describe these unwholesome pleasures connected to such lavish displays, would that not reveal the adversary’s counsel about true sustenance? He entices individuals to focus on deceptive pleasures instead of honorable provisions. Yet, He who overcame temptation transformed greed, not by casting aside its essence, but by reframing it within the limits of natural desires. Those who purify wine do not render it useless because of the initial impurities; instead, they separate the excess. Likewise, the Word discerns and purifies desires from their excesses, embracing our hunger as a vital aspect of existence and guiding us towards God's true nourishment.

Thus, if Jesus is indeed the Bread of Life, recognizing a hunger for Him becomes an inherent blessing, not one to be shunned. Learning what the Lord desires reveals the nature of the joy that He offers us. What nourishment aligns with Jesus? Following His conversation with the Samaritan woman, He declared to His disciples, “My food is to do the will of My Father” (John 4:34). The will of the Father is clear—He wishes for all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Since His desire aligns with our salvation, we understand how we should channel our hunger and thirst toward His divine purpose.

How shall we achieve this longing? By yearning for our salvation and thirsting for the will of God which seeks our deliverance. Those who truly seek God’s truth will inevitably discover what they desire. This fulfillment transcends singular experiences and manifests in myriad ways. Righteousness is not only our sustenance; it also quenches our spiritual thirst. Although the desires for eating and drinking are similar, the disposition toward them is distinct. The Word encourages us that to hunger and thirst for righteousness grants both sustenance for the hungry and drink for those yearning for grace. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

If anyone possesses a desire for virtue—be it chastity, wisdom, or prudence—does not the Word offer honor to such longings? The idea presented here may encompass truth as a representation of virtue. The Scriptures, in naming a part, often reflect the whole; for instance, God is described by various attributes, such as being merciful or compassionate. When a single name is invoked, it signifies the entirety of divine qualities. When uttering the word 'truth,' the concept embodies all forms of virtue, acknowledging that one who hungers for any virtue shares in this blessing.

Ultimately, no single virtue exists in isolation; they are interconnected. Virtue does not present itself without adversity; chastity is the antithesis of lewdness, and wisdom counters folly. To genuinely apprehend one virtue is to engage with the entirety of goodness, as truth cannot coincide with vice. Thus, the pursuit of righteousness signifies the quest for all that is virtuous.

By promising fulfillment to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the Word encapsulates the essence of virtue. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” This statement conveys a profound truth: that which one seeks for joy serves to satiate the true seeker—yet mere indulgence in transient pleasures leads to emptiness, as wisdom reveals through the notion of a broken vessel (Proverbs 23:27).

Does anyone truly attain fulfillment through relentless pursuit of earthly desires? Is it possible to find satisfaction in lust—whether through experiences, encounters, or excesses? Such fleeting pleasures do not linger with those who pursue self-gratification. Hence, we should glean this vital lesson from the Lord: the pursuit of virtue is unwavering and solid. With success in areas like chastity, modesty, devotion, or other noble pursuits, one gains enduring joy, which transcends the momentary.

Why? Because virtues endure—they are perpetually actionable, devoid of periods leading to despair. Continually clinging to goodness, sincerity in virtue activates joy. In contrast, those who succumb to base desires may be preoccupied with sensory pleasures, yet such temporary gains do not produce lasting delight. Impermanence characterizes earthly indulgences; true satisfaction melds with the culmination of virtue.

Thus, as we grasp this blessed hunger, casting away all vice, we will ardently seek the righteousness of God. May we fulfill this call, through Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs all glory forever. Amen.

He, the bread from heaven and the source of living water, rightly assures those who hunger and thirst that they will find fulfillment, declaring, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." This promise pertains specifically to the righteousness that comes through faith in God and Christ, as the apostle articulated, "The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is for all who believe" (Rom. 3:22).

Let us take the next step, dear friends: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Indeed, after a period of repentance, marked by mourning over one’s sins, what else can a person truly desire but the truth? Just as one who has endured the darkness of night eagerly anticipates the dawn, and as one who has triumphed over illness longs for sustenance, so too does the soul of a Christian, having conquered sin through sorrow and tears, yearn solely for the truth of God; and such a soul will rightfully rejoice when filled with what it has sought.

This knowledge fuels a greater desire, akin to a consuming flame, as the Divine remains beyond human comprehension, leaving one perpetually thirsty for more. Just as health and illness pertain to the body, virtue and vice, as well as knowledge and ignorance, pertain to the mind. The more one strives for godliness and engages in righteous deeds, the more enlightened and favored with grace they become, as reflected in the teachings of the Lord: Blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:7).

If they neglect these responsibilities, the oppressed who yearn for righteousness will find blessing, but their judges will face God’s anger; for it is written, “Lord, you hear the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from the earth may be no longer terrified” (Psalm 9:38-39).

As a Church father aptly stated: You, Lord, have fashioned our souls so that they find comfort solely in You. Unfortunately, one of the gravest maladies afflicting our souls, tainted by sin, is this: Instead of directing our deepest longings towards God, where genuine satisfaction lies, we search for fulfillment in countless distractions apart from Him, resulting in our failure to find it. We mistakenly believe that we can satisfy the cravings of our immortal souls with fleeting and hollow pleasures of this world, but this is futile. Such illusions do not nourish the soul; rather, they lead it to a painful state, where, having indulged, it loses the strength and desire for the singular, supreme good that could truly satisfy it—much like a severely ill person, rendered weak by accumulating toxins, loses their appetite for nourishing sustenance.

Christ, our Savior and the sacred Physician of our souls, desires to heal this dire condition of our hearts and declares: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. The hunger and thirst for righteousness, sanctified by the Savior, signify the profound and vigorous desire of a true Christian soul to fulfill the will of God and adhere to the Gospel's commandments, which embody divine truth. This interpretation aligns with the words of the Savior Himself, who responded to his disciples, urging Him to eat what they offered, by saying, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work' (John 4:34). While suffering on the cross, driven not merely by physical thirst but by a fervent longing to fulfill the task of our salvation assigned by the Father, He proclaimed: I thirst, followed by the declaration, 'It is finished' (John 19:28, 30).

Thus, dear friends, let us reflect on these profound Gospel truths. The Savior did not simply proclaim, 'Blessed are those who practice righteousness,' but rather, He acknowledged, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.' This highlights that to reclaim the blessedness of the righteous, which we have forfeited, we must harbor a desire as intense to obey God's commandments as a famished person craves food, and a parched individual longs for water. Jesus Christ yearns for us to consolidate all our soul's desires into one sacred wish—to please God and fulfill His will in all that we do, with complete love and willingness. He desires this holy hunger and thirst for divine truth to expunge every sinful yearning for the temporal pleasures and vanities of this world that do not truly nourish our spirits.

Our souls require spiritual sustenance as much as our bodies need physical nourishment—each is characterized by its own demands. The body, when carefully nourished with wholesome food, thrives and gains strength to perform its designated functions. Similarly, the soul draws true life by receiving within itself, through faith, the life-giving seed of God’s Word, flourishing through meditation on the law of the Lord day and night, progressing from strength to strength by faithfully adhering to and practicing the commandments of the Gospel, which convey God's truth, all while being adorned with piety and Christian virtues. In this manner, it regains the inherent dignity and splendor of God's image and likeness, preparing itself for an eternal and deserving dwelling place with God, in accordance with the steadfast promise of Jesus Christ: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him (John 14:23).

Just as thirst and hunger signify the health of the body, so too do they indicate the revitalization of our souls from the afflictions of sin. The Holy Psalmist, embodying this divine hunger and thirst, exclaims to God: In the way of Your commandments I delight, as in all riches. My soul longs for Your statutes at all times. Your law is sweeter to me than thousands of gold and silver. If I cherish Your law, O Lord, all day long I am instructed. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalm 119:14, 20, 72, 97, 103). I encourage you, brethren, to read the entirety of the 100th Psalm attentively, preferably each morning, to grasp the blessed nature and pure sentiments of a soul that longs for God's truth and to strive to emulate these qualities as best as we can. This joyous yearning and thirst that our most gracious Savior desires to awaken in our poor souls aims to extinguish the detrimental hunger for wealth, the mortifying thirst for worldly pleasures, and the sinful pursuit of human honor.

The insatiable greed for material wealth is inappropriate for a Christian and, indeed, for any human being. Apostle Paul rightly identifies the love of money as the root of all kinds of evils (1 Tim. 6:10) and labels it as idolatry (Col. 3:5). God created the riches of silver and gold not for us to obsessively pursue them, but that, when bestowed upon us, we might employ them for His holy purposes and for our needs, glorifying Him in the process. Thus, the Word of God instructs: If riches abound, do not set your heart upon them (Psalm 62:10). Observe, brethren, how the Lord safeguards our hearts from becoming attached to this alluring idol; even when wealth comes to us unsolicited, we must be vigilant against letting our hearts cling to it, lest our souls perish in its grasp. This is what Scripture teaches those who amass riches apart from God: Cast away your riches, and your garments shall be made radiant with prayer; your gold and silver shall corrode along with you, and their rust will testify against you. You will rejoice on earth and indulge yourselves, fattening your hearts for the day of slaughter (James 5:2, 3, 5), yet you will find yourselves hungry (Luke 6:25).

The destructive longing for extravagant banquets, entertainments, and worldly pleasures contaminates the human heart, rendering it incapable of serving God and others. God, in His abundant goodness, has generously spread comfort and joy across the earth, even in this land where we have been exiled from the bliss of paradise. He has provided these for us not to become ensnared in them but to find refreshment along our arduous journey back to our heavenly homeland. With renewed strength, we are to persistently move towards the ultimate treasure—God Himself. Just as a traveler is permitted to find solace in the breathtaking sights along the way and to rest amidst the pleasures of their surroundings, becoming overly enchanted by these joys can lead to straying off course and losing the appointed destination. Many of us, dear ones, may still have a long way to journey toward our heavenly abode, yet time is fleeting: Is it wise to squander this precious time on frivolous distractions that affect our entire eternity? If we are indeed members of Jesus Christ, as our title suggests, should we as members indulging in idleness and entertainment when the head of our Savior was pierced and wounded for our return to bliss?

The pursuit of human honor and gratification stands in stark contrast to genuine faith in Christ, as He articulates: How can you believe, receiving glory from one another, and not seeking the glory that comes from the only God (John 5:44)? God has instilled in our hearts a noble aspiration for glory, not so that we strive for human recognition but rather that, through the creation of good works, we might earnestly seek to reclaim the glory of God’s image and likeness that was lost through sin. If, however, we pursue only human acclaim, we shall forfeit God's glory; and attaining human recognition is but a fleeting endeavor. For all flesh is as grass, and the glory of man as the flower of the grass: the grass withers, and its flower falls away (1 Pet. 1:24). The appearance of this world is transient, along with all its splendors; yet whoever fulfills the will of God endures forever (1 John 2:17). This glorious treasure, eternal and unfading—our joy and possession of heavenly, incorruptible blessings—Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, longs to grant us, proclaiming: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. They will be filled; for even in this life of grace, those who cherish the truth of God with their entire hearts and fervently seek it will receive a sweet foretaste of heavenly blessings from their beloved Lord, serving as a testament to their eternal bliss. But they will find complete fulfillment and satisfaction in God when, liberated from the confines of the body, those blessings are revealed that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor human heart conceived—the blessings God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). As the Psalmist proclaims, I shall be satisfied when Your glory is revealed (Psalm 16:15). May the heavenly Father grant that we, as sinners, may also partake in this glory through the grace and compassion of His only-begotten Son, to whom, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Apostle Paul elaborates on this truth: 'The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is for all who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed' (Romans 3:22-25). WHO ARE THE ONES WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS? Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are individuals who perform good deeds yet do not perceive themselves as righteous; they do not rely on their own good works but acknowledge their sinfulness and guilt before God. These are those who, through earnest desire and faithful prayer, seek gracious justification through Jesus Christ as their true nourishment and refreshment. WHAT DOES THE LORD PROMISE TO THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS? The Lord assures that those who earnestly seek the truth will find satisfaction. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SATISFACTION IN THIS CONTEXT? Just as physical satisfaction brings an end to hunger and thirst and replenishes the body, spiritual satisfaction denotes the inner peace of a forgiven sinner and the empowerment to perform good works, granted through justifying grace. Yet, the ultimate fulfillment of the soul, designed for the enjoyment of infinite goodness, will be realized in eternal life, as expressed by the Psalmist: 'I shall be satisfied when Your glory is revealed' (see Psalm 16:15).

If we consider righteousness in its more specific sense, as 'the type of righteousness that is contrary to greed' (Chrysostom; cf. Theophylact), then being filled might also refer to a physical reward: 'For he who loves justice possesses all things securely' (ibid.). 'They will be satisfied in this life because they find contentment in little, but far more in the life to come' (Athanasius the Great).