Good Appetite

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Childhood Lessons on Appetite

As children, many of us discovered a simple trick to avoid things we didn’t want to do: pretending to be sick.

• Didn’t study for a test? “I’m not feeling well.”

• Didn’t want to go to church? “I think I’m sick.”

• Didn’t finish the chores? “I just wasn’t feeling good.”

But there was always one thing that exposed the lie—hunger. If you were sick enough to skip school, you shouldn’t have been hungry for lunch. Hunger always told the truth.

Interestingly, this is also true at the spiritual level. A healthy Christian life is marked by appetite. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you are spiritually alive. If you have no appetite, something is wrong.

Hunger and Thirst in Scripture

The Greek word for thirst carries the sense of desperate need—something you cannot live without. Jesus is not describing mild interest but soul-deep craving.

David knew this longing well:

• “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1–2)

• “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2)

• “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

Just as physical hunger consumes our thoughts until it is satisfied, Jesus teaches that the soul can ache with the same desperation—for righteousness.

What Righteousness Is—and Isn’t

To understand this beatitude, we must clarify what righteousness Jesus refers to.

• Not imputed righteousness – That is the righteousness of Christ credited to us by faith (Romans 3:22). While essential, that is not what Jesus is addressing here.

• Not simply social justice – While God delights in justice, this beatitude is not limited to seeking fairness in society.

Instead, the context of the Beatitudes and Matthew 5 points us to a righteousness of character and conduct—a way of living that reflects God’s mercy, purity, and peace.

Righteousness in the Beatitudes

Notice the structure of the Beatitudes:

• The first four reveal our emptiness—poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, and hunger for righteousness (Matthew 5:3–6).

• The next four show the fullness that comes—mercy, purity, peacemaking, and endurance under persecution (Matthew 5:7–10).

At the center is hunger and thirst for righteousness, the hinge between emptiness and fullness.

Later in Matthew 5:20, Jesus makes righteousness even clearer: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” He then gives six illustrations of true righteousness:

1. Not only avoiding murder, but reconciling in peace (vv. 21–26).

2. Not only avoiding adultery, but rejecting lust (vv. 27–30).

3. Honoring covenant, not excusing divorce (vv. 31–32).

4. Being truthful without oaths (vv. 33–37).

5. Returning good for evil (vv. 38–42).

6. Loving even enemies (vv. 43–48).

Righteousness, then, is a life marked by mercy, purity, and peace.

The Nature of Spiritual Appetite

Hunger and thirst are powerful motivators. Our emptiness creates desire. Our humility, mourning, and meekness awaken a craving for God’s character to be formed in us. And Jesus promises: “They will be filled.”

Paul echoes this longing: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1).

How to Grow Your Appetite for God

Like physical appetite, spiritual appetite can be cultivated.

• Embrace repentance – Repentance clears the heart of sin and creates space for holy desire (Acts 2:37).

• Stay in community – Spiritual hunger thrives in fellowship (Hebrews 10:24–25).

• Pray the Psalms – They train our hearts to long for God (Psalm 63, 84, 119).

• Focus on God’s goodness – Tasting His kindness makes us crave more (1 Peter 2:2–3).

• Ask for it – Jesus invites us to ask, seek, and knock persistently (Matthew 7:7).

Closing Thought

A healthy believer has a holy appetite. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to ache for God’s mercy, purity, and peace to shape our lives. Jesus promises that this hunger will not go unsatisfied: “They will be filled.”

Reflection Question: What are you hungry for today—comforts of the world, or the righteousness of God? Where do you need to ask the Lord to deepen your appetite for Him?