I am a Jesus pusher!!! “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled,” (Matthew 5:6). The Beatitudes have an unmistakable interaction. While each is distinct in meaning and presentation, each is dependent and further explains the others. We noted the sequence in which Jesus stated them. It is as if they are in a pyramid beginning with the foundation. In our fourth Beatitude (Matthew 5:6), congratulations goes to those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” “Hunger and thirst” are verbs in the participle form. They act as adjectives and modify the subject of the sentence. In our verse, the subject is the Greek word “ho” often translated “the.” Therefore, the subject of the sentence is “the hungering and thirsting ones.”
The Greek word (peinao) translated hunger evolves from the Greek word “peno.” It refers to individuals who must toil daily for their food. If they do not work today they will not eat tomorrow. Sometimes it is translated “poor.” The Greek word (peinao) in our text means “to be famished, starve, or hungry.” In this connection, it is safe to say that the “state of poverty” in the first Beatitude (Matthew 5:3) is linked with the starvation in this fourth Beatitude. The ones who are helpless and destitute experience the “hunger and thirst.” I am helpless in my self-sourcing. I am embraced by my helpless as grief embraces one experiencing the death of a loved one. I must have Jesus! I am a Jesus pusher!!!