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 y shaking bed awakened me at 4:31 AM. I do not know why I still remember that time, but I do. The whole house was shaking. It was dark. I heard the noise of things crashing to the floor. My wife was now awake. Our bed was rocking back and forth. I reached to turn on the light by my bed. It blinked on and immediately went out. My children were calling out, and I told them to go back to bed and stay there. We were in the middle of what became known as the Northridge Earthquake in Los Angeles, California. It was 17 January 1994. 200,000 - 300,000 people were concerned for their lives. Water pipes were damaged and houses had sunk into the ground. The front doors of many homes could not be opened because the ground was now above the bottom of the door. Many people had no water. Those who did were cautioned not to drink it. The electricity was off and many could not cook for days. Food was spoiling because the refrigerators did not operate. The food markets were closed because floors were buried with food products and broken glass. Safety, hunger and thirst had new meaning to the earthquake victims. But that was nothing compared to the great famines of the past such as Rome (436 B.C.), England (A.D. 1005), Bengal, India (A.D. 1769), Great Irish Famine (A.D. 1845), and the Chinese famine (A.D. 1878) where many died. In the Great Famine in Bengal, India, ten million people died of starvation. Most of us have never experienced that type of hunger.
Background. Historians tell us that Herod the Great had reduced many in Israel to the poverty level. While he did not create a famine, it was common for people to share their food and money as a form of welfare. So when Jesus spoke the words in the next beatitude that occurs in our study series, the people understood it better than we do.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (NASB) Matt. 5:6 Jesus used three key Greek words in this beatitude. They are the Greek words for hunger, thirst, and satisfied. These unlock the door to the meaning of the beatitude.
Greek Words. The first key Greek word that Jesus used was PEINAO. It is translated as “hunger” in our passage. It has the sense of a strong desire for food. It is the same word that was used to describe Jesus’ hunger after He had been in the wilderness for 40 days and nights without food (Matt. 4:2). After 40 days of fasting, Jesus would have been very hungry. This Greek word describes a strong hunger for food.
The next key Greek word that Jesus uses is DIPSAO. It also describes a strong desire, but this time for water. It was used in John 19:28 to describe Jesus’ thirst after He had been whipped and beaten for hours by the Roman solders and then had been left hanging on the cross for hours. Near the end, Jesus cried out for something to drink and said, “I thirst.” That is the word Jesus used in this beatitude.
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