Luke 6:21, 25: Who's Hungry?

"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. . . .Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry." Luke 6:21, 25

I'm hungry, and so are you. Maybe not for breakfast (although, that does sound good right about now...), but for satisfaction. The LORD has created us with a heart that seeks for satisfacton, and that makes us hungry to have that need filled. Ultimately, there are only two ways to become filled. One leaves you full now and hungry later, the other leaves you hungry now but full in eternity.

Firstly, we have what we might call the worldly way to be satisfied, that is, to be satisfied now. Christ says of men and women who run to this sort of satisfaction that though they may be filled now, they will be hungry later (see verses above). What Christ is teach here is this: for those who seek to fill themselves with the "well of this world" rather than the "well of eternal life" (go read John 4), though they may be flourishing at the current moment, their satisfaction is only temporary. You might think that worldly pleasures and earthly satisfactions fulfill your "eternal hunger for satisfaction," but ultimately, they will fall short. Thus, Christ proclaims a "woe" to those who find satisfaction now instead of later. In other words, judgment is coming towards those who refuse to be patient for satisfaction.

Yet, there is another solution to the longing in our souls for satisfaction and that is to wait for our eternal fill and be satisfied later. Now, let me point out something here: Christ here is speaking of ultimate, sinless satisfaction. There is surely an aspect of being fully fulfilled in Christ in the here and now, but that's not Christ's point here. Christ here is speaking of an eternal satisfaction, away from the presence of sin, in the presence of a holy God. Ultimately, this is what our souls are longing for, whether we know it or not. God has created us to dwell with him, and though we often fill that hole in our hearts with worldly things, the truth of the matter is that if we choose to hunger now, not fulfilling ourselves with worldly pleasures and longing for God as our All in All, after this life comes, we will be eternally satisfied.

In conclusion, every human being that has ever lived has two options: be satisfied now and eternally hungry, or be hungry now and eternally satisfied. These are the only two options, and Christ says that those who chose the latter are "blessed." Ultimately, the Christian walk is one of patience. Rather than instantly gratifying our souls with the "well of this world," Christians are called to pant for God "as a deer pants for flowing streams" (Ps. 42:1). Though we will always be longing and panting for more of God's presence on this side of eternity, there will come a day when we are fully satisfied in him, and we will hunger and thirst no more. Praise the LORD!