Blessed are the Hungry, Part 2

Blessed are the Hungry, Part 2

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”[1]

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”[2]

My mother used to try to guilt me into eating whatever food on my plate I did not like by telling me that there were starving children elsewhere in the world who would love to have what I was refusing to eat. Had I been able, I would gladly have boxed up my brussels sprouts and sent them anywhere to anyone so as not to have to eat them myself. I would have been thrilled to help feed the hungry in that way. And I’m sure there were people who would have gladly accepted my rejects. I am also certain part of the filling Jesus promises to the hungry is dependent upon those of us with an excess of something sharing with those in lack, although not necessarily sharing only that which we reject.

Feeding or filling the hungry was a fundamental expectation that Jesus demanded of his followers. When hungry crowds gathered he told his disciples, “you give them something to eat.” It is nearly impossible to learn anything or to grow spiritually or even to behave civilly on an empty stomach. One understanding of the stories of Jesus feeding the multitudes with little food to start with is that others in the crowds began sharing the food they had brought and, in the end, there was plenty for everyone to eat their fill. As a Methodist, we see this miracle played out in the pot-luck dinners we are known for. As such, in the saying from Luke about the hungry being filled, yes, I think Jesus was setting an expectation that those of us with excess food would share with the hungry.

But I do not believe Jesus’ primary message in either of these passages is about food. It is about spiritual hunger. It is about that gnawing sense that something in our lives is amiss, often in spite of our physical needs being well-satisfied. There is an emptiness that food cannot fill, new clothes cannot cover, and a new home, car, friends, or partner can satisfy. There are some itches that cannot be scratched by anything of the earth. And that is the type of hunger I believe Jesus refers to in these passages. And the filling of that hunger is exactly what Jesus offers to sate by drawing us, with and through him, into Oneness with God. A popular saying from the past is that we have a God-sized hole in our lives that only God can fill.

But there is yet another hunger analogy that is less common, at least in Christian circles. If we think of hunger as emptiness, a lot of Eastern philosophies encourage practitioners to empty themselves – empty themselves of earthly desires and attachments so one can be filled with spiritual gifts and goodness. Whenever our lives are consumed by caring for our possessions, by protecting our image, and by holding onto the power we believe we possess, there is simply no room for us to be filled with the goodness of God or the life Jesus modeled for us. When we are already full, there is no space for anything new and less self-centered to enter. Letting go of something old in order to incorporate something new was much of what Jesus taught – letting go or emptying ourselves of that which holds no spiritual value so we can be filled with that which does. When we focus our attention on the needs of the less-privileged around us instead of our own ego-building, we undergo a radical transformation – a rebirth – that often changes our priorities, our politics, and our point-of-view. The world becomes a much larger and more interesting and interconnected place than it was when it seemed to center around us as individuals.

And part of that rebirth is often a new and desperate hunger for social justice. We come to understand that our fates are inseparably tied to the fates of others. It is not only a matter of us feeling the suffering of the oppressed and marginalized more intensely, but the recognition that their enslavement is also our enslavement. We cannot be truly filled until everyone is filled. Once we realize we are in this life-thing together, we know we cannot be free until everyone is free. Salvation is not an individual gift. Salvation is and always has been communal, which is why Jesus insisted that we love our enemies, that we include the outcasts, and that we make our banquet tables large enough for everyone. Most of us find that sort of generosity distasteful because we consider too many others unworthy of such treatment. But, as Jesus reminds us, worthiness is not determined by us but by God. And everyone we meet is one of God’s children.

This is the 12^thin a series titled Blessedness and Woe.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 5:6

[2] Luke 6:21a