Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
The Greek word that is rendered "pure" in English is καθαρός (katharos), and none of us would be surprised to know that it means "clean, pure, or unsoiled." But it also implies "undivided" or "unmixed." A pure heart is focused on God and his righteousness, and not on the world. Cf. James 4:4.
If our walk with Jesus seems confusing at times it is not so much that Jesus is confusing as it is that our own hearts are confusing. The heart is, after all, deceitful above all things. Jeremiah 17:9. The heart resists purification and, in fact, is usually content to be divided. And so, we struggle between the things that please us and the things that please God. And, we allow ourselves at times to be confused about both what God wants for us, and what God wants from us.
As I was thinking about all of this two scriptures came to mind. The first is where Jesus talks about the sheep and the goats. He tells us that about the righteous -- those who take care of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. And, He tells us about the unrighteous -- those who do not do these things. Matthew 25:31-46. And, if we are not careful we will conclude from this that the secret to eternal life is about what we do or do not do.
But Jesus also told us that there will be those who prophesied in his name, who cast out demons in his name and did many miracles, but Jesus will nevertheless deny knowing them. Matthew 7:21-23. And so, we might conclude from this that "doing" will not be enough to earn us a place in heaven. We might be deceived into thinking that something more is required.
Hopefully, we know at the end of the day that it is faith alone that saves us. And, we know that true faith will lead to purification of the heart. Then, and only then, will the things we "do" matter. They matter then because they will be motivated by a pure heart. We do the right things not out of discipline or duty, but because a pure heart desires to do good.
The past couple of weeks -- not thinking about God bringing us to this place -- I have been searching my own heart. And, I have not always liked what God has exposed. It is never a fun process -- but it is necessary to do on occasion. Among other things, I think there have been times when I have been more concerned about being right than I have been about being godly. There have been some things to repent about.
We all have them. They are often easy to find. One way is to ask ourselves if others see the same "me" in every context. For me, and for many of you, I need only ask myself if I am the same person at home (or anywhere else) as I am at church.
One of the problems the Pharisees often had was that they externally looked like lovers of God, but internally they were lovers of themselves. They were a lot more like us sometimes than any of us care to admit. The problem is always the same -- God is not looking at the externals; he is looking at the heart.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
Matthew 23:1-7.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
Matthew 23:23-28.
for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8
The Greek word that is rendered "pure" in English is καθαρός (katharos), and none of us would be surprised to know that it means "clean, pure, or unsoiled." But it also implies "undivided" or "unmixed." A pure heart is focused on God and his righteousness, and not on the world. Cf. James 4:4.
If our walk with Jesus seems confusing at times it is not so much that Jesus is confusing as it is that our own hearts are confusing. The heart is, after all, deceitful above all things. Jeremiah 17:9. The heart resists purification and, in fact, is usually content to be divided. And so, we struggle between the things that please us and the things that please God. And, we allow ourselves at times to be confused about both what God wants for us, and what God wants from us.
As I was thinking about all of this two scriptures came to mind. The first is where Jesus talks about the sheep and the goats. He tells us that about the righteous -- those who take care of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. And, He tells us about the unrighteous -- those who do not do these things. Matthew 25:31-46. And, if we are not careful we will conclude from this that the secret to eternal life is about what we do or do not do.
But Jesus also told us that there will be those who prophesied in his name, who cast out demons in his name and did many miracles, but Jesus will nevertheless deny knowing them. Matthew 7:21-23. And so, we might conclude from this that "doing" will not be enough to earn us a place in heaven. We might be deceived into thinking that something more is required.
Hopefully, we know at the end of the day that it is faith alone that saves us. And, we know that true faith will lead to purification of the heart. Then, and only then, will the things we "do" matter. They matter then because they will be motivated by a pure heart. We do the right things not out of discipline or duty, but because a pure heart desires to do good.
The past couple of weeks -- not thinking about God bringing us to this place -- I have been searching my own heart. And, I have not always liked what God has exposed. It is never a fun process -- but it is necessary to do on occasion. Among other things, I think there have been times when I have been more concerned about being right than I have been about being godly. There have been some things to repent about.
We all have them. They are often easy to find. One way is to ask ourselves if others see the same "me" in every context. For me, and for many of you, I need only ask myself if I am the same person at home (or anywhere else) as I am at church.
One of the problems the Pharisees often had was that they externally looked like lovers of God, but internally they were lovers of themselves. They were a lot more like us sometimes than any of us care to admit. The problem is always the same -- God is not looking at the externals; he is looking at the heart.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
Matthew 23:1-7.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
Matthew 23:23-28.
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