“Blessed are the Pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
Serious readers of the Bible know that God is interested in all that we are and have, not just a part of us. God’s goal in our redemption is to transform us in our entirety. He does not want those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior to live a compartmentalized life, a life that erects barriers against the all-encompassing work of God. In a few words Matthew 5:8 captures powerfully this holistic intent of God.
Meaning of the Words in the Beatitudes
“Blessed”
This term implies much more than contentment. Rather, it refers to a joy and elation that is to be envied. God, not things, is the source of this happiness. This joy rests upon a “reversal of all human values;” happiness is no longer attached to possessions, power, and reputation, but to God Himself. He alone is enough. Those whose happiness is grounded upon God alone are to be both congratulated and envied.
“The pure in heart”
The term for “pure” (katharos) in the Greek world was used in a range of ways: “clean” as in clean clothes, “purged” as in an army purged of discontents, or “sifted” as in sifted or winnowed grain that has had the chaff removed. Some think the word “pure” refers to ritual purity, purity in terms of one’s external practice of religion as a means of pleasing God. Old Testament ritual purity is the supposed background for explaining Matthew 5:8 in this way.
However, the use of the word “pure” calls to mind Psalm 24:3-6. This psalm is an entrance psalm, essentially one in which the worshiper faces the question, “What does God require of me in order for me to stand in His presence?” The answer (Psalm 24:4) to the question makes one thing clear. The real concern is about purity of life, not simply about ritual purity. At issue is whether there is integrity and wholeness between one’s outward acts (“clean hands”) and one’s inner being (“a pure heart”). There is to be no dichotomy. Matthew 5:8 calls attention to this same matter of integrity. The concern of the verse is not simply a matter of ritual purity, an outward type of conformity. For this reason the words “in heart” are added to the word “pure.” Therefore, the expression “the pure in heart” does not focus just on what is internal to the exclusion of the external. Our beatitude emphasizes that the King (Jesus) of the kingdom wants a single-mindedness, a lack of duplicity in His followers. Our Lord desires integrity, a oneness, between the internal and the external. “Shame, deceit, and moral filth cannot coexist with sincere devotion to Christ.” Matthew’s gospel goes on to say a good deal about these very points.
“For they will see God (hoti autoi ton theon opsontai).” Assuming an Old Testament background as already noted, we know that when Jesus spoke these words, He was not referring to “seeing” (i.e., “going before”) God in the temple. The Old Testament temple was past.
Rather, our Lord says that “seeing” God in the future awaits those whose life is characterized by single-minded integrity. Seeing our Lord is the basis of the “blessed” with which Matthew 5:8 opens. Revelation 22:4 refers to the great event of seeing our Lord. That is our hope. But those who have this hope purify themselves (I John 3:2-3). An increasingly greater level of purity leads to an increasingly clearer vision of who God is even now. As purity is pursued, one is able to see God more and more clearly. But full sight awaits the future.
Applications to My Life
If I am to follow Jesus’ teaching in our beatitude, there are applications I must make. God is concerned about all of my life. God wants wholeness in my life. Compartmentalization breeds hypocrisy and shame and living a lie. Looking good on the outside is not enough. God is looking for an integrity that surges through all of my being.
If I am going to pursue purity in my life, I must take deliberate, aggressive steps to challenge evil in my life. The kind of purity Jesus teaches is so opposite my human nature. He does not want me living like a hypocrite. Yet, as the Bible makes clear, my sinful nature, left alone, bends my whole life toward corruption. Galatians 6:19-21 is sobering:
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
God wants me to challenge the forces of darkness in my life.
Serious readers of the Bible know that God is interested in all that we are and have, not just a part of us. God’s goal in our redemption is to transform us in our entirety. He does not want those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior to live a compartmentalized life, a life that erects barriers against the all-encompassing work of God. In a few words Matthew 5:8 captures powerfully this holistic intent of God.
Meaning of the Words in the Beatitudes
“Blessed”
This term implies much more than contentment. Rather, it refers to a joy and elation that is to be envied. God, not things, is the source of this happiness. This joy rests upon a “reversal of all human values;” happiness is no longer attached to possessions, power, and reputation, but to God Himself. He alone is enough. Those whose happiness is grounded upon God alone are to be both congratulated and envied.
“The pure in heart”
The term for “pure” (katharos) in the Greek world was used in a range of ways: “clean” as in clean clothes, “purged” as in an army purged of discontents, or “sifted” as in sifted or winnowed grain that has had the chaff removed. Some think the word “pure” refers to ritual purity, purity in terms of one’s external practice of religion as a means of pleasing God. Old Testament ritual purity is the supposed background for explaining Matthew 5:8 in this way.
However, the use of the word “pure” calls to mind Psalm 24:3-6. This psalm is an entrance psalm, essentially one in which the worshiper faces the question, “What does God require of me in order for me to stand in His presence?” The answer (Psalm 24:4) to the question makes one thing clear. The real concern is about purity of life, not simply about ritual purity. At issue is whether there is integrity and wholeness between one’s outward acts (“clean hands”) and one’s inner being (“a pure heart”). There is to be no dichotomy. Matthew 5:8 calls attention to this same matter of integrity. The concern of the verse is not simply a matter of ritual purity, an outward type of conformity. For this reason the words “in heart” are added to the word “pure.” Therefore, the expression “the pure in heart” does not focus just on what is internal to the exclusion of the external. Our beatitude emphasizes that the King (Jesus) of the kingdom wants a single-mindedness, a lack of duplicity in His followers. Our Lord desires integrity, a oneness, between the internal and the external. “Shame, deceit, and moral filth cannot coexist with sincere devotion to Christ.” Matthew’s gospel goes on to say a good deal about these very points.
“For they will see God (hoti autoi ton theon opsontai).” Assuming an Old Testament background as already noted, we know that when Jesus spoke these words, He was not referring to “seeing” (i.e., “going before”) God in the temple. The Old Testament temple was past.
Rather, our Lord says that “seeing” God in the future awaits those whose life is characterized by single-minded integrity. Seeing our Lord is the basis of the “blessed” with which Matthew 5:8 opens. Revelation 22:4 refers to the great event of seeing our Lord. That is our hope. But those who have this hope purify themselves (I John 3:2-3). An increasingly greater level of purity leads to an increasingly clearer vision of who God is even now. As purity is pursued, one is able to see God more and more clearly. But full sight awaits the future.
Applications to My Life
If I am to follow Jesus’ teaching in our beatitude, there are applications I must make. God is concerned about all of my life. God wants wholeness in my life. Compartmentalization breeds hypocrisy and shame and living a lie. Looking good on the outside is not enough. God is looking for an integrity that surges through all of my being.
If I am going to pursue purity in my life, I must take deliberate, aggressive steps to challenge evil in my life. The kind of purity Jesus teaches is so opposite my human nature. He does not want me living like a hypocrite. Yet, as the Bible makes clear, my sinful nature, left alone, bends my whole life toward corruption. Galatians 6:19-21 is sobering:
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
God wants me to challenge the forces of darkness in my life.
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