Text: Matthew 5:8
Structure: There is some discussion about the relationship of these statements of Jesus to each other and what to make of the collection as a whole.
- The first 8 begin and end with the same outcome…that the kingdom of heaven belongs to this group (vs 4 &10), and this seems to set bookmarks for this unit as a whole.
- And in relation to each beatitude, there is both a present tense and a future outcome in view. The disposition or action that Jesus identified is present now along with a ‘blessing’. This blessing is not limited to the here and now and may in fact only be experienced in the hereafter. There is an ‘already’ and a ‘not yet’ to the beatitudes which pertained to the ‘kingdom of heaven, for at the time when Jesus taught, the ‘kingdom of heaven’ was in some sense already present and yet in the process of coming to earth.
I once heard a speaker claim that there were no ‘imperatives’ in the beatitudes. He thought that these teachings from Jesus were only ‘descriptive’ but not ‘prescriptive’. In other words, while each was desirable and conveyed a blessing, there were other ways of getting to the same outcome. They were treated as unnecessary for entry into the kingdom and for life within it. But this approach ignores the fact that not all imperatives are stated as such. Some are implied.
For example, when the apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, he said: “For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3:26-27). If we isolated this passage from all others, we might conclude that while the Galatians had become children of God through faith and by being baptized into Christ, others might take a different path. But the antithetical nature of Paul’s statement contains implied imperatives. It is, that without faith, one cannot become a child of God and without baptism, one cannot be clothed with Christ. Stated negatively – ‘as many of you who have not been baptized into Christ have not been clothed with him’.
This principle applies to the beatitudes.. They are not presented in a ‘you shall’ or ‘you shall not’ format, but are nevertheless prescriptive. And when stated in the negative, they deny the blessing that is in view, both for the present life and the one to come.
By way of illustration:
- The kingdom of heaven does not nor will it ever belong to the proud and arrogant.
- God will not comfort the unrepentant – not now or ever.
- Those who shun humility or who fail to control themselves will not inherit the earth.
- Those who are not merciful to others will receive no mercy from God
Implied imperatives are real. And of course, the teachings of Jesus in the beatitudes were reinforced and restated in other terms by the apostles of Jesus who said much the same thing while delivering ‘the whole counsel of God’.
Text: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
Beginning with the outcome, what does it mean to ‘see God”?
In the strictest sense, all people will one day ‘see God’. All will appear before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10, 2 Cor 5:10), but not all will be blessed when they do. For some, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience before eternal separation from Him. Others will be welcomed into
God’s presence for all eternity. Given that Jesus meant to convey a blessing, it is to this second group that our beatitude is addressed. And as we have been arguing, it is hortatory in nature. Those who do not yet have a pure heart are urged to pursue one, so that they will continue to abide in God’s presence when summoned.
What does it mean to be ‘pure in heart’?1
Well it turns out that the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. Pure in heart is most likely a reference to a combination of things.
- The first has to do with integrity – a lack of pretense, hypocrisy or guile
- The second – with a combination of godly motives and a clear conscience.
- And perhaps Jesus also has in mind the further step of pursuing a state of cleanliness in the inner person made possible by his own sacrifice.
Consider each of these in turn.
James the brother of Jesus suggested that the word of God acts like a mirror that allows us to see ourselves as God does (James 1: 23-25). Having that insight, a person of integrity does not pretend to be what they are not. They do not deceive themselves or others, but take steps – guided by God’s word, to conform to his image.
When Jesus was introduced to Nathaniel, he observed: “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” It was almost an contradiction in terms. Jacob, whom God later renamed Israel, deceived his father and broke his heart. His mother’s family was filled with guile and he learned it from her. He was deceived by his father in law, his future brothers in law and his wife. Israel’s own sons learned it from a master and turned it against him.
No wonder then that Jesus was impressed by this man who had a pure heart. Nathaniel was the same person on the inside that he was on the outside. He said what he meant, and meant what he said. He had integrity
But integrity alone is not enough.
Saul the Pharisee persecuted the lord’s church. There are two statement that the apostle Paul made, both of which were true, that must be understood together.
Once called as an apostle, and standing before the Sanhedrin, he said: “Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day”. Some time later, Paul wrote to Timothy that he was once a blasphemer, a violent aggressor – placing him foremost among sinners. We understand then that personal integrity and an unawareness of sin does not equal ‘purity of heart’. Cleanness must always rise to the standard of God’s will as set out in his word. Right motives (to honour and to serve God) must be combined with right actions (obedience to God’s actual will). It is not within us to direct our own steps.
What Jesus called for in this beatitude, he made possible through his sacrifice. A pure heart before God is not just self-referential. It begins with integrity and values a clear conscience. But it must ultimately be cleansed by God in order to then remain so. This is what Jesus came to accomplish and why the beatitudes are so often associated with the kingdom of God. It turns out that those who will one day be blessed when they see God, are those who have entered God’s kingdom while alive on earth. For once it arrived on earth on the Day of Pentecost, entry could be had in no other way.
Barrie ON
1The word ‘pure’ is often used to mean ‘clean’. It is worth observing that throughout the bible, those things that were considered ‘clean’ were put into that category by God. A study of this kind of ‘purity’ is useful in it’s own right.