Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matt 5:8
When I read the word pure, I think of synonyms like clean, unsullied or unadulterated. In a religious context my thoughts turn to words like sinlessness or righteousness before God. It seems a high bar for a mere mortal. In any case, I don’t believe simply setting a high moral standard was Jesus’ intent.
I find it helpful to think of purity of heart as perspective, or how one perceives reality. Imagine how your perspective changes as you ascend a mountain. The initial portion of the ascent may be through heavily wooded slopes and hills, you may find yourself naivating ravines or small streams, traversing steep rocky paths or narrow ledges with only a rock face before you. Throughout the ascent your perspective is by your immediate surroundings, limiting your ability to orient yourself to the greater whole. But on arriving at the pinnacle our perspective is dramatically transformed; vast spaces open before you, you can see for miles, and you gain a sense of how the mountain and you fit into the whole. We cannot help but be filled with wonder and at the same time humbled by the scale of our surroundings.
I believe Jesus is calling for a radical shift in perspective when he says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The witness of Psalm 73 speaks to such a radical reorientation of perspective. In the opening verses the psalmist is beguiled by things of this world: power, wealth, privilege, the esteem and approval of men. He comes to realize that envy and longing for things valued by the world will ultimately be his downfall, and exclaims:
“When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.”
“Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is nothing on the earth I desire besides you” - this is the purity of heart that opens us to truly know God. If we focus on circumstances, conditions, thoughts and feelings, on wealth, approval and esteem, we lose perspective.
Jesus is reminding us that if we begin with God and abide in him, that all the things of this world will assume their proper place; order themselves in the appropriate priority.
Clearly our gaze and attention will wander from time to time, and we will become preoccupied with the forests, ravines and narrow ledges life presents. When that happens, remember Jesus’ words and return again to the Pinnacle, the wonder and the glory that is God. And in seeing God, you will begin again to see as God sees, and to gain the perspective and the wisdom to know how to meet and navigate the circumstances, situations and conditions of this life.
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