Blessed Are the Merciful and Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
Matthew 5:7-8: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
There is a progression to the list of Beatitudes. Jesus begins with "Blessed are the poor in spirit." This is the recognition that we come to the Lord empty handed, that we are completely dependent on him for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of our salvation, and this Beatitude is the foundation to understand all the rest of Beatitudes. We come broken; we come grieving our sin; we surrender ourselves to the Lord; we lay down our desires and take on his desires so that we hunger and thirst for him above anything else in this world. Having done those things, we encounter the mercy of God. He does not give us what we deserve - judgement and death. Instead, we receive what we do not deserve - grace, forgiveness, acceptance, and affirmation through Jesus. When Moses asked to see God's glory, the Lord proclaimed his name to Moses: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:5-6). The Lord spoke those words on Mt. Sinai as Moses had gone up a second time to receive the Ten Commandments. This second trip to Mt. Sinai was a direct result of the sin of the Israelites in their worship of the golden calf.
In God's mercy, the nation of Israel was not destroyed. They were given a second chance, and the covenantal promises were renewed. At the core of mercy is God's forgiveness, a forgiveness that is grounded in his steadfast love. In the Beatitudes, Jesus taught that they were not just to be the recipients of mercy but that receiving God's mercy was contingent upon showing God's mercy. This teaching stood in opposition to the religious leaders of that day. In their self-righteousness, they did not recognize their need for mercy and in their zeal for the law, they did not show mercy to those entrusted to their care.
Jesus goes on the teach that is the pure in heart who will see God. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he used children as an example of how to receive the kingdom of heaven. In fact, the Greek work used in the Gospel of Matthew indicates that Jesus is not talking about a four or five year old child but a toddler. A toddler is humble, dependent, honest, authentic, and totally content with her parents. She doesn't worry about her next meal or where she will sleep that night. Instead, she trusts her parent's care and provision for her. A toddler can often be singly focused. Anyone who has been around a hungry infant or toddler can appreciate how she expresses that focus. There is a clarity to a toddler that can be very refreshing. That is what Jesus was seeking in his followers - one who was focused first and foremost on him, his kingdom, and the kingdom values. He looked for those who would come authentically and whole-heartedly. Those were the ones who would see God, not only see him but recognize him. Remember how the children cried out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David" (Matthew 21:15)? They could see and worship Jesus as the Messiah while the indignant Pharisees could not or would not.
When I think of someone in my lifetime who exemplified a life of mercy, I immediately think of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa experienced the Lord's mercy in her life in a profound way; that experience led her to show that same mercy to the poorest of the poor, the outcasts of society, and those for whom there was no hope. When I think of someone who has exemplified what it means to be pure in heart, I immediately think of my sister Sarah. We adopted Sarah when she was six months old, and she blessed our family from her first day home. From a very young age, Sarah had a love of the Lord that baffled me. She was always the first to pray and to get dressed for church, and she was by far the most zealous for the Lord. Sarah had a single focus. The Lord was her favorite person, her favorite topic of conversation, and the one to whom she looked.
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." May the Spirit of the Lord work in our hearts as he did in Mother Teresa's. May we receive his mercy then show that same mercy to this broken and hurting world. May the Spirit purify our hearts so that we have a focus on the kingdom of heaven above the kingdom of earth.
Reflection:
Are you a person who exemplifies mercy? Are you one who has a pure heart, a single focus on the Lord and his kingdom?
There is a progression to the list of Beatitudes. Jesus begins with "Blessed are the poor in spirit." This is the recognition that we come to the Lord empty handed, that we are completely dependent on him for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of our salvation, and this Beatitude is the foundation to understand all the rest of Beatitudes. We come broken; we come grieving our sin; we surrender ourselves to the Lord; we lay down our desires and take on his desires so that we hunger and thirst for him above anything else in this world. Having done those things, we encounter the mercy of God. He does not give us what we deserve - judgement and death. Instead, we receive what we do not deserve - grace, forgiveness, acceptance, and affirmation through Jesus. When Moses asked to see God's glory, the Lord proclaimed his name to Moses: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:5-6). The Lord spoke those words on Mt. Sinai as Moses had gone up a second time to receive the Ten Commandments. This second trip to Mt. Sinai was a direct result of the sin of the Israelites in their worship of the golden calf.
In God's mercy, the nation of Israel was not destroyed. They were given a second chance, and the covenantal promises were renewed. At the core of mercy is God's forgiveness, a forgiveness that is grounded in his steadfast love. In the Beatitudes, Jesus taught that they were not just to be the recipients of mercy but that receiving God's mercy was contingent upon showing God's mercy. This teaching stood in opposition to the religious leaders of that day. In their self-righteousness, they did not recognize their need for mercy and in their zeal for the law, they did not show mercy to those entrusted to their care.
Jesus goes on the teach that is the pure in heart who will see God. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he used children as an example of how to receive the kingdom of heaven. In fact, the Greek work used in the Gospel of Matthew indicates that Jesus is not talking about a four or five year old child but a toddler. A toddler is humble, dependent, honest, authentic, and totally content with her parents. She doesn't worry about her next meal or where she will sleep that night. Instead, she trusts her parent's care and provision for her. A toddler can often be singly focused. Anyone who has been around a hungry infant or toddler can appreciate how she expresses that focus. There is a clarity to a toddler that can be very refreshing. That is what Jesus was seeking in his followers - one who was focused first and foremost on him, his kingdom, and the kingdom values. He looked for those who would come authentically and whole-heartedly. Those were the ones who would see God, not only see him but recognize him. Remember how the children cried out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David" (Matthew 21:15)? They could see and worship Jesus as the Messiah while the indignant Pharisees could not or would not.
When I think of someone in my lifetime who exemplified a life of mercy, I immediately think of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa experienced the Lord's mercy in her life in a profound way; that experience led her to show that same mercy to the poorest of the poor, the outcasts of society, and those for whom there was no hope. When I think of someone who has exemplified what it means to be pure in heart, I immediately think of my sister Sarah. We adopted Sarah when she was six months old, and she blessed our family from her first day home. From a very young age, Sarah had a love of the Lord that baffled me. She was always the first to pray and to get dressed for church, and she was by far the most zealous for the Lord. Sarah had a single focus. The Lord was her favorite person, her favorite topic of conversation, and the one to whom she looked.
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." May the Spirit of the Lord work in our hearts as he did in Mother Teresa's. May we receive his mercy then show that same mercy to this broken and hurting world. May the Spirit purify our hearts so that we have a focus on the kingdom of heaven above the kingdom of earth.
Reflection:
Are you a person who exemplifies mercy? Are you one who has a pure heart, a single focus on the Lord and his kingdom?
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