As we continue the climb up the ladder of the Beatitudes, we pause at this sixth rung, wondering about whatever it could mean: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) What did Jeus mean by “pure”?
Often when we hear that word, we associate it with some form of sexual purity – which the verse never says! And even if we did read this as sexual purity, such purity is a matter of the heart or intention by which Jesus says that we are to not have even lust within us. Can any of us claim such purity?
A similar struggle happens if we think of purity as perfection, for we know that we are nowhere close to the blessedness that Jesus calls for.
The word Jesus uses here is “katharos,” which can be translated as “pure,” but it means so much more. From that word we get our English words cathartic or catharsis, which denotes a cleansing. Usually the word is translated as “clean,” but it can also mean genuine, clear, simple, or plain. Whereas a pure heart seems unattainable, I can work at having a cleansed heart, a genuine heart, a clear heart.
The Greek word can also refer to pruning, clearing out the branches on a vine or a tree that are getting in the way of growth.
If I approach being pure as a heart that is pruned, then I remember the words of Jesus in John: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” (John 15:1-2)
Being cleansed, being pruned, is not something that I do. It is something that I allow God to do through me.
If I come back to the Beatitudes as a ladder that I climb, then I can see each rung, each step, as a way to cleanse my heart.
I cleanse my heart when I admit my lack of control and place my trust in God.
I cleanse my heart when I allow myself to mourn and be vulnerable, open to my own suffering, open to the suffering of others.
I cleanse my heart in meekness and gentleness, humbly knowing that I work together with others.
I cleanse my heart as I long, desire, and hunger for things to be set right, for justice.
I cleanse my heart as I show the same mercy and forgiveness that God has shown to me.
When I take these steps, when I cleanse my heart and let God cleanse my life, Jesus promises that I will see God.
Jesus is not promising some heavenly realm when he says this. Rather, Jesus promises that I will see God wherever I go.
We hear that reality when Jesus told the parable of the sheep and the goats, when the king declared, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sister of mine, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)
A cleansed heart allows us to see God’s presence in all people, no matter who they are.
A cleansed heart allows us to see God in our acts of service and in those we serve.
A cleansed heart opens us up to the presence of God in each face that we see.
As we continue the cleansing process, we discover the divine image within ourselves.
Gregory of Nyssa spoke of this beatitude in this way: “If, therefore, you wash off by a good life the filth that has been stuck on your heart like plaster, the Divine Beauty will again shine forth in you.”
May we keep climbing. May we keep cleansing ourselves. And then may we be open to seeing God in ourselves and in all around us.
The Rev. David Armstrong-Reiner is pastor at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 2375 Ga. Highway 20 in Conyers. Contact him at pastor.david@conyerselc.org.
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