Heart

Heart

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

God didn’t say, “Blessed are the pure.” He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Back in New Testament times, the Pharisees were very conscious of ceremonial purity but not as concerned with purity of the heart.

The Pharisees practiced ceremonial hand washings, not for reasons of personal cleanliness, but as extra traditions that they had added to their long list of religious rules. These washings had begun as a reminder that the people were Jews—God’s elect—and they were to keep themselves separated from sin. But over the years they had degenerated into a ritual that made the Pharisees haughty and arrogant. The Pharisees had become so legalistic that they were more offended when Jesus’ disciples ate a meal without first washing their hands than they were when they observed injustice or oppression.

When we consider purity, we often think first of our outward behavior. But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear that holiness and purity begin on the inside. The way to begin is by taking a look at the attitudes and affections of our hearts, and sometimes that’s not an attractive sight. We all know that it’s possible to smile on the outside when our inner attitude doesn’t match. We can fool another person, but we can’t fool God.

Ceremonial purity is no substitute for spiritual purity. The washing that God wants to see is the washing of our hearts. First John 1:9 (NIV) promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (emphasis added).

Father,

May we stop pretending and be honest with ourselves and with you about our inner attitudes. We want to focus on purity in our hearts each day, because that’s when we see you. Amen.