Blessed are the merciful and pure in heart
Blessed are the merciful – Blessed are the Pure in Heart
Blessed are the merciful and the pure in heart. The first four beatitudes focus on our relationship with God. The next series of beatitudes focus on our responses now that we have a correct spiritual relationship with God. The first is about mercy towards others, Mt.5:7 and to be pure in heart, vs. 8.
Personal Story of Mercy
Recently my wife and I were traveling from Oklahoma to Nebraska to see my mom. We were on I135 between Wichita and Salina Kansas. The speed limit was 75 mph and we were going 75, but we ran into some road work and the speed limit was reduced to 55 mph. My wife pointed out a sheriff’s car parked in the medium and said to me, “you aren’t speeding are you?” About then the sheriff’s car pulled out and began following us. After about 3 or 4 miles he turned on his lights. I pulled over and the officer came to my window and said, “Did you realize you were going 75 in a 55 mph zone? He then asked if I had noticed the work zone signs? I said yes. Thankfully he said, “I’m going to let you go this time, but for your information a ticket would have cost you $375”. That officer gave me MERCY.
Receiving What You Don’t Deserve
Has there ever been a time in your life when you did not get what you truly deserved? That is the definition of mercy. Throughout the Bible mercy is associated with forgiveness and forbearance; it is abundant compassion, true love and kindness. We deserve God’s wrath because of our sinfulness, but we get His forgiveness. Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. That is mercy.
Be Merciful
Not only is God merciful, but He calls us to be merciful as well. Luke 6:36 makes this plain by recording Jesus’ instruction, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” But it is often difficult and costly to extend mercy. Showing others mercy, particularly those we deem underserving, is counter to our sinful natures and can only be done with Christ in our lives! Since we have received God’s mercy, we can freely extend it to others as well.
Blessed
“Blessed” means to be truly happy, fulfilled, and favored by God. It conveys a sense of inner peace and well-being that goes beyond external circumstances. So, when we are merciful we receive a double blessing, we are blessed (happy, fulfilled, peaceful), but also we receive mercy and we through compassion, kindness, and forgiveness we continue to be shown mercy.
Jesus Looks at the Heart
There is nothing Jesus despised more than the hypocrisy of the religious leaders in His day. They had a lack of purity of heart. Notice what characterized the phony Pharisees –
- They were big on rules and little on godliness.
- They were big on externals and little on internals.
- They were big on public commands and little on personal obedience.
- They were big on appearance and little on reality.
On the outside, they “appeared righteous to men,” but inwardly they were “full of dead men’s bones . . . full of hypocrisy.” Exactly the opposite of what our Lord desires. He said, the pure would be blessed and they would see God. (Mt. 5:7-8)in heart and when we are
Pure Heart
It’s tempting to equate “pure in heart” with being sinless, but that would be an impossible standard for us this side of heaven. Thankfully, that’s not what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” We are pure in heart, before God, because the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our hearts! The only reason we are now pure in heart is because of the work that Christ has done on our behalf.
We Will See God
The promise of seeing God is not just a glimpse of His divine presence but it entails a deeper spiritual awakening and communion that transcends our earthly existence. It’s a reminder that inner purity leads to a clearer sense of His presence and the perception of truth, love, and purpose.
So, let us nurture the purity within us by staying focused on Jesus in faith and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us. When we do, we are truly blessed and experience a more profound connection with God.
Until the next time when we will look at “blessed are the peacemakers”, be blessed!