Finding the Superior Love

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God

What does it mean to be “pure in heart'”? The word that means pure in  Greek is the word katheraros which figuratively and literally means pure, or clean. The word heart here in the Greek is kardia which is often used in the Bible to mean having to do with thoughts and feelings.

In other words, when our thoughts and feelings are clean, and free of sin, we will see God everywhere. I want to see God, don’t you? So in order to do that I have to have pure thoughts and feelings. That’s impossible! I can’t have pure, clean thoughts all the time! Of course, I can’t. I am a selfish human being. I am imperfect in my thoughts.

This is why Christ came to die for us on the cross. His righteousness covers our unrighteousness. When he went to the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to be that pure clean voice in our heads so that those pure clean thoughts can exist and are we are able to actually see God.

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

The Greek word here for Peacemaker here is the Greek word eirenopolos which refers to a person to brings a situation back to a relationship that benefits all parties involved. Again, this concept goes back to the Hebrew concept of Shalom or the idea that nothing is out of place, everything perfect, nothing is missing, and nothing is broken. When Jesus because our substitute on the cross, he became our peacemaker with God.

You know, we hear it often said “we are all the children of God”. That is not what it says here. it says that those who are peacemakers shall be called the “children of God”. When we decide to join Jesus as a peacemaker,  and accept the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and make it our goal to become the agents that God uses to bring Shalom into the world, we are then and only then able to call ourselves “the children of God”.

In the Old Testament there is an example of peacemakers. In Genesis 9:20-29 after the flood, Noah grew a vineyard and then from the grapes made wine and got drunk. He laid down in his tent and without covering himself, he fell asleep. His son Ham was the first to see him. Ham went and told his brothers (gossiped) to come and check out their inebriated father. Ham went out of his way to expose his father’s indiscretion. Rather than snickering with their brother, Shem and Japheth decided to protect their father from further humiliation. They couldn’t make him sober again, but they could do something to lessen their father’s embarrassment when he did sober up. Walking backwards so that they wouldn’t have to view their father’s “disgrace”, they  placed a blanket over him.

To be a peacemaker, we must learn to think like Jesus did when the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought to him. (John 8:3-11).  Jesus, demonstrated the role of peacemaker.  The men who brought her thought that what she needed was to be condemned and stoned for her adultery. Jesus, however didn’t point out her sin, he pointed out that all human beings are fallible and sinful. After dismissing the accusers, he turned to the woman and gave her what the accusers could not give her. He gave her love that no other man had been able to give her, and then told her to sin no more. She didn’t have to resort to “looking for love in all the wrong places” any longer. She had found the superior form of love.

If we are to become pure at heart and become peacemakers so that we can see God, we need to guard our hearts and look not to expose the world that they are sinful. Our responsibility as Christians is to expose the world to what it means to be a peacemaker do what we know is the right thing for others. As it says in Philippians 4:8:

Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any raise, think on these things.