Look and See

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

LOOK AND SEE

Matt 5:8

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

NIV

This beatitude begs the question as to what did Jesus think was a pure heart. Considering his first audience were Jews and their culture included a whole lot of ceremonial washing, cleansing for purification, Jesus was going beyond their external methods and was speaking about the internal man. However, the Jews should and most likely did know about their internal heart for they would have known the words of the Psalmist.

Ps 24:3-4

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

NIV

Anyone can have clean hands, but getting a pure heart is of far greater value, for it is only those who have obtained this pure heart can ascend to the hill of the Lord or as Jesus put it, see God. There is a difference as to how our culture may limit the meaning of the heart to our feelings, although for us Christians, we have taken it to the same level as the Hebrews would have which included the entire inner man, heart, and mind. Nevertheless, we cannot make our hearts or mind pure in and of ourselves. We also know the scriptures that tell us our heart is deceitfully wicked. It is the prophet Jeremiah who made that point by saying the heart is deceitful above all things, but he continues to say that it is beyond cure and who can understand it. Did he mean who could understand the heart, or that it cannot be cured? God surely knows our heart, and we would think we know our own heart. We know the wickedness that resides within, just as Paul did when he said that when he wants to do good, evil is right there with him. What is the cure for this wicked heart of ours? We know we have no cure, but God does, and he has offered the cure to all who desire it. Why would a sick person refuse a cure if one existed? Why would someone with an incurable disease that was terminal refuse to accept a cure that would give them life instead of death? We have that kind of aliment in our heart and left to our own resources our life is terminal. However, God has offered the cure in Jesus Christ, and we have accepted the cure. We have accepted Jesus who gives us life instead of death. Jesus has conquered the terminal disease of death and being in Jesus and having Jesus in us, our heart has been made pure in the sight of God. He has declared us holy and blameless, which means he has given us a pure heart and therefore we can ascend the hill of God, or as Jesus said, we can see God. Of course, no one can see God while we are in the flesh and live. However, we can see God in two ways. First, Jesus would have meant that once we allow Him to purify our heart, through faith in Him, we will one day ascend into the realm of the heavenly and stand before our everlasting God. Secondly, Jesus would have meant that as we allow Him to purify our hearts, we will be able to understand God or have a vision of who God is and what he does in our lives. That is we will see him with our heart and mind, as we read his word, we will see him, perceive him, understand him. In one sense, we only need to look into our hearts, and we will see God, for he dwells there. We Just need to look and see.