Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God

(Part 6 of a series of 9 articles on the Beatitudes)

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

As we saw in the Fourth Beatitude (Blessed are those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, for They Shall be Satisfied ), outward piety is not the same thing as purity of heart. Piety may (or may not) be a sign of purity of heart, but it is sometimes just a show to try to cover-up a guilty heart. We are not made righteous and pure when we do what is right, especially because we are sinners to begin with. We must rely on God to make us pure and righteous through the work of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We may think we are pure and holy when we do what we feel is good, but our sinful condition deceives us and makes us think we are pure when we are filthy dirty with sin.

The Pharisees made themselves look like pious, godly people, and they likely thought that they were, but both John the Baptist and Jesus exposed them for what they really were: children of snakes (Matthew 3:7) and whitewashed corpses (Matthew 23:27). The reason why this is true is found when Jesus taught, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ” (Matthew 15:19) Here Jesus shows us that the sinful heart is the source of sin. Because of this, sinful actions are not what make us sinful or “unclean” (because we are already sinful) and, correspondingly, good works do not make us pure and holy. A murderer (for example) is not made holy by doing some good deed – or even by doing some “great” deed. He is still a murderer, and subject to condemnation. The good can never outweigh the guilt of our sin. Because of God’s commandments, we ought to be doing good in everything we do, so if we fail to do some good, then we can’t do more than everything we already do to “balance the scale.”

This would seem as if we would have no hope of having a pure heart once it is corrupted, and that would be true unless there was some way that our impure heart could be purified. David wrote in Psalm 24:3-6

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. — Selah

The prodigal son recognized his impurity and sin, and repented. The Father rejoiced to receive his son as if he had returned from the dead.

Properly speaking, only Jesus naturally qualifies for all this, so we should first see this as a prophesy of the Christ. Jesus stands in God’s Holy Place because He is God in the flesh, and is perfectly pure and holy. Yet, it was not for His sake alone that Jesus was obedient to God the Father, but Jesus was the perfectly obedient Son to redeem us from our sins that we may be washed clean and made pure that we, too, may “ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place”. We, who trust in Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sins, are those who “receive blessing … and righteousness from the God of (our) salvation.” The “salvation” that David foretold is the redeeming work of Jesus to take the guilt of our sins in His body and suffer the punishment of death in our place so that He may redeem us and purify our hearts that we may “stand in (God’s) holy place” with pure hearts and without the fear of condemnation for our sin.

What, then, is a pure heart? How can sinners even comprehend such a concept? Martin Luther says it is a heart which is “watching and pondering what God says and replacing its own ideas with the Word of God.” This is another way of saying it is a heart which lives by faith, trusting in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul wrote, “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:15-16) To be “justified” is to be forgiven, and, having been forgiven, your heart is made pure by the saving work of Jesus Christ. This is the only way we may have a pure heart.

David also wrote in Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” King David was not made impure by his adultery, murder, and other sins. He was already corrupted by sin from the start, and that sinfulness is what led to his terrible sins in his actions toward Uriah and his wife, Bathsheba. Yet, the repentant King David trusted that God would purify his wicked heart and “renew a steadfast spirit” within him. Again, we see that David was not purified by doing some great work to “balance the evil with good,” but he was purified only by the work of God to “create” and “renew” this pure heart within him.

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews describes how we sinners are purified when he wrote, “When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:11-14) This shows us that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament weren’t really what purified God’s people in ancient days. They were just prophetic signs pointing toward their fulfillment in the Messiah who offered His life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Christ’s death purifies us because He is the “perfect” sacrifice for sin who redeems us by suffering the punishment that we deserved, so that we may be purified to live in His presence eternally without sin.

Saint Paul also describes this in His letter to the Ephesians, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) Here it is clear that Christ is the one who sanctifies us and washes us clean of our sin through Holy Baptism (“water with the word”) that we may be purified and stand in God’s presence “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she (i.e. “the church”, which are all believers in Christ from all times – see Revelation 7:13-14) might be holy and without blemish.”

“They will see God”

God gave Jacob a vision of heaven and angels to show him that he was truly blessed by God despite his lies and treachery toward his father, Isaac.

Now that we see that those “pure in heart” are those who trust in God to save them through the life and death of Jesus Christ, and have been purified by His blood, we see that Jesus says that the pure in heart will “see God.” This is a great blessing because we cannot see God now as sinners. In Genesis 32:22-32 Jacob wrestled with God, then named the place “Peniel” because he had seen the face of God (Peniel means “God’s face”), and was delivered (from death – see verse 30). This shows that it is a very rare thing for anyone to see God, even in ancient times, and even among Biblical saints. Though God may make Himself visible to anyone if He sees a need to do so, only a select few have ever seen God in this way (and those are far fewer than have claimed to have done so). This also shows us that God’s people expect God to meet them at their death to take them to be where He is.

It is not superstition to say that no sinner may see God. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God Himself told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20) Also, in Deuteronomy 5:25, after hearing God speak the Ten Commandments, the Israelite congregation told Moses, “If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.” These verses remind us that our sinfulness puts us in no state to encounter God in the fullness of His glory – either seeing His face or even hearing His voice. God’s holiness is so pure that anyone sinful cannot live in His immediate, unfiltered presence. In the Biblical passages like these we see that, in His mercy, God hides His glory from us when He deals with us, so that He does not kill us. This is why God the Holy Spirit works through the “Means of Grace”. These are God’s Word and the Sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and Holy Baptism. The “Means of Grace” are God’s ways of coming to us personally, and dealing with us without bringing harm to us, but still working salvation for us.

God the Holy Spirit works through these “Means” to come to where we are to create a pure heart within us (the new birth of Holy Baptism), to call us to repentance (by the Law in God’s Word), to lead us to trust in Jesus for our forgiveness and salvation (through the Gospel in God’s Word), and to give us the Body and Blood of Jesus to eat and drink (in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper) so that we may remain a part of His body in this sinful world until the fulfillment of our salvation. These “Means” are simple worldly things (water, words, bread and wine) that are joined to God’s Word to bring God to us for our salvation. God works through these means so He doesn’t destroy us, and so that all who don’t want God’s salvation and forgiveness (for whatever reason) can reject Him if they so desire. In this way, God gets all the glory and credit for our forgiveness and salvation, and those who reject Him get all the blame themselves, since God has provided forgiveness and salvation for all who trust in Jesus as their savior.

Samson’s Parents feared they would die when the Angel of the Lord foretold the birth of their son. They soon realized that God graciously allowed them to see Him so that they would know how to raise their son to conquer their oppressors.

Besides Jacob seeing God at Peniel there are a couple similar encounters with God in the days of the judges in Israel. In Judges 6:22 Gideon fears that he will die because he has seen the Angel of the Lord, but the Lord comforts him and tells him that he will not die. Likewise, in Judges 13:22 Samson’s father fears that he and his wife will die for having seen the Lord, but his wife says that if God had wanted to kill them He wouldn’t have accepted the burnt offering and wouldn’t have given them directions about how to raise their son as a Nazirite (i.e. someone set apart for service to God). It seems that God made these appearances to impress upon these people that the message He gave them was true because it truly came from God. This may have been necessary because there was still quite a bit of apostasy among the Israelite people from time to time that not all messages that people claimed to come from God really came from Him. These kindly appearances of God showed people that God had a particular purpose for them, and they should listen to Him and follow His directions.

The prophet, Job, also gave a strong testimony of trusting that he would live after he died, and see God in the resurrection of all flesh on the last day. Though the textual evidence suggests that the book of Job is likely extremely ancient, suggesting that Job lived long before Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible (as we count them), Job testified, “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (Job 19:26-27) Job not only trusted in God to resurrect him from the dead, but that God would also purify him from all sin that he might see the face of His beloved redeemer without fear of condemnation and death. It is no wonder that the familiar hymn, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives” is a favorite both for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, and for comfort to those who mourn at Christian funerals.

Job testified, “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (Job 19:26-27)

The Apostle John also gives a strong testimony of confident faith that Christians will see God when he wrote in his first Epistle, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3) God demonstrates great love for us (for the sake of Christ) by adopting us as His children (see John 3:5) as we live by faith in Jesus, who has paid the price to redeem us from our sin and washed us clean through the water of Holy Baptism. Since Christ has done this for us, we will be able to see God without harm once our Sanctification is completed in the resurrection of the body on the Last Day.

What do the Wicked See?

If the “pure in heart” are blessed to see God, then what do those with impure hearts see? It is most likely that they only see themselves, and seeing themselves they could either imagine that they see God (and are deceived), or they see their wickedness and sin and despair of any hope of salvation. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 36:1-2 (NIV) “An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” Here we see that the wicked is so focused on himself that he does not see God, but he has a false impression of the state of his wicked heart. Solomon also wrote “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2) Any man who considers himself right in his own eyes has made himself his own idol or false god. If you think you are righteous, then you will not look to God for your salvation and will not see Him, and you will think Jesus foolish for dying on the cross because you think you have done the work yourself. This is, of course, a self-delusion. If you think Jesus a fool, then you would not trust in Him to save you from your sin, but then you would be lost.

Saint Paul wrote in his letter to Titus (1:15), “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” Sinners who are corrupted by sin cannot really bear to see the things of God which are truly pure. To do so only reminds us of how impure we really are, and that is not easy to take. Our sinful condition blinds us to our impurity so that we think we are pretty good, and it hurts to see the truth.

David did not see God with his eyes, but he trusted in God’s Word and promises.

David wrote, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.” (Psalm 5:4-5) This is another reason why the wicked cannot see God. Unless God sanctifies you and makes you holy, you cannot stand in God’s presence, nor see His blessed face. However, as Jesus makes clear in the sixth Beatitude, those who have been purified through faith in Jesus will see God and stand in His presence without fear of punishment.

Another Psalmist wrote, “In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’ (Psalm 10:2-4) Here we see that the wicked cannot see past the evil “desires of his soul.” He is greedy for worldly gain and “curses and renounces the Lord.” The wicked do not seek God, and because of that, they do not see Him, and they convince themselves that “‘There is no god.’” In a way, the wicked are like stubborn children who cover their face with their hands, and proclaim, “I can’t see you!” In Psalm 10 the Psalmist prays that God will bring justice and punish the wicked, but when it happens it will be a surprise to the wicked.

Solomon also wrote, “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” (Proverbs 4:19) Here we see that the wicked stumble, but do not know what they are stumbling over because their way is “darkness” and they cannot see what makes them stumble. Saint John tells his readers, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) Because of this, those in darkness do not see God. Though, as we see above, that darkness is self-inflicted, because God reveals who He is in the Holy Scriptures, if only people would open their eyes to see what has been revealed. 

What will we see when we see God?

God became flesh and dwelt among us and we will behold His glory forever, because He has redeemed us and forgiven all our sins.

When we see God, we will see that God loves us so much that the Second Person of the Trinity became incarnate as a man to live in obedience to God’s law, and then to suffer and die on the cross to redeem us sinners so that He can restore to us the purity and holiness which He created in the first place. In this holiness, He will take us to live with Him forever, where we will always see His glorious face smiling at His beloved children with an unfailing, eternal love.

Therefore this sixth Beatitude contains many great blessings. God, in His merciful kindness, first purifies our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ as our savior. Then He will gather us to Himself so that we may see Him, and rejoice in His glorious presence without being destroyed. This will not happen to us in this sinful world, but will only occur at the judgment on the Last Day. Thus, all believers in Christ will praise God for His great work of salvation, and for the glorious life which is to be revealed in His beloved sanctified people. 

 

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See also:
Psalm 73
Proverbs 20:9
2 Timothy 2:22
Isaiah 1:12-20
Jeremiah 4:14
Acts 15:7-11  
Psalm 14:3 (and 53:3)
Galatians 2:16

 

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Other articles in this series:

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Blessed are Those who Mourn, For They Will be Comforted 

Blessed are the Meek, for They Shall Inherit the Earth 

Blessed are those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, for They Shall be Satisfied 

Blessed are the Merciful, for They Shall Receive Mercy 

Coming soon:

Blessed are The Peacemakers, for They Shall be Called Sons of God

Blessed are the Meek, for They Shall Inherit the Earth

(Part 3 of a series of 9 articles on the Beatitudes)

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 Photo from a mosaic in the Saint Louis Cathedral, St. Louis Missouri

In the third Beatitude, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) Meekness is not something Christians would seek for themselves unless it was blessed by Christ. To be meek is to be humble and submissive to authorities, and not asserting one’s rights over others, but viewing others as greater or more important than yourself. Meek people are helpful and kind and are just the sort of people you are grateful to have helping you when you are in trouble or need and have nowhere else to turn. A meek person is a good and faithful friend, and just the sort of person who would “give you the shirt off of his back” if you are in need.

The world says, “might makes right” and “power rules” and other such things. The world despises the meek as weak and powerless people who are to be taken advantage of, and enslaved (if possible). Marxism, especially, is all about the exercise of power, and though we all hoped that Marxism was on its way to oblivion – where it belongs – after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1987 and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, but it seems to be gaining in popularity by ignorant people who don’t mind becoming tyrants who are cursed by all good, peace-loving people whom they oppress.

Marxism would be a very funny joke if people didn’t take it seriously and murder people on an industrial scale. The idea is that there are two types of people: oppressors and oppressed. You could picture two people where one imagines that he has been wronged (oppressed) by the other in some small way and slaps the other. Now the tables are turned, and the other person is oppressed and he slaps back. Since these are both committed Marxists this continues until one gets tired of being slapped and hits back harder. This necessarily escalates until one murders the other. This is the necessary result of Marxist ideology and it cannot be any other way, unless one or both gives up on this demonic way of thinking.

Meek people are not necessarily oppressed, and need not view themselves as such (even when they are). Meekness is about how individuals act toward others in love. Jesus said later in the Sermon on the Mount that Christians ought to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) when someone strikes them in the face, rather than escalating the fight to murderous levels. This is how Christians are meek in love – not asserting their “rights” but forgiving their neighbor in love, and enduring all kinds of indignities for the sake of Christ. This is not cowardice at all (though the world may mistake it for cowardice), but meekness comes from the brave trust in the forgiveness and justice of God, and showing their neighbors the love of Christ in their lives.

Though Christian meekness is a virtue, we should understand that we cannot win salvation by being meek. There is nothing that anyone can do to save themselves. James (2:10) says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” We are all conceived and born in sin, and have inherited the corruption and guilt of sin, so none of us can save ourselves. Yet since Christ Jesus has redeemed us and gives us salvation and eternal life as a gift, then we don’t need to “assert our rights” and “take justice into our own hands” but we can leave vengeance to the righteous judgment of God. Scripture says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 – from Proverbs 20:22 and Deuteronomy 32:35)

The inheritance of the meek is not this corrupted, sinful world, but the new earth God prepares for His people. (See Revelation 21)

The blessing that Christ promises to give the meek is that “they shall inherit the earth”. Obviously this is not something that we should expect to happen in this sinful world. Nor should we seek to take the earth by force. Those who seek to gain control of the earth by force are rightly punished by the authorities which God has established on earth. This “inheritance” is a passive thing, which is a gift from God. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” We can only inherit the earth if God considers us His children and gives it to us as an inheritance. We are God’s children through faith in Jesus Christ, and the new birth which God the Holy Spirit, gives to us in holy Baptism. The “born again” miracle which the Holy Spirit works through Baptism (John 3:5-6) is to adopt us as His children and give us each a new life which is forever. In the same way, the “earth” that we inherit is not this sinful world which is condemned to destruction (Revelation 21:1), but it is the new earth which God is preparing as a paradise for our eternal life with Him.

Jesus was meek to fulfill God's plan of salvation to redeem us from our sins.

Jesus was meek in many ways from His conception to His death. Some misguided rationalist heretics have sayings to the effect of “you can’t put god in a box”, or “the finite cannot contain the infinite”. Yet, in the incarnation of the Son of God, that is exactly what the Omnipresent, Almighty God did. At the conception of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity was present bodily in a newly conceived, one-celled person who grew up to be Jesus, the Christ, the son of Mary. Jesus is not part-god and part-man. Jesus is fully God and fully man. This is a paradox, to be sure, but it is something that only God can do. Though even in mathematics there is the concept of a structure with infinite surface area contained within a limited, finite volume, so even in the physical (or mathematical?) world the heretical sayings are not true. Even though Jesus, as God, is eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and more, He lived life as an ordinary man for about thirty years (Luke 3:23) before He began His ministry, and then He didn’t use His divine powers completely, but only for specific purposes.

Though Jesus is the creator (with the Father and the Holy Spirit) of all that exists, He did not come in power and glory, but was born quietly in Bethlehem. Because the census required people to register at their ancestral home, Bethlehem was crowded and no one made room for the birth of the Son of God, He spent His first night after His birth sleeping in a manger. Though after the local shepherds heard what the angels said about Him, surely more comfortable accommodations were found for the holy family after that. When the magi from the East came to worship the King of Judah, they went to Jerusalem first because they expected the newborn king to be in the royal palace in the capital city, yet the Holy Family was still in Bethlehem. This is one way which shows the meekness of Jesus. This was according to God’s plan. God became incarnate in Jesus in order to serve us sinners, not to rule in power. God has all power, but He came meekly to provide forgiveness and salvation for us all.

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)

The ultimate expression of the meekness of Jesus was His passion. When His work was done, He allowed His enemies to arrest Him, put Him on trial prejudicially, and crucify Him. Jesus was meek as he was led to his crucifixion. This fulfilled the prophesy from Isaiah, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7) Sheep don’t mind going to the shearers, but Jesus knew He was not just going to get a haircut, but would suffer and die a horrible death. Even his judge, Pontius Pilate, was surprised that Jesus didn’t defend himself from outrageous, unsubstantiated accusations. He was mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross. No false god in the world would be caught dead on a cross, but the true God was there to pay the price for the sins of the world. The result of Christ’s sacrifice is the full forgiveness of sins, and salvation for all who put their trust in Him. Because Jesus faithfully fulfilled God’s plan for salvation the result for Him is described by Saint Paul in this way: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) Now, that Jesus has paid for our sins and won our salvation, He is glorified, and uses His divine power fully always. Perhaps the only meekness He displays now is that He remains hidden, and He allows sin on the earth (with limits). When Jesus returns on the Last Day we will see Him in all His glory and power. Then He will judge the world and fulfill His promise to give His beloved children the inheritance of the new earth.

 

 

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Other articles in this series:

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Blessed are Those who Mourn, For They Will be Comforted 

Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, for They Shall be Satisfied

Blessed are the Merciful, for They Shall Receive Mercy 

Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God 

Coming soon:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Poor in Spirit

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

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John the Baptizer came preaching a message of repentance. All who repented of their sins were washed in the Baptism to prepare them to meet their savior, Jesus Christ. The Pharisees also came to hear John’s message, but only to see what was drawing all the people out into the wilderness. The Pharisees thought that their “good works” were sufficient so they felt no need to repent, and did not. They were not baptized, and were subsequently unprepared to meet their savior when He began His ministry.

When John saw the Pharisees listening to his call for repentance, but refusing to repent of their sins, he proclaimed their wicked unfaithfulness to God, much to their dismay and to the surprise of the people who considered them holy. John said, “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Matthew 3:7), and called them poisonous serpents.

The Pharisees wrongly felt that they were so rich in spirit that they did not need to repent, nor did they need to rely on the mercy of Christ to save them from God’s wrath, so they were unprepared to recognize their savior when He came and stood right in front of their eyes.

Lest you think that John was too harsh on the Pharisees, Jesus also came preaching repentance and He called the Pharisees “sons of hell” (Matthew 23:15) and “hypocrites” and “whitewashed corpses” among other things (Matthew 23:27).

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) Jesus preached that God gives the kingdom of heaven those who are “poor in spirit.” The “spiritually poor” are those who recognize the poverty of their own spirit to save themselves. They know that they must rely on God’s mercy through Jesus Christ in order to escape God’s wrath over their sin, so they cling to Jesus who brings them to heaven and generously shares with them His eternal heavenly inheritance.

The Pharisees thought themselves “rich in spirit.” They believed that God favored them because they were righteous, holy people who didn’t need to repent of their sins. They rejected Jesus and their salvation because they refused to see how lost they were. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:24) Beware of those modern Pharisees who would explain away this passage as referring to some small, but passable gate in Jerusalem. It was just as impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle in ancient times as it is today. Jesus taught that it is impossible for anyone to be saved if he trusts in his own richness of spirit instead of Christ’s works to save him.

Jesus also teaches this in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. (Luke 18:10-14) In this story the Pharisee brags about himself before God, but his empty prayer falls on deaf ears. The tax collector, however, agonizes over his sin and pleads, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” God hears this honest, faithful prayer and forgives his wickedness. Thus, having been forgiven his sins, the kingdom of heaven is opened to him.

You are not likely to hear the popular preachers of our day telling you to proclaim to God and the world your poverty of spirit or your unworthiness for the blessings of God’s kingdom. Most popular preachers are more like the Pharisees. They tell you that God wants you to be rich and successful in this life. They tell you that the few good things you do please God enough to receive His favor, or if you aren’t good enough yet, you could be with just a little effort on your part. This is why these preachers are so popular and why it is so easy to be a Pharisee. We all want to be rich and successful. We want to believe that God favors us because we are so good, or at least that we are better than the next guy in some way. But this is all wickedness and lies which lead us to trust in ourselves and reject Christ.

The faithful preachers of today are the ones who teach us to emulate Saint Paul who called himself the “chief of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16) Yes, it goes against all sinful human logic to see how God is going to welcome you into Paradise when you stand before Him and proclaim that you are the worst, wicked sinner who only deserves punishment. But Saint Paul isn’t bragging about his wickedness as if that would save him. He is bragging about Christ’s mercy and forgiveness – that Christ would forgive such a wicked person as Paul and give him the riches of His heavenly kingdom.

It also is contrary to common sense how telling people of the poverty of their spirit would be a successful evangelism tool. It’s true that you are not likely to fill your church or get rich by telling people just how wicked they are, but neither will you save their souls by lying to them and telling them that they are (or could be) so good that they don’t need Christ to save them. It is so easy for preachers to tell the people what they want to hear. The parishioners will be glad to hear of their goodness and will reward the wicked preacher with praise and monetary blessings – at least until that day when they must stand before Jesus and explain why they think they are better than He is. Then these people won’t be so happy with their false pastors and will curse them forever. On the other hand, those people who hear the hard message and believe in Jesus will receive eternal salvation in Christ’s heavenly kingdom.

When Jesus began to teach hard things that the people couldn’t accept He didn’t soften his message to keep them in the congregation. Instead He taught harder things which seemed to only drive more people away. Then, when He saw that His disciples were still with Him, He asked them, “What about you? Don’t you want to leave, too?” Peter answered for the disciples, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68)

The blessings of the Beatitudes do not come because of our worthiness. We poor sinners are blessed because Jesus has redeemed us through His perfect life and His innocent suffering and death. We should not necessarily strive to be poor, meek, persecuted, etc., instead we should only recognize that we are those things simply because we are sinners and would be condemned were it not for the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Christ is our blessing both now and for eternity, no matter what our state or station in life.