In preparation for a sermon on the sixth beatitude, I found myself reflecting on the meaning of Jesus’ words, “for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). It’s the “pure in heart” who Jesus says are in a “blessed” or “enviable” position, “for they shall see God.” How shall they see God? That’s what I found myself pondering. I think it’s natural for most of us to understand this as the promise of seeing Jesus, who is God, in heaven or at his return. That’s a given, but is there more to this promise?
I think so. In the first place, the promises attached to all of these beatitudes seem to have both a present and future dimension, and there is no reason to think that this beatitude is any different. The poor in spirit have the Kingdom of heaven now and, in fullness, later. Those who mourn are comforted by God now and, in fullness, later. So it seems that in some way the pure in heart are enabled to see God now and, in fullness, later.
The Scripture seems to affirm this idea. For example, in I John 3: 6 the apostle says, “…no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.” The idea here is that true conversion is marked by purity, the same purity Jesus is speaking of in the sixth beatitude. (We are not talking about sinless perfection, but freedom from sin’s dominance.) The flip-side of what John is saying is that anyone who has stopped sinning has seen God and does know him. So both ideas are found also here in I Jn. 3–purity and seeing God.
Purity is not just the absence of certain big sins but single-hearted, or undivided, devotion to God in all of life. It’s having an unhindered gaze upon God, his glory, and his Kingdom (II Cor. 3:18). All sin can be traced back to a divided heart. So, quite naturally, purity and our spiritual vision of Christ go hand-in-hand. Those who seek purity will see God more clearly by faith now. Seeing God is not a mystical experience but it is a spiritual experience that becomes more pronounced as we hold this world and what it offers at a distance.
To here more, listen to the sermon: http://www.crossroadsde.com/multimedia-archive/blessed-are-the-pure-in-heart/
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