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| The Holy Trinity, the heart, hand and lily, represent the pure in heart. The doves represent purification. |
We have to look closely at what Christ meant by the "pure in heart." Many scholars believe Jesus was referencing Psalm 24:3-5, which reads,
"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation."
"Clean hands and pure hearts."
"those who...do not swear deceitfully."
I think I'm finding some ground to stand on here.
Jesus often quoted the Psalms, so it's quite plausible that was the reference he was making here. The Psalmist here was identifying the people who would inherit God's kingdom, who would take up residence in God's house. Obviously, he was speaking of the Israelites at David's time.
The ancient Israelites considered themselves a people set apart from the others in the ancient Middle East. And in many ways, they were. There were very possibly the only monotheistic people around, not to mention the only people who preached a personal relationship with their god. They had been one of the last to come to a monarchy, and had a very unique and distinct set of religious practices and customs. And their God constantly told them how special they were, how he had a special plan for them and regard for them over all other peoples.
This was still the prevailing notion at the time of Jesus. Despite the Roman takeover, the Israelite people still considered themselves in God's favor, and believed it only a matter of time until they threw off the yoke of Caesar and rebuilt their kingdom centered on Jerusalem. This explains the popularity of various "Messiahs" who popped up in Palestine during the occupation. The people knew that there destiny wasn't as a Roman province.
At the same time, there were definite cracks in this facade. Their "King" was now a puppet installed and supported by the Romans. The presence of Roman legions and governors and customs had become commonly accepted, and even the Jewish religious leaders openly cooperated with the Roman authorities. While many Jews felt a special place with God, they were also coming to a slow acceptance of dominion under a foreign power. Some even felt declaring an allegiance to Rome would ease their troubles and allow them to maintain their culture in peace, far enough from Rome to maintain some independence, but fully enveloped in the perks that came from being in the Caesar's good graces.
And then here comes Jesus. People on all sides of the debate expected another prototypical "Messiah" who would lead an uprising against Rome militarily. They expected a declaration against Rome, and a reiteration of the special place Israel held in God's heart.
And in one way, Jesus did just that. He rejected the idea of allegiance to Rome, of the idea that the Empire was something compatible with God's kingdom.
But he didn't go into the other camp either. Because when Jesus blessed the "pure in heart" and referenced the Psalms, he was painting with a very broad brush. He wanted his followers to take no oaths, to swear no allegiance. He not only pushed back against the Romans, but also strongly pushed against Herod and the leaders of the Jewish faith in Jerusalem. He did this because he wanted his followers to understand something way outside of their cultural heritage:
God's kingdom is bigger than Israel.
God was no longer favoring just the Israelites. His message wasn't just for them. His message was for all humanity. I didn't play favorites. It didn't lead them into war with other peoples and their gods. It didn't stand behind their sports team against the other sides. God's kingdom as envisioned by Christ was all-encompassing. He didn't instruct his followers to go and make disciples of the Israelites. He said to them, go out into the whole world and make disciples of all men!
The pure in heart, in Jesus' reckoning, were those who were purely in God's camp. They didn't conform to worldly allegiance or national boundary. They loved all people and accepted all people and cared for all people. These people who maintained a pure heart would see God and His kingdom right there, in the open and inclusive love they were practicing in the world.
A lot of modern-day Christians need to take a good look at this teaching. Some many Christians today equate Christianity and God's kingdom with America and the veritable religion that has sprung up around American symbols and ideas. We are told that God "blesses" America above others, that we are the modern "Chosen people of God." We are now encouraged by church leaders to pledge our allegiance to the American flag that they prominently display in God's temple and that the work of America is the work of God on earth.
Watching some of the things our country does makes me, and many others, very leery of equating America's actions with God's will.
Now, this isn't to say that America is bad by any means. America is a nation that has done more to extend the hand of freedom and equality than any other nation on the earth. It's a nation where we are free to practice our religion, to say what we think. A nation where we are accorded affirmative rights that no one, not even the government, can take away.
But America has a tendency to do a lot of bad things too. From our long acceptance of slavery and institutionalized racial discrimination, to our ill-conceived foreign wars that lead to death and suffering for millions of innocent people, our nation is far from "Christian" in the things it does.
This is why Jesus emphasized a kingdom above all others, that preempted nationalism and borders and allegiances. Because associating God's kingdom with any one nation puts the sins of that nation under the banner of God. And God is above and beyond any sins were commit here.
As Christians, pure of heart, we are also to be above petty allegiances and boundaries. We are supposed to be open and welcoming and inclusive of all people. We are supposed to respect the different peoples and nations, but to let them all know that God's kingdom encompasses it all.
In God's kingdom, national identity is unnecessary.
Christ is not represented in an eagle, or a star-spangled flag, or in a national anthem. Christ is represented in the purity of His church and the work it does to bring about His kingdom on Earth.
Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Read Part 2: Blessed are those who mourn.
Read Part 3: Blessed are the meek
Read Part 4: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Read Part 5: Blessed are merciful
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