Blessed Are the Pure in Heart | Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the Guiltless in Heart.

What does it mean to be guiltless?

Genesis 6:5–9 ESV

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

In this we find the contrast between Noah and the rest of humanity.

Jesus notes blessed are the pure in heart. The key to unlocking htis passage is the last two words: In Heart.

The Jews were concerned with outward purity. They were concerned with looking the part.

Matthew 23:23–30 NLT

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’

The text clearly shows the sin of the Pharisees. Pharisees use outward holiness as the fig leaves that hide their nakedness from a holy God.

New Living Translation Psalm 24

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

who do not worship idols

and never tell lies.

5 They will receive the LORD’s blessing

and have a right relationship with God their savior.

6 Such people may seek you

and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

Interlude