Quoting from Isaiah 29:13, Jesus showed what was clearly evident about the religious leaders: “Their hearts are far from me. Here is the clash.” God cares about what we do, not just what we talk about (see also 1 Timothy 5:4-8). William Barclay correctly observed, “To the Scribes and Pharisees worship was ritual, ceremony law to Jesus worship was the clean heart and the loving life. They didn’t have to actually give the money to God though, just say that they were. All that it took to avoid their responsibility to their parents was to say the word corban (meaning “devoted to God”). Looking for a loophole, they remembered that if one’s money were declared an offering to God, it was exempt from having to be used to help parents. To the religious leaders, however, this rule was not one they wanted to keep. The penalty for violating this command is death (Leviticus 20:9). The requirement to honor parents is clearly stated in the Old Testament (Exodus 20:12 Deuteronomy 5:16). Rather than respond to the Pharisees’ question, Jesus pointed out the broader, basic issue: God’s command is more important than your traditions. Foster explained, “This was not sanitation it was ceremony.” However, the tradition of the elders called for additional washings. The law itself called for ritual washings on certain occasions (see Mark 7:3, 4). The tradition of the elders included the oral interpretations of the Old Testament which famous teachers had made. The specific scriptural rules for washings are found in Exodus 30:17-21 and Leviticus 15:11. Their criticism was based not on the violation of a specific Old Testament verse, but on their interpretation of what a given passage actually meant. They had observed that the disciples of Jesus did not follow the tradition of the elders. When the Pharisees (literally “the separated ones”) came to Jesus, they had their attack planned. Most of the common people felt, “Whatever they say must be right!” Jesus had clashed with these members of the religious elite before (see Matthew 12:14). They held to a strict interpretation and application of God’s law. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were very influential to the Jews in all religious matters. This demonstrates clearly that they regarded him as a threat to their position and influence with the people. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” God is the one who makes our hearts pure – by the sacrifice of His Son and through His sanctifying work in our lives (see also 1 John 3:1-3).While Jesus was teaching in Galilee some 50 miles away from them, the religious leaders in Jerusalem sent a delegation to question him. The only way we can be truly pure in heart is to give our lives to Jesus and ask Him to do the cleansing work. It is more than an external purity of behavior it is an internal purity of soul. The pure heart is marked by transparency and an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. A pure heart has no hypocrisy, no guile, no hidden motives. So, to be pure in heart means to be blameless in who we actually are.īeing pure in heart involves having a singleness of heart toward God. It is where thoughts, desires, sense of purpose, will, understanding, and character reside. But it also refers to the spiritual center of life. ![]() This can be applied to the physical heart. The Greek word for “heart” in Matthew 5:8 is kardeeah. Those who are truly “pure,” then, are those who have been declared innocent because of the work of Jesus and who are being sanctified by His refining fire and His pruning. For a vine to produce fruit, it must be pruned. Jesus refers to believers as being the branches and to Himself as being the vine (John 15:1-17). Malachi speaks of the Messiah as being like a “refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). ![]() John the Baptist told people that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.” Interestingly, the word can refer specifically to that which is purified by fire or by pruning. The Greek word for “pure” in Matthew 5:8 is katharos. Jesus spoke this during His famous Sermon the Mount. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
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