On Matthew 5:8

One of the most wonderful, shaping, compelling, inspiring, and repentance-sustaining passages in all the Bible for me for decades now has been Jesus’ wonderful words in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (NASB). What a promise! When I think of these words, I just say to myself, “No matter what comes in life I ain’t gonna miss that! I wanna see God!” Yet just this week I saw how I was missing a huge point of the passage. The words took on new life this week. What I’ve done with the passage over the years is sort of inadvertently slip something into it. Not formally but whenever I thought of it I slipped in the word or the idea of “one day” into it. So, it read to me: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall [one day] see God.” Now of course, every reader of the passage knows that this isn’t wrong. Jesus does mean this. No one has yet seen of the triune God what believers will one day see of God when they stand face-to-face with him. When the meek “inherit the earth” (vs. 5) I believe it speaks most directly of that new heavens and new earth to come in glorification. That’s future. So, there is future in view here in Jesus’ promise. There is indeed something that is not at all yet.

However, what I was missing by inadvertently seeing this as only something for the future was something of the present reality of it. I’ve lived it, but seeing something in these words this week has been a blessing. The pure of heart get to see God today. That’s believers. When I kill my sin by the Spirit’s words, I see God. Sin will keep me from “seeing God” today. When I love my wife I get to see God, today. When I hug my kids I get to see God, today. When I go to work I get to see God, today. When I wake up this morning and my leg cramps for no apparent reason I get to thank God that it doesn’t usually do that and see God, today. When I type this letter and I think of all of the ways this week that I’ve gotten to see God I see God in the present. Sin will keep me from that reality today. In my life now I can see God, not just in the fulness of the reality of this that’s to come, but today. Because he’s purified my heart by faith (Acts 15:9) I get to see God’s word at work, today. And this is what he desires. Now, the world couldn’t care less, but for me, who is no longer of the world, I do. This is glorious. I can see him when I die, yes, and before I go to bed tonight, all by the same purifying faith he’s given me to live out!

There is something in this that comes in the humbling consideration of it. There’s an old phrase I’ve come to appreciate that says, “Those who put everything in God’s hands will soon see God’s hand in everything.” What I hope to tell you today is that Matthew 5:8’s promise is both for tomorrow and for today, and that I hope that you’re seeing it. I hope that the Lord himself is being glorified in your life today. And into all tomorrows.