In his article, “‘Blessed are the pure in heart,’ not the double-minded and those with cloudy vision,” Dr. Paul Metzger writes,
The pure of heart will truly see God. They will understand God’s ways. They will experience the beatific vision. It is worth noting here that as with mercy, there is a sense of dynamism. Only those who experience God’s mercy can be merciful, and in turn will be recipients of greater depths of mercy (Matthew 5:7). Those who experience Christ for how pure he truly is will grow in purity. As they grow in purity, they will see God all the more clearly. The disciples would come to realize that their own purity of heart was bound up with seeing Christ, holding to his word, and following in his footsteps.
When it comes to seeing God, I inevitably call to mind the parable of the sheep and the goats. It is a parable that has always captured my imagination. I am startled by the truth that Jesus imparts in the parable—that those who serve the “least of these” are actually serving him, whether or not they can “see” Jesus in those they are serving. Those that are judged among the “goats” in the story don’t seem to have committed any great evil, but their sin is a sin omission. Having not seen Jesus in the presence of the imprisoned, the poor, the hurting, and the helpless, they are dumbfounded at the prospect of being held accountable of not having served their Lord. They ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?” Jesus answered them saying,
“Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
Clearly there is a great deal involved in seeing or perceiving the presence of God through the service we do to those whom Jesus references as the “least of these.” I cannot possibly delve into all the myriad of factors that may play into the implications of Jesus’ claim that he is present (incarnate!) within the poor, hungry, thirsty, and imprisoned. Motivation seems to play a role, more so than simply doing the work on Jesus’ behalf or in his name. Later in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus makes clear that prophesies, exorcisms, and many other wonders done in his name are no evidence of any actual connection to Jesus! Jesus points instead to doing “the will of [the] Father in heaven” and then suggests that those who are able to do wonders in his name are actually evildoers!
The “pure in heart” will “see God!” What can we do serve like the sheep Jesus praised?
So what are we to do? We want to avoid the error of the goats by engaging in ministry to the “least of these” but we need to mind our motivation, conscious of our ability to take our service to our fellow man and even make that something which becomes self-serving rather than God-honoring. This is where I believe that we circle back to the original focus of the Beatitude… “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Purity of heart… Can it be said of us that we are like Nathanael, of whom Jesus said, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit?” Can our hearts be in line with our actions, so that we are pleased with our service to the Lord through helping the least of these… even when no one else will ever know of it? Is there a humility in our service that avoids a clamoring for recognition and reward?
What we do in service to the “least of these” requires humility because those we serve do not have the ability to recognize or reciprocate our acts of love and service in ways others can. In fact, in the moment, they may be downright ungrateful or even abusive. The true disciple serves anyway. It may be very difficult to discern the presence of Christ in the midst of serving the hungry, the thirsty and the desperate. It may often seem as though our acts of service or kindness accomplish nothing, especially in the face of such great and overwhelming need.
So, when is it that we will then “see God?”
My experience tells me that we get glimpses, especially when our hearts remain pure in our motivations as we serve. We become surprised by moments of stepping into the divine presence. But, even if we miss these moments, perhaps too busy serving to catch the significance of the moment, we have the promise of Jesus’ word to the sheep in his parable:
“Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world!”
What could be better?
