“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
Matthew 5:8
There are three elements to the sixth beatitude that need explaining: (1) the meaning of “blessed,” (2) the meaning of pure in heart and (3) what it means to see God. This article will look at each element individually and then (4) bring everything together for an explanation of the meaning of the sixth beatitude (click the hyperlinks to jump to the section you desire).
I. The Meaning of “Blessed”
The term “blessed” that occurs at the beginning of all the beatitudes is μακάριοι, the plural form of the adjective μακάριος. Although it has become common to hear μακάριος translated as “happy” (such as in the CEB), the term “happy” is much too shallow and superficial. In the New Testament and especially in the Gospel of Matthew, μακάριος is best understood as being the privileged recipient of God’s favour which results in a deep-seated joy. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (BDAG) states the focus of μακάριος can either be on happiness/joy because of one’s circumstances or the focus can be on privilege that results in happiness/joy (BDAG, s.v. μακάριος).
In the Gospel of Matthew and in the beatitudes, the focus of μακάριος is on being the privileged recipient of God’s favour, rather than the joy or happiness, which is a result of God’s favour (also see Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount, 42; Donald Hagner, Matthew 1–13, 91).
We see this idea of being the privileged recipient of God’s favour that results in a deep-seated joy in many passages throughout the New Testament and the Gospel of Matthew. Note the following two passages from the Gospel of Matthew: 13:16–17 and 16:15–17.
In Matthew 13:16–17, Jesus tells his disciples that they are “blessed” (μακάριοι) because they have seen and heard Jesus, his mighty works and his teaching:
“But blessed [μακάριοι] are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
—MATTHEW 13:16–17
Jesus is not simply saying that his disciples are “happy,” but that they are the privileged recipients of God’s favour in that they get to see and hear Jesus and understand what it is that they see and hear! This seeing, hearing, and understanding results in a deep-seated joy of seeing, hearing, and knowing God’s messiah who is in the process of setting up the Kingdom of Heaven.
Another powerful passage that demonstrates Jesus’ understanding of μακάριος is Matthew 16:15–17:
“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed [μακάριος] are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’”
—MATTHEW 16:15–17
After asking his disciples who they think he (Jesus) is, Simon Peter answers that Jesus is the messiah (“Christ”), who is “the Son of the living God.” Jesus then tells Peter that he is “blessed” (μακάριος). Jesus is not telling Peter that he should now be happy that he got Jesus’ question correct; rather, Jesus is telling Peter that he is the privileged recipient of God’s favour in that the Father himself revealed to Peter the identity of Jesus. This revelation will result in a deep-seated joy because now Peter knows who Jesus truly is.
Thus, we can conclude that the term “blessed” (μακάριος) in the Gospel of Matthew means to be the privileged recipient of God’s favour that results in a deep-seated joy. Regarding the sixth beatitude, Jesus says that those who are “pure in heart” are the privileged recipients of God’s favour, resulting in a deep-seated joy. Let us now turn to the meaning of “pure in heart” and then we will discover how they are privileged recipients of God’s favour.
II. The Meaning of “Pure in Heart”
The sixth beatitude has a strong allusion to Psalm 24. We will first look at this allusion for help in understanding the phrase “pure in heart,” then we will apply Psalm 24’s understanding of “pure in heart” to Jesus’ sixth beatitude.
A. The “Pure in Heart” in Psalm 24
1. Proving the Allusion to Psalm 24
There are three reasons that Jesus was most likely alluding to Psalm 24 in his sixth beatitude. First, the phrase “pure in heart” (οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ) is used only one other time in the Bible—Psalm 24:4:
“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart (καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ/בַר־לֵבָב), who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
—PSALM 24:3–4
Psalm 23:4) has “pure in heart” (καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ). Psalm 24:4 is the only other place in the Greek Old Testament or the Greek New Testament were the phrase “pure in heart” (καθαρός with καρδία in the dative) is used. Although Psalm 73:1 is translated “pure in heart” in most English Bibles, the Greek uses a different word for “pure” (τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ); it uses the adjective εὐθύς (not to be confused with the adverb of a similar form), which means “straight” or “proper,” rather than καθαρός.[1]
Second, Psalm 24 promises that the person who is “pure in heart” will receive a blessing from God, much like in Matthew 5:8:
“He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
—PSALM 24:5
Although the term for blessing in Psalm 24:5 (εὐλογία/בְּרָכָה) is not the same as that in Matthew 5:8 (μακάριος), the two terms do have a semantic overlap.
Third, Psalm 24 describes the “pure in heart” as those who seek the face of the God, which is similar to seeing God, the blessing in Matthew 5:8:
“Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.”
—PSALM 24:6
The combination of (1) the term “pure in heart” (οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ), (2) who receive a blessing, (3) in relation to seeking and seeing God make it extremely likely that Jesus was alluding to Psalm 24 and had it in mind when he pronounced his sixth beatitude. Thus, we now turn to Psalm 24 to help discern the meaning of “pure in heart.”
2. The Meaning of “Pure in Heart” in Psalm 24:4
Psalm 24:3 asks the question, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?” The question is essentially asking who is able to enter and stand in the presence of God (to see God)? The answer is found in verse 4. David (the psalmist) says that those who have “clean hands” and are “pure in heart” can enter God’s presence. He clarifies the meaning of “clean hands” and “pure in heart” in the second half of verse 4:
“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false (μάταιος/שָׁוְא) and does not swear deceitfully.”
—PSALM 24:3–4
The term “false” (μάταιος/שָׁוְא) in “lifting up his soul to what is false” is better understood as “worthless,” “empty,” or “vain.” It is the same term use in the third commandment, “you shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain (μάταιος/שָׁוְא)” (Exodus 20:7). The idea in Psalm 24:4 is that the person who has clean hands and is pure in heart does not look to, worship, serve, or spend any time on that which is worthless, empty, or vain—namely idols and false gods!
Further, the person who has clean hands and is pure in heart is one who tells the truth and honours his oaths/vows. The Hebrew text is ambiguous in that the oaths could be wronging God by taking his name in vain or they could also be wronging one’s neighbour in that they are attempting to deceive and trick one’s neighbour. The Greek versions of Psalm 24 add “against his neighbour,” clearing up the ambiguity. If the Greek interpretation of Psalm 24 is correct, then those who have clean hands and are pure in heart are also those who interact with others honestly and truthfully.
Based on the clarifying comments in Psalm 24:4b, those who are pure in heart are those who worship and serve the one true God, dedicating their lives to his will and desires, not wasting their time on that which is worthless and empty, as well as interacting with their neighbours honestly, truthfully, and with integrity. Charles Quarles summarizes the pure in heart succinctly:
“The ‘pure in heart’ refrain from idolatry and are characterized by honesty.”
—Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount, 65
B. The “Pure in Heart” in Matthew 5:8
Based on Psalm 24, “pure in heart” in Matthew 5:8 refers to the purity of the inner person. Specifically, the “pure in heart” are those who worship and serve the one true God, dedicating their lives to his will and desires, not wasting their time on that which is worthless and empty, as well as interacting with their neighbours honestly, truthfully, and with integrity.
The above idea of “pure in heart” as focusing on inner purity, especially in relation to dedication to God alone and integrity towards one neighbour, is found throughout the entire Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5–7). For example: anger (5:21–26), lust (5:27–30), faithfulness/integrity (5:31–37), love (5:38–42), pride (6:1–18), forgiveness (6:14–15), greed (6:19–24), idolatry (6:19–24), anxiety (6:25–34), etc.
Charles Quarles sums up “pure in heart” broadly as follows:
“[P]urity in heart is a sincere, authentic disposition that moves the disciple to pursue righteousness and compels him to live obediently. It is different from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who made a good show but lacked internal purity (23:25–28).”
—Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount, 65
The pure heart of which Jesus speaks is not a heart that a person can conjure up of his own ability (see Gen 6:5; 8:21; Is 1:5; Jer 17:9; Prov 20:9); it is a gift of God given to those who receive salvation through belief in Jesus (Jer 31:33–34; Ezek 11:19–20; 36:26–27; Heb). To be “pure in heart” is essentially to have the circumcised heart that God promised in Deuteronomy 30:6:
“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”
—DEUTERONOMY 30:6
III. What It Means to See God
Jesus promises that those who are pure in heart will “see God” (Matt 5:8b). The promise to see God should be taken literally, not figuratively referring to special insight into God’s nature, not mystically referring to a visionary experience, and not sentimentally referring to seeing God in others, such as seeing God’s kindness in others. Rather, the promise to see God is literal. Those whom God has saved and given a pure heart will one day literally see God face-to-face in all his glory and majesty.
Like many of the other beatitudes, literally seeing God face-to-face “anticipates eschatological fulfillment” (Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount, 67). Jesus’ disciples, who are “pure in heart,” will see God face-to-face when Jesus returns and transforms heaven and earth into the new heaven and new earth (see Revelation 21:1–22:5):
“No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”
—REVELATION 22:3–4
Seeing God face-to-face is what all of God’s people desire, but must wait until glorification to experience. The one who came closest to seeing God in all his glory was Moses who was put in the cleft of the rock and allowed to see God’s back (Ex 33:17–23). Even better than Moses, the new Moses (i.e., Jesus) promises his disciples that they will see the fulness of God’s glory; they will “see God” face-to-face.
IV. The Meaning of the Sixth Beatitude (Matt 5:8)
Now that we understand (1) what it means to be blessed, (2) what it means to be pure in heart, and (3) what it means to see God, we are able to understand the meaning of Jesus’ sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
In Matthew 5:8, Jesus says that those who worship and serve the one true God and interact with their neighbours honestly, truthfully, and with integrity (the pure in heart) are privileged recipients of God’s favour (blessed) in that they will literally see God face-to-face in all his glory and majesty upon Jesus’ return (they will see God).
[1] It should also be noted that both Psalm 24:4 and 73:1 use the same terms in the Hebrew, with Psalm 24:4 being in the singular (בַר־לֵבָב) and Psalm 73:1 being in the plural (בָרֵי לֵבָב). For this and other reasons, some scholars believe that Matthew 5:8 alludes to Psalm 73, not Psalm 24. However, the other two pieces of evidence given in this article favour the allusion being to Psalm 24.