According to the sequence of the blessings in Matthew 5, being pure in heart comes after the showing of mercy to others. This also corresponds to our experience. If you are not righteous with yourself and merciful to others, you will find it difficult to be pure in heart toward God. In order to be pure in heart toward God, you must be strict in dealing with yourself and merciful in dealing with others. As far as logic is concerned, there seems to be no reason for this. But our practical experience proves that it is so. If you are not right with yourself and merciful with others, you will never be pure with God. I believe that at least some of those among us in the churches have the experience of what I am speaking about here. Throughout the years, we have learned the lesson of being strict with ourselves and of not making excuses for ourselves. But we have also learned to be merciful to others, especially to those who are weaker. As a result, our heart is pure in seeking God. When we are righteous with ourselves and merciful with others, we see God. But when we are loose with ourselves and condemn others, our eyes are absolutely blind, and we cannot see God. If you excuse yourself, yet make demands of others, your heart is not pure. A pure heart toward God comes only from strict dealings with yourself and merciful dealings with others.
Even in the churches, a number of saints always excuse themselves and place demands on others. For example, they may excuse their sleeping late in the morning by saying that last night they received a long distance call. But if they hear that a certain brother did not come to morning watch, they would say, “Why didn’t he come? As a leader in the brothers’ house, he should rise up early in the morning.” The eyes of such a person are blind, indicating that his heart is not pure. We must be strict toward ourselves and merciful toward others. If others are loose, idle, or sloppy, we may have to warn them in a proper way. Nevertheless, we must still be merciful toward them. No matter how strict we may need to be at times in dealing with others, mercy must still be shown to them. If we are strict with ourselves and merciful to others, we shall have a pure heart, a heart single toward God. The reward of having a pure heart is seeing God. I can assure you that if you will practice being strict with yourself and merciful with others, you will see God.
You will also be a peaceful person. Those who are strict with themselves, merciful to others, and pure toward God are peacemakers. They do not like to offend, hurt, or damage anyone. Rather, they like to make peace with everyone. To be a peacemaker does not mean to be political. To be political is falsehood and hypocrisy. We must be righteously square, not politically round. Remember, the New Jerusalem is square, not round. We Christians must be like this. Although we are righteously square, we are still merciful toward others. This enables us to be pure toward God and to see Him. If we are such a person, spontaneously we shall be peacemakers. Instead of fighting with others and hurting them, we shall always maintain peace with those with whom we are involved. This is what it means to be a peacemaker.
Those who are peacemakers will be called sons of God. This means that those around us will say, “These people are not only the sons of men, but the sons of God.” All the sons of men fight against one another, but the sons of God, like their heavenly Father, are peaceful and always make peace with others. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, living in peace with all men.” However, this keeping of peace should not be merely an outward behavior. That is politics. Our peace must issue out of our nature. We have a nature that makes us strict with ourselves, merciful with others, and pure with God. Because we have this nature, we spontaneously keep the peace with others. This is not political peacemaking; it is the spontaneous issue of our nature. This will cause others to say, “These are truly the sons of God.”
If we have a nature corresponding to what is revealed in these verses, some in society will persecute us. This persecution will be for two reasons: for righteousness and for the sake of Christ. The eighth blessing concerns the persecution for righteousness (v. 10), and the ninth, the persecution for Christ (vv. 11-12). Why would others persecute us for righteousness and for Christ? Simply because we are poor in spirit, concerned for the negative situation of today’s world and mourning about it, meek toward attackers and opposers, righteous with ourselves, merciful toward others, pure with God, and making peace with all. Therefore, the evil society will not agree with us. Because we desire to be righteous, they will persecute us for the sake of righteousness. Because we want to be truthfully and honestly right, they will persecute us.
If we suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, ours is the kingdom of the heavens. Suffering for the sake of righteousness is a condition for participation in the kingdom of the heavens. If we do not remain in righteousness, we are outside the kingdom. But if we stay in righteousness, we are in the kingdom because the kingdom is absolutely a matter of righteousness. In the kingdom there is nothing wrong, unjust, or dark; everything is righteous and light. This is the nature of the kingdom. When we are poor in spirit, the kingdom of the heavens comes into us. But when we stay in righteousness, the kingdom of the heavens remains in us. In both cases, ours is the kingdom of the heavens. If we would receive the kingdom of the heavens, we must be poor in our spirit, and if we would have the kingdom of the heavens remain in us, we must stay in righteousness. But if you would stay in righteousness, be prepared to confront persecution. You will be persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
The entire world, whether it is the political, religious, educational, commercial, or industrial world, is against Christ. Therefore, if you live by Christ, for Christ, and with Christ, you will surely be reproached and evil spoken of. People will circulate many rumors about you. You may work in the educational sphere, but sometimes you may refuse to cooperate with certain things that take place there, preferring to follow the way of Christ. Some may be in the economic field or in the commercial realm. But while they work in these realms, they live by Christ and for Christ and move with Christ. The others in your field will rise up and persecute you, speaking lies and falsehoods concerning you. Nevertheless, you must suffer this for the sake of Christ.
Each of the nine blessings has a reward. The reward of the first is the kingdom of the heavens; of the second, comfort; of the third, the earth; of the fourth, satisfaction; of the fifth, mercy; of the sixth, seeing God; of the seventh, being called the sons of God; of the eighth, the kingdom of the heavens; and of the ninth, Christ. If we have Christ, we have the kingdom of the heavens. But if we do not have Him, we do not have the kingdom of the heavens. Thus, the real blessing is Christ with His kingdom. In order to share this blessing, we need to be poor in spirit, mournful over the negative situation, meek in facing opposition, righteous with ourselves, merciful to others, pure in heart toward God, making peace with all, suffering persecution for righteousness, and suffering reproach for Christ. This is the nature of the kingdom people. Eventually, the kingdom people are the very reality of the kingdom. This is the kingdom, which is the church life today. The church today is the reality of the kingdom.