Many of the Churches this weekend will read from Mathews 5:13-15. This is the famous ” You are the salt of the Earth”, giving the challenge to Christians, that they were to live in community and to shine forth their love and concern for others. These two care and love; if these lose their tang, they are to be trampled underfoot. I am sure you have heard this important scripture reading. I was thinking that this very often-quoted passage takes on a deeper meaning when we see that it comes right after the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12).

The Beatitudes are a direct voice of Jesus talking, not only to the people of his time, but to us today. They form much of the teachings of the New Testament. They are a list, not unlike the Ten Commandments given to Moses, but there is a difference. The difference is the voice in which the Beatitudes are spoken. The Commandments all begin with “Thou Shalt Not”. In the Beatitudes, there are the words” Blessed”. Blessed are the poor, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are those who mourn, and others. It all begins with Blessed; there has been a change in presentation. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and followers more as adults, as friends, as companions. The Commandments are in the verbal dynamic of the way we speak to children. The Jews were the people of the Torah, or the law. The commandments are the Law. The Beatitudes are structured, but they reveal a more complicated and thought-filled way of direction. All of the Beatitudes reflect the life of our Christianity.

I want to speak to one of the Beatitudes that I often thought about when I was younger, but I never really could understand: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8). It was not clear to me what was being said. Who were the “pure of heart”. What was the pure of heart? It was only recently that I realized what Jesus was saying. Being pure of heart meant that God was the entire focus of an individual. That all that really matters is God, and one’s entire life is lived with that vision. I recall my grandmother. Her entire life was spent getting to heaven. As a child, I had the distinct feeling that she was just marking time in this world, for she was on her way to eternity. There was nothing that rattled her life, hard work, and the challenges of social and economic problems. Nothing was more important than going to heaven. It made for a real comforting life; she had the path of her Faith, and it would lead her to eternity and love. Everything else in this world passed by, fluid in nature. Nothing took her vision from her call to Jesus.

In thinking about this now, I realize that this is what Jesus meant. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God”. The pure of heart sees the world’s suffering and challenges differently than most of us do. We worry, we control our money, we do all the right things so we can retire, live, and find meaning in our achievements. But that is not what the beatitude says; it says, if God is your focus, all the problems of the world pass away. All that you need is that dedicated focus on Jesus. He was the center of your life, and all the other items were minor. If God is the center of your life, then the problems, tribulations, and disappointments are only bumps in the road, a road that leads to heaven.

For many reasons, as Christians, we worry too much. God provides. Our Christian life does not insulate us from bad situations or sudden shocks, but it does make these less impactful. As Christians, we know where we are going, and our lives are guided by that focus of our Faith; we become like the salt of the earth, the light that must shine forth. In modern society, we seem to find so many things important: money, position, and social standing. God does not seem to qualify for a focus. Recall what Jesus said: Blessed are the pure of heart< those who want only their savior, for they shall see God. The focus of God spreads into every corner of our earthly life. We shall not only live a life that is blest but also see God in all we do, all we serve, all we love  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)