the pure in heart...

there once was a pharisee named simon...who was quite sure that if God had a list of favorites...he would be near the top...as a member of the jewish elite...he prided himself on keeping the ten commandments and wore robes to set himself apart from the common rabble of humanity...and as a jew...like generations before him...simon was waiting for God to send the promised Savior...

there once was a woman who was just as certain...however...she was certain to be on no one’s list...she knew she was worthy of nothing but contempt from the men and women she encountered...she was a woman who had kept neither God’s nor man’s rules...and had no hope of ever being accepted...

then there was Jesus in the middle of it all...confusing and bewildering...He was breaking man’s laws to follow God’s...and showering love on those who believed they deserved it least...

these three individuals are the key players in a story found in luke 7, verses 36-50...simon had invited Jesus to dinner...then showed Him no common courtesy...Jesus’ feet weren’t washed...His cheeks weren’t kissed and His head wasn’t anointed with oil...everyone in attendance would have noticed these breaches in polite behavior...the air must have been thick with tension...it was as if simon had slapped Jesus in the face...

as the dinner progressed...a woman crossed the courtyard...she knelt beside Jesus...tears coursed down her cheeks...landing in splashes on Jesus’ feet...she took her unbound hair and gently wiped the muddy spots from Jesus’ feet...she then anointed them with perfume...Jesus’ feet were dirty...cracked and calloused...but they were beautiful to her...

scripture doesn’t tell us how this woman knew about Jesus...but it is clear she knew enough to act with an extravagance that speaks of great love and gratitude...

simon must have been disgusted with this display of emotion...simon the judge...whose heart was bound by pride...judges the woman and Jesus...there was no love in simon’s heart...

it’s at this time that Jesus reads simon’s thoughts...simon said to himself, “if this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of a woman she is – that she is a sinner...” Jesus then goes on to acknowledge simon’s thoughts...and teach a lesson about forgiveness and love...

what strikes me about this story isn’t the parable that Jesus teaches...which is important enough to address on its own...but it is the fact that simon had been waiting all his life to see the Messiah...Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise to all of simon’s ancestors...and yet...when the Messiah – God incarnate...walked into simon’s home...simon didn’t recognize Him...

in matthew 5...Jesus taught what we now call “the beatitudes.” in verse 8...Jesus speaks these words, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” the truth of these words was demonstrated in the story of simon...

simon made sure the outside of his life looked really good...but he neglected the condition of his heart...simon didn’t see his need for forgiveness...or his need for a Savior...the woman in the story had just the opposite condition...the outside of her life was a wreck before she met Jesus...but she knew her desperate need for salvation...her heart was stripped of pride and was overflowing with love...now consider...which one saw God?

a pure heart…the ability to see God…is it possible for me? only with God’s help and a willingness to be brutally honest about the sin that’s been hiding in my heart...i know i would rather have the heart of that woman and see God act in my life...than be bound by pride and miss Him...