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Part 6 of a special eight part series, A New Look at the Beatitudes, using The New Testament: An Expanded Translation, by Kenneth Wuest.

“Spiritually prosperous are those who are pure in the sphere of the heart, because they themselves shall see God.”

The vision of God

In our relative experience, seeing something is not much in the way of comprehension, partly because there is much more to an object than outward appearance, and also because of the limitation and conditionings of our faculty of seeing. Also, the ordinary seeing of an object has no lasting effect on us since the seeing brings about no touching or linking of us with the thing seen. But God essentially is not an object but a subject–just as are we in our true nature. Therefore the “seeing” of God is the joining of the two subjects in a union of consciousness. This is a profound condition, the goal of all Yoga, for if it is persisted in, the merging of the two becomes inevitable. So a promise of the vision of God is a promise of union with God. Knowing what is requisite for that vision is then of prime concern to the intelligent seeker: purity in the sphere of the heart.

Kardia means not just the physical organ that circulates the blood, but embraces the ideas of thoughts, feelings, and mind. It means the core, the center of our being–our spirit–and thus the source of life itself. So Jesus is speaking of the essence of our being as well as its adjuncts of body and mind and their activities internal and external.

The Greek word katharos (from which we get catharsis) is very rich in meaning, and therefore very instructive for us. It appears twenty-eight times in the New Testament. It has many meanings:

1. Clean in the sense of having been made free from all impurities and implies a vigorous and thorough expulsion of all impurity.
2. Purged–as above.
3. Clear in the sense of having nothing obscuring it.
4. Transparent–as above.
5. Unmixed with any other thing whatsoever–absolute singleness of constitution as in chemical purity. This is an ideal symbol for perfect unity of consciousness.
6. Without defect–both without any flaw and also without any lack, complete in all ways.
7. Spotless, without any alien marking, and without any marking at all as that would disrupt its purity in the sense of perfect unity.

By using this word (The Hebrew word tahowr, which was no doubt used by Jesus, conveys the identical meanings. So we lose little in the translation from Hebrew/Aramaic to Greek except in those cases where the text has been deliberately falsified. But that is not a subject to cover here.) Saint Luke is conveying the idea that we must be clean, clear, undivided, and complete in our consciousness from all conditionings or limitations whatsoever. This is no small thing! And it cannot be accomplished without meditation as a major component of our life.

When this is accomplished we shall see–shall know–both ourselves and God. The Greek term optanamai means to see with wide-open eyes without obscurity, impediment, or interruption. Interestingly, it also means to be seen, anticipating the words of Saint Paul: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (I Corinthians 13:12) It also means to experience that which is seen. So the vision of God is the experience of divinity Itself and of assimilation to That.

A final meaning in this beatitude is conveyed by the word autos, which Wuest accurately renders themselves, the idea being that the pure in heart see God directly without any intermediary, and certainly see God for themselves, there being no need for another person to do it for them. This is most important, for it strips away the fraudulent mask of most religion. Despite the lip-service to the nature of the self (atma) and the capacity of human being for enlightenment, even in India we hear nonsense about gods or avatars or gurus “doing it for you” either altogether or in some degree. What a clever out for the ego clinging to its idols and toys of ignorance. “I need do nothing–or little–for it has been done for me by the mercy and grace of….” What degrading foolishness. If we do not “do it” it will not be done. Knowing this is the real grace and mercy of God and the saints.

Next: Part 7 of A New Look at the Beatitudes – The Spiritual Process of Making Peace.

Previous posts in this series:
• What Did Jesus Really Say in the Sermon on the Mount?
• The Kingdom of Heaven According to Jesus
• What Jesus Really Means by Meekness
• When Craving is a Good Thing
• Mercy and the Law of Karma

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