TO BE PURE IN HEART MEANS​​ TO BE GENEROUS IN GIVING

Matthew 5:8; James 2:14-17

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ July 31, 2022

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE​​ 

ABOUT COMMUNITY CHURCH IS THAT IT​​ ENCOURAGES

INDEPENDENT THINKING, EVEN WHEN OTHERS’

INDEPENDENT THINKING GOES AGAINST THE

INDEPENDENT THINKING OF THE MINISTER.

IN GOOD JEWISH RABBINIC FASHION,

THIS CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY LIKES NOTHING BETTER

THAN LIVELY DEBATE ABOUT THE MEANING OF SCRIPTURE

AND THE WILL OF GOD.

AND I WOULD ADD THAT I FIND THE CONCLUSIONS I COME UP WITH

THAT OTHERS FIND CHALLENGING EQUALLY CHALLENGING​​ 

FOR MYSELF PERSONALLY.

IN OTHER WORDS, I’M PREACHING TO MYSELF AS WELL AS TO YOU.

I HOPE I NEVER COME ACROSS AS HAVING FIGURED IT ALL OUT,

HAVING ALL THE ANSWERS,

OR FINDING IT EASY TO​​ PRACTICE​​ WHAT I PREACH.

I BELIEVE THAT PART OF MY CALL TO SERVE THIS PARTICULAR CHURCH

IS​​ A CALL TO ENGAGE WITH THE LATEST AND BEST

BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND THEOLOGY.

I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT MINISTERS, AMONG OTHERS,

SHOULD BE CONSTANTLY GROWING IN TERMS

OF UNDERSTANDING AND​​ DEPTH​​ OF UNDERSTANDING.

AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY READ

THE 75,000 BOOKS THAT ARE PUBLISHED EACH YEAR

IN THE AREA OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES,​​ 

GROWING IN REAL DEPTH OF UNSERSTANDING ALSO MEANS

THAT I MAKE WISE CHOICES IN TERMS OF WHICH AUTHORS

I TAKE​​ SERIOUSLY​​ AND WHICH AUTHORS I TEND TO​​ DISCOUNT.

THE ONE​​ CONSTANT​​ IN MY CHRISTIAN LIFE –​​ 

BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY –

HAS BEEN AN INTENSE, UNRELENTING DESIRE

TO DISCOVER AND TO FOLLOW THE​​ REAL​​ JESUS.

THIS, OF COURSE, IS NO EASY TASK, SINCE THERE ARE

NUMEROUS “REAL” JESUSES ON THE MARKET TODAY.

BUT I AM CONVINCED THAT THE BEST BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP,

THE BEST WORK IN THEOLOGY AND HISTORY,

AND THE BEST WORK IN THE STUDY OF THE​​ 

ORIGINAL BIBLICAL LANGUAGES CAN GO FAR IN HELPING US

TO DETERMINE WHO THE “REAL” JESUS WAS –

AND WHO THE “REAL” JESUS WAS​​ NOT.

OF COURSE DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE

DIFFERENT IDEAS AS TO WHAT CONSTITUTES THE “BEST”

IN ANY GIVEN DISIPLINE.

BUT I’M STILL OLD-FASHIONED ENOUGH TO BELIEVE

THAT THE “TRUTH WILL OUT,” AS THEY SAY,

OR TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, I BELIEVE THAT A STRONG CASE

CAN BE MADE THAT​​ SOME​​ APPROACHES TO SCRIPTURE​​ 

ARE​​ ACTUALLY​​ TRUER​​ TO SCRIPTURE THAN​​ OTHERS;

THAT​​ SOME​​ TYPES OF THEOLOGY​​ ARE​​ ACTUALLY​​ CLOSER

TO THE THEOLOGY OF​​ JESUS​​ THAN​​ OTHERS.

I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFTS

IN MY THINKING OVER THE YEARS;

IN EACH CASE I AM CONVINCED THAT THE SHIFT IN PARADIGM

HAS BROUGHT ME CLOSER TO THE ORIGINAL JESUS.

THE FIRST MAJOR REVOLUTION IN MY THINKING

WAS COMING TO SEE THAT JESUS IS INESCAPABLY​​ JEWISH,

AND THAT BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND THEOLOGY

THAT FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS REALITY

IN A SUBSTANTIVE WAY IS NOT WORTH THE PAPER IT’S PRINTED ON.

THE SECOND MAJOR REVOLUTION IN MY THINKING WAS REALIZING

THAT UP UNTIL THE 80’S AND 90’S THE VAST MAJORITY​​ 

OF BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL WORK WAS AUTHORED BY WHITE,

UPPER MIDDLE CLASS MALES WORKING FROM EUROPEAN

AND NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AND SEMINARY SETTINGS –

AND CARRIED​​ WITH​​ IT ALL THE CULTURAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC

BAGGAGE​​ OF THOSE IN PRIVILEGED POSITIONS.

IT WAS THE MODERN-DAY EQUIVALENT OF THE UPPER CLASS,

JERUSALEM-BASED, PRIESTS, SCRIBES, AND PHARISEES

CLAIMING TO SPEAK FOR JUDAISM AS A​​ WHOLE​​ 

WHEN THE​​ TRUEST​​ VOICE OF JUDAISM, NAMELY​​ JESUS,

CAME FROM THE PEASANT STOCK OF GALILEE.

SO I STARTED READING BLACK, WOMEN, HISPANIC,​​ THIRD-WORLD,

AND GAY BIBLICAL SCHOLARS AND THEOLOGIANS​​ IN ADDITION TO

THE BEST OF THE EUROPEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN​​ MALES.

THE ONE THING THAT I FOUND​​ ALL​​ THESE SCHOLARS​​ 

HELD IN​​ COMMON​​ WAS AN EMPHASIS ON THE ORIGINAL

LIBERATION ​​​​ FOCUS OF JESUS.

ALL WERE​​ AGREED THAT JESUS’ ORIGINAL EMPHASIS ON LIBERATION

INCLUDED​​ ECONOMIC​​ AND​​ POLITICAL​​ LIBERATION AS WELL AS

SPIRITUAL​​ LIBERATION. ​​ 

INDEED, THE POLITICAL AND THE ECONOMIC WERE SEEN AS

VITAL DIMENSIONS OF THE​​ SPIRITUAL.

NOT​​ POLITICAL IN THE SENSE OF DEMOCRAT VERSUS REPUBLICAN,

BUT POLITICAL IN THE SENSE OF WHICH POLICIES BRING ABOUT

THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER​​ 

OF PEOPLE;

POLITICAL IN THE SENSE OF FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS

IN CHALLENGING POWER WITH TRUTH.

NOT​​ ECONOMIC AT THE ABSTRACT LEVEL​​ OF CAPITALISM VERSUS

COMMUNISM, BUT ECONOMIC IN THE SENSE OF ALLOWING​​ GOD’S​​ 

EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY TO IMPACT OUR OWN POCKETBOOKS.

TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, FOR JESUS, WE CAN’T BE TRULY SPIRITUAL

UNTIL OUR SPIRITUALITY HAS TRANSFORMED OUR RELATIONSHIP

WITH​​ MONEY​​ AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH​​ POWER.

THE LATEST CHALLENGE TO MY THINKING HAS COME FROM

MORE​​ DISCIPLINED STUDY OF THE ORIGINAL BIBLICAL LANGUAGES,

AND THE REALIZATION THAT MOST ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS​​ 

OF SCRIPTURE GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO​​ SPIRITUALIZE

THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF THE TEXT, IGNORING ITS

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS.

NOW, IT WOULD BE A LOT​​ EASIER, AND MUCH MORE​​ COMFORTABLE,

BOTH FOR YOU AND FOR ME, TO SIMPLY GO ALONG WITH

THE PREVAILING GAME-PLAN OF CHRISTENDOM IN THIS COUNTRY,

STRESSING THE​​ SPIRITUAL​​ DIMENSIONS OF SIN AND SALVATION,

AND CONVENIENTLY IGNORING THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

DIMENSIONS OF SIN AND SALVATION.

BUT THESE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DIMENSIONS WERE​​ 

A VITAL PART OF JESUS’​​ ORIGINAL​​ MESSAGE.

WE FIRST-WORLD CHRISTIANS CHOOSE TO IGNORE THEM

AT OUR PERIL, THE PERIL BEING THAT WE ARE​​ REPLACING

THE AUTHENTIC, JEWISH, PEASANT, ACTIVIST,​​ 

NON-VIOLENT REVOLUTIONARY JESUS

WITH A TYPICAL WHITE, MIDDLE CLASS, NORTH AMERICAN,

SUCCESS-ORIENTED JESUS,

A JESUS WITH AN MBA FROM STANFORD WHO RUNS​​ 

A VERY SUCCESSFUL CORPORATION CALLED “CHRISTIANITY,”

THE GREATEST​​ SELF-HELP OPERATION THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.

THE QUESTION – FOR ME AS WELL AS FOR YOU – IS:

DO WE WANT TO FOLLOW A JESUS OF OUR OWN DEVISING

AND BE​​ COMFORTABLE;

OR DO WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THE JESUS DESCRIBED​​ 

IN THE GOSPELS WHO​​ CHALLENGES​​ US,

AND OFTEN MAKES US FEEL​​ UNCOMFORTABLE,

BUT A JESUS WHO, IN THE FOLLOWING,

LEADS US INTO THE KIN-DOM OF GOD?

IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN​​ THE​​ COMFORTABLE​​ MISTRANSLATION

OF OUR BEATITUDE FROM TWO WEEKS AGO,

“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST​​ 

FOR​​ RIGHTEOUSNESS;

AND THE​​ UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT​​ TRUTHFUL​​ TRANSLATION:

“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST​​ 

FOR​​ RESTORATIVE​​ JUSTICE.”

THE WORD “RIGHTEOUSNESS” TENDS TO GIVE US

THE PLEASANT SPIRITUAL FEELING THAT ALL IS RIGHT

BETWEEN ME AND MY GOD.

THE PHRASE “RESTORATIVE JUSTICE”​​ CHALLENGES​​ US

TO GO OUT AND​​ DO​​ SOMETHING TO HELP TO RESTORE

THOSE IN NEED.

THE SAME DISJUNCTION IN TRANSLATION IS POSSIBLE

WITH TODAY’S BEATITUDE.

THE TRANSLATION WHICH WARMS OUR HEARTS,

MAKES US FEEL GOOD, AND IS PROPERLY “SPIRITUAL,”

IS THE TRADITIONAL

“LESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD.”

WHAT IS​​ MISSING​​ FROM THIS TRANSLATION IS THE FACT

THAT THE ORIGINAL WORD FOR “PURE” CARRIES​​ WITH​​ IT

THE STRONG CONNOTATION OF SOMEONE WHO IS​​ GENEROUS

TO THE POINT OF​​ SACRIFICING​​ PART OF HIS OR HER​​ 

MATERIAL ABUNDANCE FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE IN NEED.

THUS, MY ODD-SOUNDING TRANSLATIONS

“PURITY OF HEART EQUALS GENEROSITY IN GIVING,”

OR “TO BE PURE IN HEART MEANS TO BE GENEROUS IN GIVING.”

JESUS FURTHER CLARIFIES THE MEANING OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE

“PURE IN HEART” IN A LATER SECTION​​ 

OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT WHEN HE TEACHES:

“NO ONE CAN SERVE​​ TWO​​ MASTERS.

YOU WILL EITHER HATE ONE AND LOVE THE OTHER,

OR BE ATTENTIVE TO ONE AND DESPISE THE OTHER.

YOU CANNOT GIVE YOURSELF TO GOD​​ AND​​ MONEY.”

FOR JESUS,​​ DEVOTION TO​​ MONEY​​ REPRESENTED THE PEAK​​ 

OF​​ IDOLATRY​​ – IT WAS THE ESSENCE OF GREED AND STINGINESS.

THOSE WHOSE HEARTS CENTERED ON THEMSELVES AND THEIR MONEY

GIVE THEMSELVES OVER TO ENVY AND GREED.

CONVERSELY, PERSONS WHOSE HEARTS ARE PURE BEFORE GOD,

REFLECT​​ GOD’S​​ EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY

IN THE WAY THEY RELATE TO OTHERS.​​ 

IN SEEKING TO COME UP WITH AN ILLUSTRATION THAT WOULD MAKE

THIS BEATITUDE COME ALIVE, AND ACTUALLY SHED SOME LIGHT

ON HOW TO GO ABOUT​​ LIVING​​ IN A WAY THAT IS

EXTRAVAGANTLY GENEROUS OR “PURE IN HEART,”

I SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF GOD’S GENEROSITY BEING REFLECTED

IN THE WAY WE ANSWER THREE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS:

• WHEN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME?

• WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON?

• WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO?

WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE FIRST QUESTION,

BUT WE FORGET IT FAR TOO OFTEN.

THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME IS​​ NOW.

THE PAST IS GONE AND THE FUTURE IS NOT-YET;

THE ONLY REAL TIME WE HAVE IS THE​​ PRESENT, THE​​ NOW.

JESUS NEVER GAVE US THE ANSWER TO THE SECOND QUESTION,

“WHO IS THE MOST IMPORT PERSON?,” IN SO MANY WORDS,

BUT WE CAN​​ DEDUCE​​ HIS ANSWER FROM THE WAY HE​​ LIVED:

THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IS THE PERSON YOU ARE​​ WITH.

AJAHN BRAHM, A CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUAL MASTER, WRITES:

“I RECALLED ASKING QUESTIONS OF COLLEGE PROFESSORS

AND NOT BEING FULLY HEARD.

THEY WERE​​ OUTWARDLY​​ LISTENING,

BUT​​ INWARDLY​​ WANTING ME TO GO.

THEY HAD MORE​​ IMPORTANT​​ THINGS TO DO.

THAT’S WHAT I FELT, AND IT WAS A ROTTEN FEELING.

I ALSO RECALLED ROUSING MY COURAGE TO APPROACH​​ 

A FAMOUS LECTURER AND ASK A PERSONAL QUESTION,

AND BEING SURPRISED AND SO PLEASED THAT HE WAS

GIVING ME HIS TOTAL ATTENTION.

OTHER PROFESSORS WERE WAITING TO SPEAK WITH HIM,

I WAS A MERE LONG-HAIRED STUDENT,

BUT HE MADE ME FEEL IMPORTANT.

THE DIFFERENCE WAS​​ HUGE.

COMMUNICATION, AND LOVE, CAN ONLY BE SHARED WHEN​​ 

THE ONE YOU ARE​​ WITH, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE,

IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD

FOR YOU, AT THAT TIME.

THEY FEEL IT. ​​ THEY KNOW IT.

THEY RESPOND TO IT.

THE ANSWER TO THE THIRD QUESTION,

“WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO​​ DO?,” IS TO​​ CARE.

JESUS CALLS THIS CARING BY A VARIETY OF NAMES:

COMPASSION-IN-ACTION, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE,

EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY.

WHATEVER THE NAME, THEY ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF​​ CARING,

THE MOST PROFOUND GIFT THAT ONE HUMAN BEING CAN GIVE

TO ANOTHER;

THE MOST PROFOUND GIFT THAT GOD GAVE US​​ 

IN THE PERSON OF JESUS.

TO SUMMARIZE:

WHEN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT​​ TIME? ​​ NOW.

WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT​​ PERSON? THE PERSON YOU ARE​​ WITH.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO​​ DO? ​​ TO​​ CARE.

IN CLOSING,​​ 

MAY GOD BLESS US WITH THE COURAGE TO AFFIRM

THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF SPIRITUALITY.

MAY GOD GIVE US THE DETERMINATION​​ NOT​​ TO SETTLE

FOR EASY ANSWERS WHEN IT COMES TO SIN AND SALVATION,

WHEN IT COMES TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PERSON OF JESUS.

MAY GOD’S SPIRIT GUIDE US TO THE TRUTH, AND, ONCE FOUND,

MAY GOD’S SPIRIT EMPOWER US TO LIVE OUT THAT TRUTH

IN OUR DAILY LIVES.

MAY EACH OF US COME TO SEE GOD MORE AND MORE CLEARLY

AS WE GROW MORE AND MORE INTO A PERSON

WHO IS PURE IN HEART,​​ 

AS WE GROW MORE AND MORE INTO A PERSON

WHO EMBODIES GOD’S OWN EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY.

AMEN.