Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: The importance of purity of heart cannot be overstated, either in terms of Christ's mission or in terms of our own efforts to know God. God gave the law to the Hebrews, so that they might know how one with purity of heart would act. By the time of Christ, it had devolved into hypocrisy. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and other sects prided themselves on being followers of the law, in their actions, and members of the covenant, by their birth. Their religion had become one entirely of show. They were like actors on a stage. If they said the right words and performed the correct actions, they might think whatever evil they liked, hold malice and pride and selfishness in their hearts. We know what happens when goodness becomes outward. Inevitably, the person begins to act one way in public, and another in private. We cannot hide our true selves. We know this is true of people who call themselves Christians today, and throughout history. By the 15th Century, the Church had become so corrupt that popes would celebrate Mass and preach chastity and poverty, then go home to have a rich supper served on bejeweled golden plates, with their mistress and children. Prominent preachers are caught stealing money and reading pornography. In the late 20th century, “televangelist” became synonymous with “moneygrubbing hypocrite”. The secret warped sex lives of a few Catholic priests destroyed entire Catholic dioceses. But there have been no worse hypocrites than the Jewish establishment of Christ's day. They had become politicians, to whom hypocrisy is a way of life. Christ's message is a direct call for Judaism to reform. But his message is positive; he brings forgiveness. He loves us and wants us to see God. “Pure” means without adulterants; it was the word used, for example, for wheat. The wheat harvest would be picked over time and again, until all of the husks, and insects, and stems and chaff were removed. God expects us to work on our motives until all of the chaff is removed. Mixed motives, even when we do good, are difficult to avoid. When we give to charity, for example, we (almost) always do it with some pride mixed into our motive. We expect some adulation or at least acknowledgment, some feeling of inclusion. Even an anonymous gift gives us a sense of self-satisfaction. Picking the chaff out of the wheat of our motives is as hard as picking burrs out of a sheepdog's fur. But we must be 100% pure. Ivory Snow, “99 and 44/100 percent pure,” is not good enough. Remember what God said to Moses. He would not let Moses see his face, because, He explained, it would kill him. (Ex 33:18-23) To be impure and see God means death. So God will not allow us to see Him unless we are pure in heart, because He loves us and does not want to see us die. Christ thus explains the basis of his mission. He teaches us, here, that we need purity; He will later show us that it is not possible for us to accomplish it; and He will then sacrifice himself, so that we can become fully pure, ready to stand before God.