Blessed are...

Ritual or Relationship?

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

In our day, as in Jesus’, there are many who fail to grasp the difference between inward purity and outward cleanliness. Two thousand years ago, the Pharisees had an obsession with external, ceremonial purity. Association with the wrong person, or with articles that had not been treated in a particular way, led to ritual uncleanliness. This was the problem, as we have seen, for the devout Jews who traveled the road from Jerusalem to Jericho before the Good Samaritan.[1] To touch the man set upon by thieves was to risk defilement. Most likely, they were hurrying towards important tasks. People were waiting for them. Should they risk inconveniencing many for the sake of one man, who was probably already dead? They did not want to have to return to the temple and, there, go through the rituals of purification. So, they passed by on the other side of the road.

Similar rules applied to the preparation of foodstuffs. Strict rules, originally intended to ensure that the food was fit to eat, and to protect the eater, degenerated into cultic practices. Ritual took the place of relationship. Knowing God became a matter of correct behavior. But when did it become right to ignore the cries of the needy? Common sense tells us to help the wounded man, not to worry about being defiled by his blood. If religion creates a barrier where none should exist, then something is wrong. That’s a question we need to keep asking ourselves: “ Am I practicing the rituals in order to look good, or am I practicing the precepts in order to do good?” Purity of heart is, after all, not just skin deep.



God of grace,
Ever patient and long-suffering in Your love for Your people,
forgive me, when I value outward show over inward purity.
Help me to be less concerned with how things appear,
and more concerned to live in obedience to Your perfect will.
Through Christ my Lord.
Amen.







[1] Luke 10:30-37