Sermon on the Mount
145
moral strength, and satisfies the cravings of the mind and heart. As the
body is continually receiving the nutriment that sustains life and vigor,
so should the soul constantly receive the heavenly food which gives
nerve and muscle to spirituality. As the weary traveler eagerly seeks
the spring in the desert, and, finding it, quenches his burning thirst
with its cool and sparkling water, so should the Christian thirst for and
seek the pure water of life, of which Christ is the fountain. There the
soul may be satisfied, there the fever born of worldly strife is allayed,
and the spirit is forever refreshed. But a majority of those who listened
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to Jesus hungered only for worldly advantages and honor. Especially
did the self-exaltation of the Pharisees prevent them from longing for
any higher attainments than they had already reached, for in their own
estimation they were at the very pinnacle of perfect righteousness.
However, there were many who heard thankfully the lessons of Jesus,
and from that time, shaped their lives according to his teachings.
“Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” Here Jesus
struck a blow at the arrogance and cruel intolerance of the Jews. Both
priests and people were, as a rule, overbearing, quarreling with all
who opposed them, severely critical and resentful of any reflection
cast upon their own acts. Jesus said of the Pharisees, “Ye tithe mint,
and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love
of God.” The Saviour desired to teach his followers a lesson of mercy
that they should not be wanting in that tender compassion which pities
and aids the suffering and erring, and avoids magnifying the faults of
others.
“Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” The Jews
were so exacting in regard to ceremonial purity that their regulations
were extremely burdensome. Their minds were so occupied with rules
and restrictions, and the fear of outward defilement, that they lost sight
of the necessity for purity of motive and nobility of action. They did
not perceive the stain that selfishness, injustice, and malice, leave upon
the soul.
Jesus declared that the pure in heart should see God. They would
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recognize him in the person of his Son, who was sent to the world
for the salvation of the human race. Their minds, being cleansed
and occupied with pure thoughts, would more clearly discover the
Creator in the works of his mighty hand, in the things of beauty and
magnificence which comprise the universe. They would live as in the