Window Cleaning

Blessed are those who are poor at being spiritual,
The kingdom of heaven is well-suited for ordinary people.

Blessed are the depressed who mourn and grieve,
For they create space to encounter comfort from another.

Blessed are the gentle and trusting, who are not grasping and clutching, For God will personally guarantee their share as heaven comes to earth.

Blessed are those who ache for the world to be made right, For them, the government of God is a dream come true.

Blessed are those who give mercy,
For they will get it back when they need it most.

Blessed are those who have a clean window in their soul,

For they will perceive God when and where others don't.

Blessed are the bridge-builders in a war-torn world,

For they are God’s children working in the family business.

Blessed are those who are maligned and mistreated for the right reasons,

For the kingdom of heaven comes to earth amidst much persecution.

--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--

“The Beatitudes are deliberately designed to shock us. If we’re not shocked by the Beatitudes, it’s only because we have tamed them with a patronizing sentimentality – and being sentimental about Jesus is the religious way of ignoring Jesus! Too often the Beatitudes are set aside into the category of “nice things that Jesus said that I don’t really understand.”

Brian Zahnd

Pastor and author Brian Zahnd published this paraphrase of the Beatitudes a few years ago. They caught my attention when he reposted them a couple of weeks ago as I pray these words of Jesus from Matthew 5 every day. His rewording was insightful and meaningful, particularly the fifth one "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" which is rewritten as "Blessed are those who have a clean window in their soul, for they will perceive God when and where others don't."

In times past, I interpreted the fifth beatitude to mean that if I lived a pure enough life, I would eventually see God in heaven with the relatively few people who met the criteria for admission. We were raised in a very legalistic and conservative fundamentalist church that put much emphasis on external appearance and specific spiritual experiences as evidence of salvation. Emotional experiences were also valued and intellectualism was not a priority. We were to live separate lives from "the world" so it was easy to develop a sense of spiritual superiority. There were good people in the church of my childhood, but many in my generation experienced emotional and spiritual harm when they questioned or abandoned the teachings of the denomination. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus countered the legalistic traditions of a pharisaical religion with radical new teachings that delighted the masses and infuriated the religious establishment. 

I left the house early this morning before the sun hit our driveway. My windshield was frosted over and needed to be scraped and defogged before going in traffic. It made me think of what it means to have a clean window to my soul. In John 5:17 Jesus told the Jewish leaders, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” I believe that we can recognize and join God in the work he continues to do through people on earth today. That is what the Beatitudes are about.

Soul windows are easily clouded with the vapours of self-centredness, self-pity, demanding our rights, wanting the world to change for our benefit, and thinking that we are persecuted and suffer more than others. Showing love and compassion, understanding the motives and perspectives of others, and coming alongside people without judgement is like putting the defogger on high to clear the view.

We drove home from Ottawa last week for over five hours on the highway in snow, sleet and rain. My car was covered in salt, slush and dirt and we had to use the windshield washer fluid and wipers after passing every transport truck. As soon as we got home, I went to a carwash as the vehicle was so filthy. External circumstances, injustice, busyness, family and financial concerns can muddy the outside of our soul window making us cynical and stressed. Jesus addresses the "windshield wiper and carwash" solution in the same Sermon on the Mount when he says in Matthew 6:25-34. 

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow...

As I seek this Kingdom, I can perceive and join God in his work.