Purity of Heart - Luke 15:1-10

This passage, and both of our readings in total, draw us to the importance of a purity of heart and a single minded focus on that which is most important, knowing Christ as Lord.  Apart from that reality (of knowing Christ as Lord), Paul says that all his accomplishments are by contrast, insignificant.
 
Discipleship, our discipleship, entails focusing our love on Christ first, and then what comes as a by-product is a love for others.
 
I was reading a reflection that made a reference to the philosopher, Soren Kierkgaard, and his devotional that was entitled, "Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing." In the book, he evaluates what it means to will one thing, and the many barriers to willing one thing.  Jesus told us that only one thing is necessary, and he said that the law is fulfilled in one commandment: Love God and then love neighbor.
 
To help define purity of heart further, Kierkegaard uses the illustration of a man who is courting a wealthy woman. The “double-minded” man, the man who does not will only one thing, is pleased by the fact that his marriage to the woman will result in financial gain. This fella (who is without a pure heart) allows his love for the woman to be tainted by her situation and the gain which will come to him as a result.
 
By contrast, another man, this one with a pure heart, who courts the wealthy woman and wills only one thing, hates any financial gain he may come to acquire by his marriage to the woman. The man actually has a disdain for the woman's wealth, not out of jealousy or feelings of contempt for the woman, but for the opposite reason.  He has contempt for the woman's wealth because it presents the possibility of his love for her losing its purity.
 
The man who wills only one thing wants to do nothing but love the woman with his whole heart, and with a pure heart. Any other thing which may cause him to love the woman with any less than a whole and pure heart is an enemy.
 
He wants only to love the woman, and he wants nothing to get in the way.  The man with the pure heart acts in a way which eliminates other possible competitors for his love.
 
Our hearts, if not willing to love God over all things, will love many things as a substitute. Those many things we will as a substitute for God, are not eternal or infinite, they are temporary, and they are failing.
 
I believe Jesus is describing purity of heart in the Gospel as he speaks of the man in search of the lost sheep.  If you notice, when he sets out to find the lost sheep, there was no timeline assigned.  He didn't say, "I'm gonna allocate one hour to look for it because I've got other things to attend to."  No, he goes after the sheep until he finds it. And when he does, he rejoices, out of love.
 
I think of the loving devotion that some people have exhibited in their ministries or careers out of love - for an extended period of time. I think of teachers (especially parochial school teachers) or law enforcement people who could have much softer jobs at higher pay, and never seem to burn out.  I think of Fred Rogers, who for 31 years lifted up the hearts of children. What an inspiration these people are, and have been. It is their loving devotion that sustains each of them!


No matter what we pray for, no matter what we ask for, our hearts must in truth be still only willing- one thing. Though we might utter prayers for material provision, for the love of a spouse, for security, or (how about) for the success of a political candidate or sports team, we must still, in truth, will only one thing. 


The pure in heart will have their reward. Their reward will not be any kind of gain other than that one thing which was willed.  Like the man with the pure heart who marries the wealthy woman for whom there is no reward at all other than the love of that woman, ...he ends up gaining a perfect union.  And so too for us, as we seek one thing, to know the Lord, we do it with the hope of being rewarded one day in the kingdom of heaven. 
 
So, let us pray to the Holy Spirit today that we can grow in single mindedness, in purity of heart, so that we can focus on that ONE THING- to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.