Matthew 5:8 (KJV)
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

For the last few weeks at church we have been studying the Beatitudes from Matthew chapter 5, which is the first sermon that Jesus taught.  In verse 8 Jesus says that the pure in heart will be blessed for they will see God.  The obvious question then is what does it look like to have a pure heart?  A synonym for pure would be sincere.  Although the etymology for sincere stems from the Latin sincerus, there is a myth that “sincere” stemmed from the two Latin words “sine cera” which translates as “without wax”.  I’m actually terribly sad to find out that the connection between the two words is just folklore, because I’ve heard various pastors refer to this to support the sermon.  And truly, the analogy works perfectly to describe how we would like to stand before God.

The story behind the word-connection is explained that in Rome and Greece sculptures were in high demand due to the popularity of idol worship.  True sculptors would create a piece and if it came out with imperfections, it would be discarded and the artist would start again from scratch.  However, because of the high demand for these statues, less talented men took up the trade.  When these dishonest men created a piece that was less than perfect, the sculptor would cover the flaws with wax.  The problem with this was that when the finished pieces were brought out into the sun the wax would melt, revealing the faux sculptor’s dishonesty.  It’s said that genuine sculptors began carving the words “sine cera” – without wax- into the bottom of their pieces and display them in the sun to prove their authenticity.

This is such a great picture as to how we need to be “sincere” or “without wax” not only when we come before God, but as we live our lives.  We all use different things as “wax” to help us conceal our own imperfections from others.  In reality, we all have flaws and God has asked that we be honest with others and be transparent with each other about our brokenness.  Rather than being “sun-tested” like the sculptures were in Rome, one day we will all be “Son-tested” as we stand before Jesus.  We want to have confidence that we confronted our own flaws and worked to improve them as He has asked us to do.

Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Regardless of the fact that sincere didn’t come from “sine cera”, I love the comparison of being “sun-tested” and “son-tested”.  It gave me a lot to think about this week about my tendency to be dishonest even with myself.

Melt away me, Father.
Melt away me.
Leave only that which
You wanted to be.
Melt away my deceit
to leave Your honesty.
Melt away my stubborn pride
so there’s only humility.
Melt away Earthly distractions,
to keep heaven’s clarity.
Melt away selfish ambition,
so remains generosity.
Melt away the darkness,
to ensure transparency.
Melt away my transgressions, Lord
leaving Your purity.
For when I am tested
by the light of the Son,
I want You to be proud
knowing Your good work in me is done.