In the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the notion of the “heart” — and its purification — stands as a central theme that structures the entire message. Although the explicit expression “circumcision of the heart” is not used, the underlying concept is clearly present and deeply significant. For Matthew, the purification of the heart is essential for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is especially evident in the Beatitudes, where Jesus proclaims: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” — Matthew 5:8 (NRSV)
Here, the purity of heart is not merely an ethical demand, but a prerequisite for divine vision and communion — a spiritual transformation. Matthew also emphasises interior righteousness over external observance, echoing the prophetic tradition and aligning with the Old Testament promise of heart-circumcision (cf. Deut 30:6).
Moreover, John the Baptist declares that the Messiah will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11), pointing to a baptism that purifies deeply — not just outwardly but inwardly, through the action of the Spirit: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” — Matthew 3:11 (NRSV)
Though the term “circumcision of the heart” comes primarily from the Old Testament (e.g., Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4) and later Pauline theology (Rom 2:29), Matthew’s Gospel expresses the same reality through the call to inner transformation, purity, and wholehearted devotion to God.
As biblical scholar Ulrich Luz observes: “The demand for purity of heart in Matthew is inseparable from the eschatological hope of seeing God. It expresses the innermost transformation required by discipleship.” — Ulrich Luz, Matthew 1–7, Hermeneia, p. 278.
Baptism: Spiritual Circuncision
For Matthew, baptism is the spiritual circumcision necessary for entrance into the New Covenant. His Gospel presents a clear plan for making disciples, structured around two essential elements: purification through baptism and adherence to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.
This transformative path is deeply Trinitarian. In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus commands: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:19–20 (NRSV)
This commission reflects the structure of the Sermon on the Mount, where discipleship is held within the “two hands of the Father” (cf. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, IV.20.1): the Son, who delivers the New Law from the mountain (Mt 5), and the Holy Spirit, who purifies and empowers (Mt 7). The central section (Mt 6) calls us to trust the Father with a pure heart.
Thus, for Matthew, baptism is more than a ritual; it is the gateway into a renewed heart, echoing the spiritual circumcision promised by the prophets (cf. Deut 30:6; Ezek 36:25–27). It marks the beginning of a life lived under the transforming grace of the Trinity.
Let us now first explore the link between baptism and circumcision, not in Matthew’s Gospel, but in other parts of the New Testament where the connection is made explicit.
“11 In him [Christ] you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by human hands, in the complete putting off of your flesh ; this is the circumcision of Christ: 12 having been buried with him in baptism , you were also raised with him, because you believed in the power of God who raised him from the dead.” (Col 2:4-12)
“Beware of the false circumcision! 3 For we are the circumcision , who worship according to the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus, not having confidence in the flesh.” (Phil 3:3)
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision in the flesh outwardly. 29 But he is a Jew within, and circumcision in the heart , in the Spirit and not in the letter. This is he whose praise is not from men but from God.” (Rom 2:28-29)
“Circumcise your heart and do not be stiff-necked” (Dt 10:16)
“6 The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.” (Dt 30:6)
Let us see now how this notion of the spiritual circumcision unfolds in St. Matthews Gospel.
In Matthew’s Gospel
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appears so distinct from Moses in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus repeatedly contrasts His own teaching with that of the Mosaic Law using the formula: “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you” (Mt 5:21–48).
This pattern is not a rejection of Moses, but a revelation of something greater: Jesus is not merely another prophet or lawgiver—He is the true and only saviour and he is bringing a complete purification which Moses Law couldn’t (St Paul says that the Law shows the sin but doesn’t free us from is).
This distinction becomes even more explicit later in Matthew’s Gospel, when the Pharisees question Jesus about the Law on divorce: “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.’”
— Matthew 19:7–8 (NRSV)
Here again, Jesus distinguishes between the concessions made through Moses due to human weakness and the original divine will “from the beginning.” Jesus thus reveals not only the Law, but the very heart of the Creator—a return to the original design of God for humanity. This return to the divine origins is echoed in Matthew 13:35, where Jesus’ teaching is described as a revelation of what was hidden “from the foundation of the world”: “I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” — Matthew 13:35 (NRSV)
In sum, Jesus does not abolish Moses but fulfills him by bringing the Law to its divine fullness. He restores its original intention, grounded not in human concession but in the eternal plan of God—thus revealing both the radical demands and the transforming grace of the Kingdom.
Returning to the Bible
“Circumcise yourselves for the sake of the Lord, and remove the foreskin of your hearts, O people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; otherwise my anger will flare up like fire, burning with no one to quench it, because of the wickedness of your deeds.” (Jer 4:4)
The real Joshua who circumcised all the people before entering the Promised Land is Jesus:
“This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them : all the males who had come out of Egypt, old enough to go out to war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had left Egypt. 5 Now all these people who had migrated had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the way after they had left Egypt had not been circumcised . 6 For forty years the Israelites walked in the wilderness, until the whole nation had perished, even those who had come out of Egypt who were old enough to go out to war. They had not obeyed the voice of the LORD, and the LORD had sworn to them that he would not let them see the land which he had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 As for their sons, he set them in their place, and these are the ones Joshua circumcised; they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised. on the way. 8 When the whole nation was circumcised , they remained in the camp until they were healed. 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have taken away the shame of Egypt from you.” [end of the Night of the Spirit (see St. John of the Cross)] So this place has been called Gilgal until today.
10 The Israelites camped at Gilgal and celebrated the Passover there on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plain of Jericho. 11 The day after the Passover they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened bread and parched ears of corn, that same day. 12 There was no more manna on the day after they ate of the produce of the land. Since there was no more manna, the Israelites ate from that year on the produce of the land of Canaan .
13 Now Joshua was near Jericho and looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and said, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 He answered, “No! But I am the commander of the LORD’s army, and now I have come.” Joshua fell facedown and worshipped him. 15 The commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy .” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:4-15)
Heart
“You are manifestly a letter from Christ delivered to us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, on hearts.” (2 Cor 3:3)
” I will give them one heart and put a new Spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh , 20 so that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them. Then they will be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20)
“And I will give you a new heart [the new heart, that of Mary, “Good Earth” is given by God, it is He who recreates it in us as Psalm 50 says] , I will put a new Spirit in you [the Spirit is the new Law of Christ, this is why Saint Paul will invite us to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit], I will remove from your flesh the heart of stone and I will give you a heart of flesh . 27 I will put my Spirit within you and I will make you walk according to my laws and that you observe and practice my customs. 28 You will live in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be “my People” and I will be “your God” [ my God and “your God” said Christ to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning after having Built the New Covenant] . 29 I will save you from all your filth [the human heart is now purified, circumcised.] .” (Ez 36,26-29)
” I will give them one heart and one way of doing , so that they will fear me forever, for their own good and that of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will not turn away from following them to do them good and I will put my fear [my Spirit of fear] in their hearts so that they will no longer depart from me. 41 I will delight in doing them good and will plant them firmly in this land with all my heart and with all my soul.” (Jer 32:39-41)
Jesus brings us his New Law, which has been given since the beginning. On the Cross, he purifies our hearts, thus enabling them to bear the New Law. The New Law is the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The following text and the preceding texts thus agree perfectly.
“31 Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 Not like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband,” declares the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts . Then I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 They will no longer have to teach each one his neighbor, each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD !’ For they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them—declares the LORD—because I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more.” (Jer 31:31-34)
Saint Matthew
Let us now return to the Gospel of Saint Matthew with these insights in mind, and allow ourselves to rediscover its central theme: the human heart, in need of purification (see below). Jesus does not come to perform a mere ritual cleansing. His mission is far deeper: to reach into the innermost depths of our being and renew us from within. This inner transformation is not external or ceremonial but radical and personal. It culminates on the Cross, where He opens His Heart to pour out the Holy Spirit and inaugurate a new creation in us. This is the fulfillment of the ancient promise in the book of Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” — Ezekiel 36:26–27 (NRSV) Thus, in Matthew’s Gospel, the call to purity of heart is not a moral ideal to be achieved by human strength, but a divine gift made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ, and accomplished by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel invites us to receive this new heart and to walk as disciples transformed from within.
Here are quotes from St. Matthew we can “hear” in a renewed way:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3) “Blessed are the pure in heart , for they shall see God.” (Mt 5:8) “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart .” (5:28) “For where your treasure is , there your heart will be also ” (Mt 6:21) (he is in the Holy of Holies, he lives there) “And Jesus, knowing their feelings, said: “Why do you have these evil feelings in your hearts ?” (Mt 9:4)“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart , and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:29-30)
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good person brings forth good things from his good treasure ; but an evil person brings forth evil things from his evil treasure.” (Mt 12:34-35)
“If anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in that person’s heart . This is what was sown along the wayside.” (Mt 13:19)
To the Pharisees and Scribes: “Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well of you when he said (Is 29:13-14): 8 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me . 9 Their worship of me is vain; their teachings are only human precepts.” (Mt 15:7-9)
“Do you not understand that whatever enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is discharged into the lavatory, 18 but what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and these are what defile a person? 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions: murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are the things that defile a person.” (Mt 15:17-20)
“So will my heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart .” (Mt 18:35)
“Moses,” he said to them, ” because of your hardness of heart , he allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Mt 9:8)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus said to him, ” You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and first commandment.” (Mt 22:36-38)
“But if that wicked servant says in his heart , ‘My master is long delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards,” (Mt 24:48-49)
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He who purifies us, who circumcises our hearts, does it with His own hands. The Lord Himself declares it. This is how the Shepherd presents Himself in the Prophets: ‘I will do it Myself.’
In the Old Testament, God repeatedly affirms that He Himself will act directly to purify and transform His people: “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you may love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.” — Deuteronomy 30:6 (NRSV)
The initiative is entirely divine—He takes it upon Himself: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness… A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you… I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes.” — Ezekiel 36:25–27 (NRSV)
These promises are deeply pastoral. God presents Himself as the Shepherd who takes direct responsibility for the healing and restoration of His flock: “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out… I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.” — Ezekiel 34:11,15 (NRSV)In these texts, the recurring divine “I Myself” (Hebrew: ’ani) emphasises that the work of purification, healing, and shepherding is not delegated—it is the Lord’s personal mission.
Note: To understand better the following it is good to refer to the following text: The Meaning of the Sermon on the Mount
As God said: let us make man in our image (Gen 1:26), so on the Cross God the Father says: “let us make man again in our likeness,” and with his Hands (like a true potter (see Jeremiah 18:1–6)), that is, the Incarnate Son and the Holy Spirit, he refashions the lost likeness (lost because of sin). With his Hands he performs a “surgical” operation, removing the heart of stone and grafting a heart of flesh, and putting his Spirit into it.
Afterwards, for us it is a matter of remaining in the Hands of God, docile and liquid.
Saint Irenaeus reminds us that the Hands of God the Father are the Son and the Spirit. (cfr. Adv. Haer. IV, Pr. 4; 7,4; V, 1,3; 5,1; 6,1; 28,4)
After singing about the new heart that God gives us (The Beatitudes are like a hymn we sing after Baptism, our charter)), the Sermon on the Mount shows us the Father (Mt 6) and his two Hands, the Incarnate Son (Mt 5) and the Holy Spirit (Mt 7), who hold this new heart. It is up to us to keep it there:
The first Hand of the Father: the Son: Mt 5,12ss (with his five “fingers”, i.e. the five recommendations of the Son: “They told you, … and I tell you….”)
The Father (Mt 6) and his Perfection in 7 points x 7 (chapter 6 can be divided in 7 parts (see article)
The Second Hand of the Father: the Holy Spirit: Mt 7 (with his five “fingers” (five sections/advice re the Holy Spirit.)
Thus, the Baptised, like a King who Reigns in the Kingdom of his Father, has his heart in the hands of God: “the heart of the king is in the hands of Yahweh” (Prov 21:1).
Let us also note how the heart must be “liquid” (docile) in the Hands of God, malleable: “Like running water, the king’s heart is in the hands of Yahweh who turns it wherever he pleases.” (Pr 21:1)
Therefore for the newly baptised what matters is to keep his heart in God’s Hands by putting into practice the three chapters of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount: . “Abide in me!” (John 15) “Let us lift up our hearts,” (Mass) “let us keep them in the Lord,” in His Hands.
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