Friday 14th June
Read Matthew 6:22-23
“‘The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (NIVUK)
Jesus has spoken about the desires of our hearts and what we value most (v19-21). The argument is that we should value those things that will last rather than things that will pass away. The benefits though, accrue in the future and can’t easily be claimed in the present. Perhaps this is why the next thing Jesus says extends the argument to the here and now. The focus of our vision is similar, in biblical language, to the desires of our heart. Consider Psalm 119.
“I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.” (v10)
“Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.” (v18-19)
The desires of one’s heart, what we seek, and the focus of our vision, opened eyes, reveal what is within us – who we are. The psalmist prays that God would guide him through his word – otherwise he is lost, like a stranger flailing around in darkness. The wrong focus for our lives is devastating, the wrong light within, horrifying.
