Thursday 13th 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)
If we are to understand Jesus’ intent in this saying the context is key. Immediately before this passage Jesus has taught us to fix our eyes on things above and store up treasure in heaven. Immediately following this saying Jesus teaches us that we can’t serve two masters, it is either God or wealth. It is possible that the link between them is treasure or wealth but it is hard to see how the image of light fits with today’s passage.
If we take a step back though and consider the bigger picture, all three passages ask us what we value most. Do we value things below or are eyes focussed elsewhere? Have we fixed our eyes on the light. If the saying is true that the ‘eyes are the window to the soul’ then fixing our eyes on Jesus is the healthiest thing we can do. To look anywhere else is dangerous.
