“The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.””
Luke 11:34-36 NKJV
I remember an English teacher saying to our class, “when you see the word ‘therefore,’ jump back a few words and see what it is THERE for. That word should grab your attention and cause you to re-read the sentence before.”
So naturally, that habit is engrained in me. When I see that word, I stop, scan back with my eyes, and reread.
In this passage, Luke is comparing the eye to the lamp of the body. It’s important – what goes in through the eyes infiltrates the everything – your mind, thoughts, imagination, will, and emotions. For those that are sighted individuals, our eyes are constantly gathering data, inputting it into our brains so we can make decisions. Science shows that we first experience things in our emotional center of our brain before it can go anywhere else. I remember the trauma I experienced in 2018 and what stuck with me most, even until today, was what I SAW. It took me a long time to process and make sense of it. I know from experience what the eyes see, matters.
I’m sure there’s a lot more science and truth to this passage than I can ascertain on the surface. I know how to close my eyes when it’s too bright outside and remember how I taught my kids to “bounce their eyes” from things in the world – which they still do, almost as a reflex.
Yeshua is imparting wisdom to the crowds which ring true to us today if we’ll just pay attention: guard your eye gate. Be mindful what you set before you. Protect yourself by turning off the TV or computer. Do not feast your eyes on things that are contrary to His word or His presence. Everything in this world either exalts Him or it exalts the enemy. It’s that simple and that profound. Today’s passage is a good reminder to filter a little more carefully and choose a little more wisely what I watch and look at. It’s past time to take heed again of what is before me.
Father – thank You for Your Word and how You lovingly convict. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Luke 11, Matthew 12:22-50
October 14, 2022