See To It, Then

See To It, Then

Luke 11:34-36 and Matthew 6:22-24

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Today we listen to another parable of Jesus that instructs us not to listen but to look. In this chapter of the Gospel of Luke Jesus teaches us “The Lord’s Prayer and defines for us the importance of obedience through faith versus obedience through legalism. Wanting to obey God’s word versus having to obey God’s word.

There were prominent religious leaders present with the crowds while Jesus went through these parables. His words were meant as much for their hearing as it was for the common folk. Religion had become a construct of man with a long list of laws and offences and for too long faith, the gift of God had been neglected. It is this living faith that Jesus wants us to see with our eyes and take into our bodies.

This verse along with Matthew 6:22-24 are often diluted to a phrase Jesus never used; “the eyes are the window to the soul”. That’s not exactly what Jesus is saying here so let’s go back and re-read Jesus words so that they are not lost in translation. Jesus said “Your eye is the lamp of your body.” I take that to mean that our eyes serve a vital function for our bodies. “When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light.”

Healthy eyes allow light to be dispersed throughout our entire body. Every cell if you will. Sunlight provides our body with vitamin D3 and the ultraviolet light helps lower our blood pressure. But Jesus is talking of another kind of light here. The light of God. It provides even greater benefits. “But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.” Unhealthy eyes fail to let the light in and the result is a body that is full of darkness. Again every cell is affected.

“See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.”

It is our responsibility to be sure our eyes are healthy instead of unhealthy. We alone have the power to open or close them to the light. We have a choice. We cannot blame God’s word or the preacher or our parents for failing to open our eyes to the light. The power to do so rests with us.

Letting the light in will be of benefit to the whole body, every part, heart, mind, and soul. Failing to let in the light will result in darkness affecting every part.

Jesus warns us to “see to it, then” that the light within us is not darkness. That’s an interesting phrase Jesus is using here.

Can darkness be understood as a kind of light? Yes.

Have you ever heard of black light? If you grew up in the 60’s or 70’s you may recall buying a black light that would illuminate a poster or an album cover.

There actually is such a thing as black light. It is just one part of the spectrum of light. It’s actually ultraviolet light not black but it is so dark that it is called black.

God designed our human eye to see just a small portion of the light spectrum that is in light energy. It may be for our own benefit. If we could see the full spectrum of light energy we might not like what we see illuminated around us.

Today science is trying to see beyond our physical restrictions in an effort to better understand light, space and time. In the very near future science believes it will open doorways or portals that until now have been closed to us. What is on the other side is unknown to us but science is still pushing to know.

In some ways we are living at a time similar to the Tower of Babel when mankind thought they could build a tower to the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. You can read Genesis Chapter 11 to see how that turned out.

Either way letting in light or letting in darkness will result in the whole body being affected positively or negatively.

36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”