YAHSHUA said, the eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light. But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you is darkened, how dense is that darkness! (Matt. 6:22-23). The darkness that envelopes the soul is reflected by the way we judge others. Eve heard the deceitful words from the serpent and she believed him. Darkness simultaneously took hold of her soul and lust overcame her when directing her eyes at the prohibited fruit. Lust comes from the eyes. First John 2:15-16 says, Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] these do not come from the Father but are from the world. The eye, as the lamp of the body, is clearly understood by looking into someone’s eyes. The expression of the soul, good or evil is obvious. Because nothing good lives in us according to the Bible, much is seen that is not good. As a matter of fact, the heart of men is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9); for from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, and adultery (Matt. 7:21). Through the eyes our heart shows the most poignant picture of itself. “For the eyes are not merely a window of the soul, but a reflection of the state of our mind.” The physical eye is a hole in the body, as the ears, the mouth, nostrils. An optometrist physician and nutritionist can in fact by via the eye of his patient, see nerves, blood vessels and its flow through the body. Physically, the eye is a lamp that projects men’s health condition; and it also reflects the emotional and mental conditions.
The eye carries a heavy load of responsibility in the physical and also in the spiritual, emotional aspects of life. YAHSHUA said, If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be throw into the hell of fire (Matt. 18:9). As a window to the soul, it can lead to lust and ultimately, to sin. I imagine that a blind person will not have a problem of lust that comes from looking at something or a person; but only that which is classified as sin of iniquity. The eye as a lamp, it is for sure a wonderful thing. It opens to us the beautiful world God created; It awakens the soul the feeling of melancholy to creativity, an attitude of praise and adoration for the Creator-God. Take a moment to observe the firmament at night. Countless beauty is displayed before our eyes. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! Paul exclaimed, how unfathomable are His judgments! And how untraceable are His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has been His counselor? … For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever! Amen (Rom. 11:33-34,36).
Am I not permitted to do what I choose with what is mine? Is your eye evil because I am good? (Matt. 20:15). Here, in this parable, YAHSHUA points out the fact of one’s bad judgment against the goodness of a man. He uses the expression, “Is your eye evil because I am good”? The eye reflecting the evil of the heart, shows an unjust judgment rooted in envy and jealousy. So, it is that the eye is the lamp of the soul, not hiding any feeling otherwise not known in the open. Seemly, our face is as an open book, as our eye shines what is going on with the soul. The eye also reflects not only the emotional, and mental state of the soul, but also the state of the physical body. Judging others for what we are and think, are a misconception of the truth. The eye that sees only evil is filled with darkness and lost in its way of judging others. It is a darkness that only God can remove by transforming the person at the time of his new birth. Even then, we are still prone to evil. The lust of the eye and of the flesh has led many to perdition. One example of it is pornography. Innocent children have been victims of such evil and have been killed, after sexually abused. The lust of the eye must be acknowledged and dealt with before lives are destroyed. The Bible guides us not to cherish the world or the things that in the world (I John 2:15-16).
Blessed are the eyes that see good in every circumstance; that see good in people, in spite of what is transpired without knowledge of truth. YAHSHUA said, Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves (Matt.7:1). Critical and judging eyes are signs of self-righteousness. Next time we are tempted to criticize or judge, let’s remember our own faults before God. May He give us grace to perceive with His understanding and hear with His discernment.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Light from the Word 