“The Lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light” -Matthew 6:22
Many quotes people use trace back to the Bible. The Bible influences numerous sayings and expressions, in everyday language. For example, “There is nothing new under the sun” didn’t originate with Shakespeare, but with King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:9.
But there are some sayings that are said to be in the Bible that are not like, God helps those who help themselves and godliness is next to cleanliness.
This is the problem with cliché phrases, and sayings. They are overused and often get misconstrued and misunderstood. Also, the context and where the originated is lost or forgotten.
Figurative language is especially prone to misunderstanding or being taken the wrong way or too literally. . When someone uses figurative language, we need to discern what they meant by what they said.
Most people can take things intended to be understood in a literal sense and convert the meaning to some abstract or theatrical sense.
The idea of eyes as a window to the soul is often taken to mean that others are able to see into another person’s soul or heart. But Jesus indicates the eye as a gateway, for what the person takes into their own heart. The lamp of the body is the eye refers to a candle or small, portable lamp set on a lamp stand. A source of light to see.
How Jesus uses this word relates to what we see outside of ourselves and what we allow to be taken into our minds and hearts. Think of the light as a figure or truth, the truth of God and His kingdom.
Science tells us how our physical health is connected to our internal health. Not just the effect of anxiety or stress, but physical health based on good nutrition, exercise, exercise, and a good immune system system.
When light (God’s truth) come through our eyes and into our minds and hearts, then our whole body is full of light also. Remember, we are not just a body, we are a soul and spirit within a body.
Consequently, if we let darkness come into our inner being, it will result in the unhealthiness of our life. The dark invade and spread throughout our lives.
John 3:19-21 tells us “This is condemnation, that the light has into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deed were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
When we seek to embrace the light, it makes us whole. But when we choose darkness over light, it corrupt us, and the darkness tends to overwhelm and block out the light in us..
The Lord knows who, and in what we trust. But too often, we are so caught up in all we do within a given day that we don’t realize where we are placing our trust.
What we entertain in our minds or carry in our hearts has a direct impact on our health and our inner being and character.
when we focus on Jesus and His kingdom we will be whole and healthy in our hearts. 1 John 1:5 tells us, “God is light” and He’s the creator of light. There is no darkness in Him.
When we embrace the glare of this world that masquerades as light, it’s only a matter of time before we are filled with its darkness.
