Title: The Lamp of Your Body is Your Eye
It is said that we humans have three types of eyes, the physical eyes, the rational eyes, and the spiritual eyes. All parts of our body are important, but the eyes are especially important. If you look at the Bible (Isa 59:10), it says that the blind is those who grope even during the day and are bound to fall. Also, in today’s text (Luk 11:34-36), He says, ‘The lamp of your body is your eye’, and people with good eyes are people whose lives are bright as if a lamp is turned on, and people with bad eyes are people who live in darkness.
Looking at how important our eyes are and how difficult it is to heal the bad eyes; the Bible says that one of the things that the Messiah will do when He comes is to open the eyes of the blind (Isa 29:18; Mat 11:5). Our eyes must be good, but the most important thing is the eyes of spiritual faith. This is because only when these spiritual eyes are opened can we stand before God, and when these eyes of faith are open, we can be recognized by God as human beings and fulfill the duty given to us.
Physically speaking, just as the visual acuity of the eyes and how well one can see is more important than the presence of absence of eyes, it is also important to have the blessed spiritual eyes that can see what they are supposed to see. So, let’s think about what kind of eyes are the blessed eyes, who are allowed with these eyes, and what kind of effort should be made to own these eyes.
- Blessed are the eyes that see rightly
You must have your spiritual eyes open, and you must be able to see what God is doing through the spiritual eyes, so that you can fulfill the mission given to you.
- With her eyes opened, Hagar saw the water of life (Gen 21:19)
Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, were expelled from Abraham’s house after Isaac was born. Hagar and Ishmael, who were wandering in the wilderness, ran out of food and water, and faced a situation where they had no choice but to die. However, in the Bible, it is recorded that Hagar cried loudly because of this, and God heard Hagar’s voice. Then God opened Hagar’s eyes to her and let her find a well of water.
This is not because Hagar was humanly pitiful and God listened to her voice, but because Hagar repented and acknowledged her own position and prayed to God.
Hagar neglected her mistress Sarah ever since she gave birth to Ishmael. Also, Ishmael mocked Isaac. They thought they were the protagonists of Abraham’s family and that they were the protagonists of God’s work, but God told them Isaac was the heir of the promise and He would only work though Isaac (Gal 4:29-30). When Hagar was driven into the wilderness and was about to die, she accepted and acknowledged God’s plan. Hagar’s great lamentation was a prayer to repent of her arrogance, therefore, God opened her eyes and let her find the spring water and make a great nation through Ishmael like how He promised to Hagar before.
- With his eyes opened, Balaam saw the scourge of God’s wrath (Num 22:31)
This was during the battle between Israel and Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, did not have the confidence to win the battle against Israel. So, he came up with a trick, he thought if he bribed Israel’s prophet Balaam to put a curse on Israel, they would be able to win the war. Balaam was blinded by the money he saw, so he went his way to curse Israel as Balak wanted, but the donkey that Balaam rode looked at the angel of God standing in front of Balaam and didn’t want to move forward. As Balaam couldn’t see the situation properly, God finally opened Balaam’s eyes and made him look at the angel of God standing in front of him. Then, Balaam fell to the ground face down.
- With their eyes opened, the two disciples on their way to Emmaus finally understand the Word of the Bible accurately (Luk 24:44-45).
The event of Jesus dying on the cross was a great victory for us, but it was a great shock to the disciples of Jesus at that time, and it was an event like a great defeat. Because they believed in Jesus, who proclaimed eternal life, would never die. So, after a great disappointment, the two disciples were going down to Emmaus, and met the resurrected Jesus on the road. Jesus opened the spiritual eyes of the two disciples for them to understand the Bible. We can see the two disciples, who were engulfed in great disappointment, return to Jerusalem, where they may die right away is now full of morale and mission.
However, on the contrary, there are many people who have become the main characters of tragedy as a result of not accurately grasping what they are looking at: the Jews and Pharisees (Mat 23:26).
Judas Iscariot was chosen as a disciple who served and worked right next to Jesus, he rather walked the path of betraying Jesus because his spiritual eyes were not opened. Pilate also knew that Jesus was innocent and he could have played the role of making known the innocence of Jesus Christ to the whole world, but he was swayed by the political situation and rather took the role of sentencing Jesus to death (Jhn 18:38-19:1).
If you want your spiritual eyes opened, you must desire to understand the Bible. When Lydia, a merchant in Thyatira, heard Paul’s sermon, God opened her heart. It was because she had faith and a heart of gratitude that honoured God (Acts 16:14).
Conclusion: Our spirits are the lamps of the Lord (Pro 20:27)
When we realize the Word and light up the lamp in our souls, then we can live a victorious life following the invisible word and its power. When the two disciples came to realize Jesus through the Word, the Lord became visible to them and vanished. (Luk 24:31)
Although Jesus was no longer visible to their physical eyes, He was always with them in spirit. I believe that this is the result of the opening of the spiritual eyes. Even if we can’t see Him with our physical eyes, we can trust that he is with us right now. And even if we can’t touch Him with our physical hands, we can still believe in Him.
What are your eyes seeing right now? Are you fulfilling the mission by seeing exactly what you need to see? Also, can you be sure of the brightness (acuity) of your spiritual eyes? I hope you have bright eyes that see exactly what you need to see.
Those eyes are the eyes that can see resurrected Lord. These eyes are given only to those who are born again. I hope you always keep close to the Word and walk the path of a powerful witness with bright eyes. I believe that the Lord joyfully reveals His truth to such a person. I will pray again in the name of the Lord that these blessings be with you today.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 