Day 27 (Year 2)

Constantly Heeding the Light Within

Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.” (Luke 11:34-35 NASB)

Compared to the similar account in Matthew chapter 6, the record of Jesus’ words here adds the phrase “watch out.” The Greek word for this, skopeo, is a present-tense imperative, meaning “to fix one’s eyes upon, direct one’s attention to, or to look to.” In other words, believers must constantly pay attention to the light of God within ourselves and not let it grow dim so as to keep the eyes of our hearts sensitive. Indeed, the battle between darkness and light occurs every moment in every person’s heart. At the very least, we need to examine ourselves every night before sleep: Has anything that happened during the day weakened the divine radiance within? If so, we must thoroughly repent and seek God’s help to improve ourselves.

Furthermore, the word “body” (soma in Greek), which appears twice in the text, can also mean “heavenly body” while referring to the physical body. It can be used for corpses, animals, plants, or even the “backbone” of a family or society. Therefore, “body” in this passage can include the believers’ spiritual aspect. It is possible that if the “light in you” remains shining, the heavenly bodies of our lives will continue to be full of light, but this has nothing to do with whether our physical eyes are sound. After all, our understanding and discernment must always receive God’s illumination, which is superior to having healthy physical eyesight.

The word “clear” in this verse is the same word used in Matthew 6:22, haplous, which also means “sound, whole, single, or good fulfilling its office.” For the eyes of our hearts to be healthy, we must rely on a heart that seeks God single-mindedly. Only when the eye of the heart is focused can it heed everything the Lord wishes to reveal and continue to receive His light. In other words, we must constantly examine our hearts to see whether they possess a pure and single-minded desire to seek God. When the heart’s pursuit of God deviates or becomes distracted, the light within us will become dim. Indeed, one of the schemes of the evil one is to cause us to turn away from light to darkness. Thus, we must care for the condition of our inner life, carefully note any changes, and let the divine radiance shine brighter and brighter.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you in the habit of frequently examining yourself to see if the light of God within you is changing? If necessary, how would you adjust your life and daily routine?

2) Is the eye of your heart whole, functioning properly, and single-mindedly focused on God’s promptings? If there is any deficiency, how will you rely on the Lord to improve it?