“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! [Matthew 6.22-23]
This passage of scripture is tucked neatly in a teaching by Jesus about money and possessions.
Was it a mistake? Or, did it have everything to do with money and possessions? I think the latter.
When our lives area focused on earthly possessions and material things, that is what our eyes see (note the use of the optical word "focused"). To focus on material things is to doubt God. To focus on material things is to take our own sustenance and material well-being into our own hands. To focus on material things is to ignore what Jesus is saying in this entire passage is most important - God's Kingdom - people. To focus on material things is sin.
Of course, there are 'versions of the truth' that would quote scripture that would justify man's pursuit of material things (like, 1 Timothy 5.8 about providing for one's own). We must remember that the devil quoted scripture when tempting Jesus. While this may appear to be "light" when defending our focus on material things, it is, in fact actually darkness - and deep darkness at that.
The rest of chapter 6 of Matthew continues after the passage above to teach about materialism versus the Kingdom of God. Jesus was very specific that we cannot be divided in our estimation of what is right and what is "necessary." After all, who's estimation of "necessary" really matters - ours or our Master's?
The real question comes down to faith. Jesus clearly pointed out that our needs would be met when we focus first on the needs of others. Our faith (or lack thereof) is revealed in our focus. And, while others may think they see what we are focused on (and have a pretty good estimation of it), we KNOW what we are focused on. There is no doubt in the eyes of the beholder as to what he or she is focused on.
Father, I want to focus on what matters. By the life of Jesus laid down for me, help me to re-focus on Your Kingdom.
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