hotcoffee
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The Lamp of the Body
g.Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
h.Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
Boy I've heard a lot of preachers talk about the light of a candle. Still I had to take a break before commenting on these four verses. Sure I understand how putting the candle of my faith out on a lampstand for everyone to see. I try anyway.
But then He threw me a curve ball when He started talking about the eyes.
I've heard, over and over again, "the eyes are the window of the soul". There's another common saying "I can't believe my eyes". Have you ever seen a light so bright that you have to close your eyes to defend yourself?
I've heard that you can tell if someone is truthful by looking at the eyes. Some people have said that the person telling you the truth can look you straight in the eye. I found this link that claims there are other indications of truth and fiction found in the eyes.
Remember, though, Jesus had just said "this is a wicked generation". What did He see in those eyes when He looked out at them. Did He look out on the thousands of people and see only zombie in their eyes? Were they like zombies following Him only to be healed of whatever ailment was bothering them only to go back to their dark lives after being healed? Did He see thousands of people without hope because they were afraid to have faith?
Now think of the people you see in church. What do their eyes tell you? Some of the people I've seen in churches over the years have had lying eyes. Let's be honest. Are there people in churches who only go because it's expected? Are they hiding something like the lack of true faith?
Likewise, when you think of the people in your church, are there people who normally have faith in their eyes who seemed to have dull eyes lately. That could be a sign of an old demon hiding in there somewhere. Maybe they need a hug or encouragement.
Think of the people you run into every day, in the grocery store or at work. Do you see faith in their eyes? Aren't there some people you would like to talk to and some you would like to avoid?
I believe, that's what Jesus is talking about here. Jesus said He could drive all the demons out of you but after a while those same demons come back and when they find you empty, they bring friends.
Those demons are the darkness that sucks the light out of you. I knew an engineer that called light bulbs "dark suckers". Using his analogy, demons are light suckers.
When I started writing my thoughts on these verses, I didn't think there was a whole lot to say about it. Everyone knows that when you light a candle you don't put it under a bushel basket [it would catch on fire...lol] and putting a bowl over a candle would starve it and cause the flame to go out. That makes perfect sense, right?
But Jesus talked about the eyes and the light within. That seems to be a bit more complicated. The secret that Jesus is unraveling here is quite simple. If you have Jesus Christ in your life, it shows.
Luke 11:33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
g.Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
h.Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
Boy I've heard a lot of preachers talk about the light of a candle. Still I had to take a break before commenting on these four verses. Sure I understand how putting the candle of my faith out on a lampstand for everyone to see. I try anyway.
But then He threw me a curve ball when He started talking about the eyes.
I've heard, over and over again, "the eyes are the window of the soul". There's another common saying "I can't believe my eyes". Have you ever seen a light so bright that you have to close your eyes to defend yourself?
I've heard that you can tell if someone is truthful by looking at the eyes. Some people have said that the person telling you the truth can look you straight in the eye. I found this link that claims there are other indications of truth and fiction found in the eyes.
Remember, though, Jesus had just said "this is a wicked generation". What did He see in those eyes when He looked out at them. Did He look out on the thousands of people and see only zombie in their eyes? Were they like zombies following Him only to be healed of whatever ailment was bothering them only to go back to their dark lives after being healed? Did He see thousands of people without hope because they were afraid to have faith?
Now think of the people you see in church. What do their eyes tell you? Some of the people I've seen in churches over the years have had lying eyes. Let's be honest. Are there people in churches who only go because it's expected? Are they hiding something like the lack of true faith?
Likewise, when you think of the people in your church, are there people who normally have faith in their eyes who seemed to have dull eyes lately. That could be a sign of an old demon hiding in there somewhere. Maybe they need a hug or encouragement.
Think of the people you run into every day, in the grocery store or at work. Do you see faith in their eyes? Aren't there some people you would like to talk to and some you would like to avoid?
I believe, that's what Jesus is talking about here. Jesus said He could drive all the demons out of you but after a while those same demons come back and when they find you empty, they bring friends.
Those demons are the darkness that sucks the light out of you. I knew an engineer that called light bulbs "dark suckers". Using his analogy, demons are light suckers.
When I started writing my thoughts on these verses, I didn't think there was a whole lot to say about it. Everyone knows that when you light a candle you don't put it under a bushel basket [it would catch on fire...lol] and putting a bowl over a candle would starve it and cause the flame to go out. That makes perfect sense, right?
But Jesus talked about the eyes and the light within. That seems to be a bit more complicated. The secret that Jesus is unraveling here is quite simple. If you have Jesus Christ in your life, it shows.