The gospels from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 and 6) continue and in many ways the underlying question remains for whom and with whom are we choosing to be formed; who and what are we becoming.
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” (Matthew 6:22-23)
This brief saying of Jesus in Gospel of Matthew 6:22-23 is one of the more intriguing passages in the Sermon on the Mount. At first hearing, it can sound cryptic. Yet in its biblical context, it is the gateway to a profound reflection on discipleship; one that is especially relevant in our visually saturated, media-driven world.
The passage comes immediately after Jesus’ teaching about storing up treasures in heaven (“Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”) and immediately before his teaching that “You cannot serve God and mammon.” This placement is important. Jesus is not changing the subject. He is speaking about how our desires, values, and choices are shaped.
The New American Bible translates the Greek word haplous as “sound.” The word carries several meanings: healthy, whole, sincere, single-minded, or generous. Many biblical scholars think Jesus is describing an eye that is undivided in its focus on God. The “sound eye” sees reality clearly because it is not distorted by greed, envy, or selfish ambition. In Jewish tradition, the “good eye” was often associated with generosity. A person with a “good eye” looked upon others with compassion and shared freely. By contrast, a person with an “evil eye” was stingy, jealous, or resentful. For example, in Book of Proverbs 22:9 (NAB), we read: “The generous will be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” The Hebrew literally speaks of one who has a “good eye.”
Jesus continues: “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.” We are not talking about diminished eyesight, but to a way of seeing the world that is distorted. An unhealthy eye can be clouded by greed, envy, prejudice, resentment, lust, pride, or materialism. Such a person may physically see clearly but spiritually perceive very little.
Our eyes are not merely windows through which we see the world; they are also windows through which our values enter our lives..
“If the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” Jesus is warning against self-deception. The greatest danger is not knowing that one is in darkness, believing one’s darkness is actually light. We justify selfishness, rationalize dishonesty, or allow resentment to become “common sense.” Spiritual blindness often begins with small compromises.
These days we live in an age in which our eyes are constantly occupied with social media, advertising, movies, videos, streaming services, all with endless scrolling. Jesus invites us to ask not only, “What am I looking at?” but also, “What is shaping the way I see.” If we constantly consume anger, outrage, envy, fear, or consumerism, those things begin to color our vision of the world. Conversely, if we regularly contemplate Christ in prayer, read Scripture, notice beauty, practice gratitude, and look upon others with compassion, our vision becomes clearer. The question is not simply what enters our eyes but what kind of eyes we are developing.
Back in the day photographers spoke about “developing” film in a darkroom. What emerged on the photograph depended on what the camera had been focused on. In much the same way, our souls gradually develop according to what we habitually look at and dwell upon.
- If we spend our lives looking for reasons to criticize, we become critical people.
- If we look for reasons to be grateful, we become grateful people.
- If we look for opportunities to serve, we become servants.
- If we look upon others with the eyes of Christ, our own hearts begin to resemble his.
For ultimately, Christian discipleship is not just about seeing the world differently. It is about learning to see the world and every person in it with the eyes of Christ.
What kind of eyes will you ask God to give you?
Image credit: Sermon on the Mount (1877) by Carl Heinrich Bloch, Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, Public Domain
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