Daily Devotional For Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Good morning Southside. It’s “Hump Day” – Wednesday. We are making our way through Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount. You can read this sermon in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7. We are currently looking at Matthew 6:19-24:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; (21) for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (22) “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. (23) But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (24) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (NASB).
So, today let’s focus on verses 22-23. In these verses Jesus uses the “eye” to refer to the “heart.” The lamp, or lens, of the body is the eye, through which all light comes to us. It is the only channel of light we possess, and therefore our only means of vision. Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:
“The heart is the eye of the soul, through which the illumination of every spiritual experience shines. It is through our hearts that God’s truth, love, peace, and every other spiritual blessing comes to us. When our hearts, our spiritual eyes, are clear, then our whole body will be full of light” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 413).
The Greek New Testament word that is translated as “clear” in verse 22 is [ἁπλοῦς, haplous]. This word can also be translated as the word “single.” In this case, Jesus is saying that an “eye”that is clear represents a heart that has a single-minded devotion. British pastor and author Charles Ryle, once wrote: “Singleness of purpose is one great secret of spiritual prosperity” (Source: Charles Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: St. Matthew, p. 56). We see this same word used to be translated as “liberally” and “generously.” Look the following verses:
- Romans 12:8, “He who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (NASB).
- 2 Corinthians 9:11, “You will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (NASB).
- James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (NASB).
So what is Matthew 6:22-23 saying? It is saying that if our heart, represented by the eye, is generous (clear), our whole spiritual life will be flooded with spiritual understanding, or light. And the opposite is true also. If our eye is bad, then the light is limited or cannot enter at all. Remember the context of Matthew 6:19-24 is about our “treasures.” So, if our eye is blocked by material things, wealth, money, and possessions, then we become blind and insensitive to spiritual things. In verse 24, Jesus used the word “bad.” This is the Greek New Testament word [πονηρός, poenros]. This means “evil.” Other translations say “evil eye,” which is a Jewish colloquialism that means grudging, or stingy, or hostile. Look at the following:
- Deuteronomy 15:9, “Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin” (ESV).
- Proverbs 23:6, “Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies” (ESV).
- Proverbs 28:22, “A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him” (ESV).
The “eye” that is bad is the “heart” that is selfishly indulgent, hoards it only for themselves because they assume it is theirs to begin with in life. The person who is materialistic, close-fisted, and greedy is spiritually blind. Because he has no way of recognizing true light, he thinks he has light when he does not. What is thought to be light is therefore really darkness, and because of the self-deception, how great is the darkness!
Such people are in real trouble as New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes:
“This could mean a sort of “double vision”—trying to focus on God and earthly possessions. It will lead to gloom in life and darkness in eternity. How great is that darkness for those who see the light but are not focused on God. Materialism destroys the whole self. In these words, Jesus was calling his followers to undivided loyalty—eyes fixed and focused on him” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Study Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 122).
New Testament scholar William Barlay summarizes these two verses this way:
“So Jesus is saying: ‘There is nothing like generosity for giving you a clear and undistorted view of life and of people; and there is nothing like the grudging and ungenerous spirit for distorting your view of life and of people” (Source: William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series, “Matthew,” p. 284). The word translated as clear, pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this: “The word translated “clear” is haplous [573], which means “motivated by singleness of purpose so as to be open and aboveboard, single, without guile, sincere, straightforward” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Matthew 1-15, Vol. 1A, p. 120).
British New Testament scholar Randolf Vincent Greenwood Tasker writes this:
“In other words, we need to have clarity of focus, not double-sightedness or double-mindedness. One commentator puts it well: “Jesus, using this language metaphorically, affirms that if a man’s spiritual sense is healthy and his affections directed towards heavenly treasure, his whole personality will be without blemish; but if that spiritual sense is diseased by a false sense of values, or by covetousness, or by a grudging ungenerous spirit, he will rapidly become disingenuous” (Source: Randolf Vincent Greenwood Tasker, The Gospel According To St. Matthew: An Introduction And Commentary, p. 75).
Questions To Consider
- When it comes to your talents, tithe and treasures, are you generous?
- Do you ever struggle with spiritual “double blindness”? If so, how do you deal with it? When are you most vulnerable to this?
- Would Jesus Christ say you have a singleness of purpose to do God’s will? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 26:12, “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (ESV).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, help me to be generous with everything You have given me. It is all Yours. Let me use all that I have to build Your Kingdom, serve Your church, minister to others and make a difference for Jesus Christ. I love You Jesus. Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly