Double Vision
Double Vision
Matthew 6:19-24
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body
will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and money.
Matthew 6 records portions of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and this passage is
one of the more familiar portions of it. This passage is bookended by very easy to
understand, straightforward teaching. In vvs. 19-21 Jesus explains that earthly
treasures will rot away and can be taken away from you, but heavenly treasures
are enduring. In vs. 24 Jesus explains that you can’t live in two camps, your heart
can’t have divided attention, you have to choose the team you want to play for.
Either serve the King of Kings or the god of money.
But between those two easy to understand teachings is something a little less
clear. In vvs. 22-23 we read: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is
healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole
body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the
darkness!” What is Jesus trying to teach us here?
On the surface this passage can be a little confusing. The word “eye” here is used
in a few different ways in the New Testament and by looking at those we can get a
better idea of what Jesus is trying to tell us.
It is sometimes used to refer to an actual eye.
Matthew 5:38: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.”
Matthew 7:3: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but
do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
And it’s sometimes used to refer to our hearts or emotions.
Mark 7:21-22: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil
thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting,
wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
Jesus uses this same word of “eye” to refer to “envy”. That’s why the notion of
“eye” here can also be translated by Strong’s as “a jealous side-glance”. It’s the
thing that we look at and want to have.
It’s also interesting here that “healthy” is an alternative translation of the word
“single”. Jesus is contrasting singleness of vision to unhealthy vision. Our hearts
can be set on ONE thing, or we can have an overflow of darkness in our lives.
And he uses that stark alternative to set up the famous phrase that follows it, that
we cannot serve two masters.
Let’s read vvs. 22-23 again with this better understanding of the language Jesus
used.
The eye is the lamp of the body. The thing that you jealously look at and are
envious of, is the lamp of your body. It’s what “lights up your life”. The thing
you desire is what illuminates you. So, if your eye is healthy, If you have
singleness of desire, if you set your heart on only one thing your whole body
will be full of light your life will be full of light and goodness, but if your eye is
bad if you don’t have singleness of vision, if you jealously desire two opposing
things, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is
darkness your life will be “illuminated” by darkness, how great is the
darkness!
This naturally leads to Jesus’ final statement that you cannot serve two masters.
You cannot live a life of desire for earthly things that can be corrupted and desire
for heavenly things, too.
If your children or spouse or a friend complained of double vision, we’d naturally
assume something was wrong and rush them to the doctor. We can’t live our
spiritual lives this way either. Jealously desiring things of this world is in
contrast to a knowledge of a better life after this one. Let’s be people of single
vision, single purpose, and single hearts.
- Eric Wise
______
True Conviction
Two men were watching another man parading down the street carrying
a sign which read: “The World Will End Tomorrow!”
One of them asked the other, “Well, what should we do about that?”
His friend smiled and said, “Ask him if he’ll give you his credit cards.”
People often pay lip service to some belief, but are not willing to back it
up with action that demonstrates true conviction.
If the person who spreads gossip deserves to be
hanged by his tongue, shouldn’t the one who listens to it be hanged by his ears?
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