The Lamp Of Body

by Terrell, J. D. | Category: General | Oct 1994

An enchanting landscape; a starry sky; a butterfly's wing. Everyday? Commonplace? Entirely dependent in fact for their appreciation on one of the body's finest marvels.

The complexity of the structure and function of the human eye is breathtaking and beautiful. The near spherical contours; the points of attachment of the eye muscles; the angles at which the globe is set within its socket, and in relation to its "twin" on the other side. All of these combine, in a marvellously coordinated action, to produce a picture with clarity, colour and depth, richly conveying meaning to our minds.

In Matthew 6:22 the Lord Jesus declared, "The lamp of the body is the eye" speaking of our remarkably efficient transmitter and regulator of light. "If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light". "Single" here, of course, means simple and true, not clouded or squint. Here is one of the most telling spiritual lessons from the eye.

The Lord said on another occasion, "I am the Light of the world" (John 8:12). Defects in our eyes can obscure and blur the picture, e.g. injury to the clear cornea, or clouding of the lens in cataract. Weakness or damage to the

eye muscles can throw the eye out of balance and cause squint. So, if we allow other things, perhaps wrong desires or friendships, perhaps paying too much attention to other people's ideas, the clear, pure light of God's Word could become clouded or distorted in our minds. Let us aim for an unclouded and undistorted passage of God's truth from His Word into our hearts and minds.

One extremely simple thing we tend to forget about our eyes is our power to shut them! Our eyelids are an indispensable part of the intricate mechanism of vision; and they are firmly under our control! The message of the "wise monkey" - see no evil cannot always be applied but it does remind us that there are many things we should close our eyes to because of the unwholesome images they convey to our minds. And as smartly as a platoon of soldiers responds to "Eyes right" we too should remember that we must direct our vision to things that are honourable and beautiful - our world is full of beauty. Those without sight fill us with admiration for their resourcefulness. Let those of us who enjoy this faculty open our eyes and direct them to God's glory.

Terrell, J. D. | Oct 1994
General