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, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, 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.” ~ Luke 11:33-36
Metaphorically, the world is both defined by light and darkness at all times. This is the most universal experience we all share. This universal experience in the physical world is a doorway into understanding the metaphoric meaning of light and darkness in the spiritual world.
Light reveals and darkness conceals. This is why blindness is so limiting. Light is everywhere. A blind person can't perceive it. All that light, all that revelation, and it's useless. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus is addressing here today in our text. It's not a question of light, it's a question of sight.
These religious leaders did not benefit from the light because they refused to accept the facts. When the Lord Jesus called into question the legitimacy of their spirituality, they did not humble themselves. In fact, they became so embittered toward Him, they refused to believe that He was the Messiah. And thus, they refused to be saved from sin and themselves.
In v.33 we read, "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." God’s Word is a light that shines in this dark world, but it is not enough that the light is shining externally, it must enter our hearts before it can do any good in our lives.
In v.34 we read, "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness." The issue is not the lack of light, it is the lack of sight. Seeing depends on the condition of the eyes which are the lamps to the body. Our eyes are not the light, our eyes are the organs that delivers the light to our minds and therefore gives us the ability to see. When our eyes are clear, our whole bodies are full of light. It's the only organ channeling light to the mind. But when the eyes are bad, the body is full of darkness.
Notice the phrase "when your eyes are healthy." The word “healthy” is a word that means “single” or “holding nothing back.” The only way we see the light is to be singularly focused on the Lord Jesus. Of course, we will not be perfect at doing this, but the more we become more singularly minded, the more light or truth we will recognize and see and understand.
In v.35 we read, "See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness." Before saying this, the Lord Jesus knew what their response was going to be: They saw themselves as the ones who understood all truth. So, He says, "The light in you may in fact be darkness."
Then in v.36 we read, "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." For those who turn from the sin that blinds, for those who will honestly ask God to open their eyes, the gift of sight opens up limitless horizons.
The word "whole," the word "full," and then on the negative side, the phrases, "no part of it," and then "full of light," all shed light on the subject at hand. It isn't until we become Christian do we get a little bit of light. Becoming a believer and having our spiritual eyes opened opens limitless vision to us so that we understand everything. We go from total blindness to spiritually sight.
There will come a day when God turns out the light and since some won't believe, they can't believe. Since Israel wouldn't, they couldn't. If a person never comes to the light, it is questionable how long God is going to let the light shine.
Three men in the Bible illustrate this truth. They began in the light and ended up in the darkness. Samson means “sunny,” yet he ended up a blind slave in a dark dungeon because he yielded to the “lust of the flesh.”
Lot began as a pilgrim with his uncle Abraham. He ended as a drunk in a cave, committing incest, because he yielded to “the lust of the eyes." Lot wanted to serve two masters and look in two directions!
King Saul began his reign as a humble leader, but his pride led him to a witch’s cave, and he died of suicide on the field of battle. His sin was “the pride of life”; he would not humble him- self and obey the will of God.
Each of us is controlled either by light or darkness. The frightening thing is, like the religious leaders of the Lord Jesus day, some have been so hardened to the Lord they cannot tell the difference! They think they are following the light when, in reality, they are following the darkness.
How do we prevent walking in the darkness? By being in His word. We must begin each day in His word, seeking Him through it for He is the object of our pursuit, and it is through His word that we seek Him. Then, His word will become a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet.
