Servitude

We last spoke of the treasure; wherever your treasure is, your heart is there also. It is interesting to see that after the Lord speaks about the heart that He then speaks about the eyes. It has been said that the eyes are a window to the soul. Even so the eye is also likened to a lamp in the next two verses.

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness." Matthew 6:22-23a, NKJV

This word lamp is actually light in the original King James version. It needs to be understood that the two words for light are very different which may be the reason why the writers of the New King James version decided to replace it with the word lamp.

The eye is the lamp of the body. In essence we might be able to say that the eye shows the body which way to move and turn in the same way that a lamp exposes a room.

Jesus then goes on to describe two different types of eyes, good and bad. If the eye is good then your whole body will be full of light. The phrase "full of light" is translated from a single word, photeinos. Photeinos means to be "composed of light". In order to be full of light, the eye must then be good. It is also interesting to note that the original King James uses the word single in this passage. A singularity in our life causes goodness? Just think of it like focus. One can only focus on one thing at a time, that singularity of focus should be none other then Jesus Christ. If the focus if Jesus, then nothing but good can come from it.

But if the eye is bad, then the body is full of darkness. As I study this verse, it opens more and more and becomes more understandable. The word bad, or evil, comes from the word poneros. Poneros is a Greek word that means "full of labors, annoyances and hardships". Where is the focus, not on Jesus. If there is no light then only darkness abounds.

In the second part of verse 23 we have a bit of a paradox.

"If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:23b, NKJV

Remember the light spoken of is a singularity, a focus. Here the word is the same used in Matthew 5:14 which refers to a light for everyone else to see. If our focus is on anything other than the things of God, we are not emitting light, but rather darkness. How great is that darkness when we expose others to that same darkness! There no greater sin than to lead others away from the Lord.

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other." Matthew 6:24a, NKJV

We are now taken to the illusion of serving two different masters. It is a truism in any culture, ethnicity or age. If you have ever had two jobs, this is a concept that you would understand. One of the jobs that you have is your primary job and the other job must be scheduled around that one because this is where your loyalty lies.

Moreover, Jesus is bringing us to a concept of contention. It is an epic battle between good and evil or the spirit and the flesh. Only one can win out in your life, in my life. It is a constant battle fought by man throughout the ages. Everyday one must ready himself for battle, as Paul wrote in Ephesians.

"You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24b, NKJV

This word mammon is always attributed to riches. You cannot serve God and riches. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. One cannot have two masters. There must be a singularity in our lives, a focus. Realize, however, that whatever focus you choose will effect the world around you.