Matthew 6:22 TPT “The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in!”
Matthew 6:22 NLT “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.”
The lamp in the Bible is referred to as the Word of God (Jesus) and the lampstand is referred as the Church. In Revelations, Jesus refers the church as a lampstand.
It says in Pslams 119, Your Word is a lamp that guides our feet and a light illuminating our path. In Exodus, when the instructions are given to build the lampstand, it is made of solid gold, and the lamp cups look like the blossoms of an almond tree, complete with buds and petals. Who does the oil represent? The oil is the Holy Spirit! We need both a lamp with a trimmed wick and oil to make a burning light. The burning light is needed to light up the darkness in this world. The wick is trimmed for efficient burning as the foreskin of the heart must be circumcised. The almond tree blossoms early before the leaves in spring. It represents the obedient chosen ones as the almond buds grew on Aaron’s staff of authority. The blossom represents those who quickly obey and are awakened, symbols of spring and rebirth. We are called to be the burning ones, a shining light, just as John the Baptist was described.
Our eyes must be on the Lord. If our eyes are healthy, they will be on the Lord, and as we live in Him and He in us, His Spirit floods into us for revelation. If the lamp is the Word of God, not only do we know His Name as it saves, but we must know His Word, the Bible, and be carriers of Him, which is the Word of God. There are many who know the Word in religious circles, but their eyes are not necessarily on Him as they live in sin and disobedience. Therefore, due to sin and disobedience, they prevent light from coming in because of no oil. Even the foolish virgins were initially saved because they had some oil and were also waiting for Jesus. Getting saved is free through grace, but this is only the beginning. To be filled with extra oil requires us to buy with gold, as the book of Revelation tells the lukewarm church to do so. What is the gold we need to buy more oil? Gold is put through fire and purified to make it valuable. You must be put through the Fire of God, sanctified, co-crucified, abandoned from yourself, and resurrected in Him as you go through the trials and tribulations of life, finding true rebirth and being born into the Kingdom of God. Everything will be new as you are the new person! The old is dead, hammered and hanging on the cross. You are to be the new wine skin able to hold His revelation, wisdom, and power to do His work. The old wine sack can only hold religious doctrine mixed with the world’s tradition.
Matthew 6:23 “But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”
Our eyes can be unhealthy when we are looking and focused on the wrong things. This context is spoken to God’s people and not to the unbelievers. How are we feeling inside as Christians? Are we filled with assurance, peace, and love or with anxiety, chaos, and fear? It may be where our time is spent because where our time is spent is where our treasure is, whether in light or darkness. It is where your mind spends its time. When our body is filled with light, we are illuminating Jesus through the Holy Spirit and thus will not only be the salt but light to the world. The world may not necessarily mean the earth per see, but worldly people and worldly Christians.
We need to give deep thought to this matter.
Additional Comments:
When we read this chapter, what is the wrong focus?
In verse 24, it talks about serving two masters- the other being money or the things associated with the love and enslavement of money that distracts away from God.
What is enslavement to money?
Go to verse 25
Matthew 6:25 TPT “This is why I tell you to NEVER BE WORRIED about your life, for all that you need will be provided, such as food, water, clothing—everything your body needs. Isn’t there more to your life than a meal? Isn’t your body more than clothing?”
Worrying is enslavement!
Senior Pastor Steve Kim