The windows of the soul

The windows of the soul

Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. – Luke 11:35

Matthew 6:22-23

 22 Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.

 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

The eyes are the windows to the soul. But what exactly do we see when we gaze into the eyes of another person? Eyes provide lots of information regarding another person’s emotional state.

“When people are sad or worried, they furrow their brow, making their eyes look smaller. Yet when people are cheerful, we correctly call them “bright-eyed.” That’s because people raise their eyebrows when they’re happy, making their eyes look bigger and brighter” (Psychology Today).

When we’re truly happy, we not only smile but also crinkle the corners of our eyes in a ‘crow’s feet’ pattern (a Duchenne smile).

“Our eyes don’t lie: they’re windows to the soul. They show the truth, no matter what face we put on, in any situation. The best way to get to know someone is to look them in the eyes and observe what they reveal about their emotional state.”

“Our eyes, just like our body language, give us away, and they say more than we ever could with words. Most of the information we convey is through nonverbal language, which ranges from simple looks to all of the movements we make” (exploringyourmind.com).

REFLECT & PRAY

“The soul can speak through the eyes, and kiss with a look” (Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer).

Father allow others to see your joy, contentment, peace, gentleness, and confidence when they look into my eyes.

INSIGHT

Matthew 6:22-23

 22 Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.

 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

Matthew 6:22 can be also translated as “The eye is like a lamp that gives light to a person.” The order can be reversed: “A person’s eye provides light for his whole body (like a lamp)” (UBS).

Many readers of Matthew 6:22-23 find the passage somewhat confusing and challenging. Yet, for others, this is not the case.

“The idea behind this passage is one of childlike simplicity. The eye is regarded as the window by which the light gets into the whole body. The state of a window decides what light gets into a room. If the window is clear, clean, and undistorted, the light will come flooding into the room and will illuminate every corner of it. If the glass of the window is colored or frosted, distorted, dirty or obscure, the light will be hindered, and the room will not be lit up.”

“The amount of light which gets into any room depends on the state of the window through which it has to pass. So, says Jesus, the light which gets into any individual’s heart and soul and being depends on the spiritual state of the eye through which it has to pass, for the eye is the window of the whole body” (Barclay).

We know what it is like for people who are blind to have no eyesight and consequently live in physical darkness. What is it like to live in spiritual darkness?

People are controlled either by light or darkness. “The frightening thing is that some people have so hardened themselves against the Lord that they cannot tell the difference! They think they are following the light when, in reality, they are following the darkness. The scribes and Pharisees claimed to “see the light” as they studied the Law, but they were living in the darkness (see John 12:35-50)” (Wiersbe).

Without eyes, light cannot be seen. When our eyes function properly, the light observed allows us to see and move through life more easily and precisely. The language of the Lord Jesus Christ uses reflects the popular understanding of the people in His day. What He says is accurate and profound. But it’s not intended to be ophthalmologically exacting.

What typical conditions need to be met for the eye to be “good” and beneficial for allowing light to enter the body? The answer has to do with our reference point for understanding the world. When our paradigm for comprehension is based squarely upon the foundation of Scripture, our ability to see things accurately is enhanced.

On the other hand, an “evil eye” reflects a life distracted by worldly factors, resulting in inner darkness or blindness to true spiritual realities. This saying spells out practically the delimiting consequences of a life devoted to material pursuits (Chouinard).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk In darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.

Further, the word of God is light that guides our way along life’s journey.

Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

Proverbs 6:20-23

 20 My son, obey your father’s commands and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

 21 Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck.

 22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you.

 23 For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.

Sadly, the light that the Father has provided is not enough in and of itself. It may be shining externally, but “it must enter our lives before it can do any good. . .. The brightest sun cannot enable a blind man to see” (Chouinard).

How can we “see the light?” How does it begin? When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, our eyes are opened to spiritual realities. We truly become children of light. We are required to walk in the light and maintain fellowship with Him.

1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Ephesians 5:8-17

 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,

 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

 15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.

 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6

 4 Satan, the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

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© Dr. H 2022