The Lamp of the Body (Luke 11:33-36)

Jesus never regretted at all. He never changed His mind once the decision had been made. Our Lord Jesus was in complete confidence and assurance on what He was doing. But He sighed for the unbelieving and stubborn people, calling them “a wicked and perverse generation.” Then our Lord Jesus responded to the test to perform a sign from heaven by telling the story of Jonah who was the sign for the Ninevites.

Likewise, Jesus Chris is the sign for this wicked and unbelieving generation because He died for our sins, buried in the cold tomb, and rose again from the dead by the power of the resurrection. Anyone who receives Him as Lord and Master will receive eternal life. Those who reject to open their hearts to receive Christ Jesus will not have life but the sentence of death, a dreadful judgement of God.

Jesus says that He is the light of the world, driving out the darkness and shining the wisdom and knowledge of God brightly and radiantly upon those who received the light. Christians have this light within, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Jesus tells another parable of the lamp of the body for the wicked generation to see their blindness and dullness in understanding the truth.

“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. 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. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 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)

A lamp is to put not under a bowl but on its stand instead, so that those who come in may see the light and do not stumble. That’s the primeval purpose of lamp. Then, Jesus says, “Your eye is the lamp of your body.” Human eye is an organ to see things through the complex mechanism. Blindness is the absence of vision, being caused by the failure of eye. There are not only physical eyes but also the eyes of the heart and spirit. Paul prays for the saints in Ephesus that their eyes of the heart may be enlightened to understand the mighty truth in Christ Jesus.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:18-21)

Eye is the channel of knowledge and understanding. So, if our eyes are healthy, our whole body is full of light. If our eyes are healthy, we can tell where and when to make turns while walking or driving. If our eyes are healthy, we can move our fingers and feet on time and on spot. This is what’s happen in the physical level. If our eyes are spiritually healthy, we can see and understand not only the sign of Jonah but also the sign of our Lord Jesus Christ, the mystery of God. When our eyes of the heart are enlightened to see what it is in reality and truth, we are full of light, knowing why our Lord Jesus Christ died like that.

But physical seeing doesn’t mean spiritual understanding. There were so many people who saw and witnessed the work of Christ Jesus but rejected to believe Him as the Promised One to come. It is an example of unhealthy eyes which cause to fall into full of darkness. That’s the reason our Lord Jesus says He speaks in parables because though seeing, they do see, though hearing they do not hear or understand (Matthew 13:13). It was prophesied by Prophet Isaiah.

He said, “Go and tell this people: 

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;

   be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

Make the heart of this people calloused;

   make their ears dull

   and close their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

   hear with their ears,

   understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10)

Listen to what our Lord Jesus says:

“See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 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 11:35-36)

What we have within is the light, Christ Jesus risen from the dead. He is the light of the world and in Him there is no darkness at all.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

 “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

It is impossible to walk in the darkness if we have the light within. But if we say we have the light within and yet continue to walk in the darkness then we are liars.

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7)

We have such a marvelous light, Jesus Christ who teaches and opens our eyes of the heart to see plainly and clearly what it is as it is in reality and truth. So, our Lord Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock continually and promises us that we will be given, find, and the door will be opened.