
Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Mat. 6:22). The idea is when our eyes are healthy and clear, they allow us to enjoy a world of light, even in darkness—just as healthy eyes of faith allow us the same spiritual benefit. Following Jesus means we don’t abide in darkness (John 12:46) and we reflect His light as lights in the world (Mat. 5:16). Eyes that can clearly see the Truth allow the light of God to permeate our entire lives (Mat. 13:16).
The flip side of this is that eyes without light (those impaired in some way) are full of darkness: “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Mat. 6:23). Remember, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Eyes without the light of the Gospel have been blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4). It happens when sinners choose not to believe (John 12:40) and it happens when Christians are lacking in spirituality having forgotten the blessing of old sins being cleansed (2 Pet. 1:5-9).
So, healthy eyes reveal bright souls, and evil eyes reveal dark souls. The eyes have always been seen as “a window to the soul” and it is up to each person what we allow into our souls. The evil eye directly relates to greed or stinginess (Mat. 6:19-24) and can be full of various lusts causing one to keep sinning (1 John 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:14). To continue with eyes of darkness means an eternity of darkness (2 Pet. 2:17). This is why it is so important to keep our eyes focused on light. The commands of the Lord will always enlighten our eyes and give us strength (Psa. 19:8). The goal is to have no part of us dark (Luke 11:36) so our eyes will open to an eternity with the “bright and morning star” (Rev. 22:16).
~Derrick Coble