The Parable of:
“The Light Of The Body Is The Eye”
(Matt. 6:22,23)
22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23. 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!
Now, we will see what the word “single” means.
Single
1. One only 2. Solitary as opposed to double.
Thus, “single” means for the eye to look at
only one thing and not two or more things.
Now, we will see what the Bible says
Col 3: 22
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
James 4: 8
8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Matt. 6: 24
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Thus, “SINGLE” means to “serve one only” or to “have only one purpose” or “one mind”.
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We need to know what causes a person to become “doubled ‑ minded” instead of “single ‑ minded”.
Luke 16: 13, 11, 14
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Thus, the “unrighteous mammon” or riches of this world can cause a person to become covetous and therefore “double ‑ minded”. A person who is
“double ‑ minded is someone who has made a”god” out of something, in this case “riches” and yet still pretends to serve God.
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Now let’s discover the Spiritual meaning of the real objects so that we can discover the Spiritual meaning of the Parable.
(Spiritual)
Light = Truth
To See Light = To Understand Truth
Darkness = Lack of Understanding
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Body = The Church I Cor. 12: 27, 28
(as a whole) 27 Now ye are the body
(Spiritual) of Christ….
Eye = Prophet or Leader
(Spiritual)
Eye = Wisdom and Understanding
(Of Wise and Prudent Men)
Thus, the (Spiritual) “eye” of the church is its Prophet or Minister or Pastor who is supposed to lead the people wisely.
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Conclusions:
1. (Spiritual) Light represents Truth and understanding.
2. The (Spiritual) body represents the Church.
3. The (Spiritual) eye represents the Leader or Pastor or Prophet of the Church.
4. A (Spiritual) eye that is “single” represents a Leader or Pastor or Prophet who is fully commited to serving only one Master, God.
5. A (Spiritual) eye that is “evil” or “double ‑ minded” is a Leader or Pastor or Prophet who is not fully committed to God, but also loves money or the praise of men.
6. (Spiritual) darkness represents lack of understanding or error in belief.
Spiritual:
The (Spiritual) light of the (Spiritual) body is the (Spiritual) eye. If the (Spiritual) eye does not have “double – vision” but is “single” and (Spiritually) sees clearly, then, the whole (Spiritual) body will be full of (Spiritual) light.
But, if the (Spiritual) eye is evil or (Spiritually) “blind” or has “double–vision”, then the whole (Spiritual) body will be in (Spiritual) darkness. If the (Spiritual) “light” that is in you is really (Spiritual) darkness, Great is that (Spiritual) darkness or (Spiritual) blindness!
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(Spiritual) Paraphrase:
1. The truth and understanding (light) of the church (body) depends upon its Pastor (eye): If the Pastor (eye) is fully committed (single) to serving God alone, then the whole Church (whole Body) will be full of Truth and Understanding (light). But if the Pastor (eye) is evil or “not fully committed to God” or “double minded”, then the Whole Church (whole body) will be full of Error and lack of understanding (darkness). The “Truth” (light) that is in that Church is Error and Misunderstanding (darkness), and Great is that lack of understanding of truth!
2. If a Church has a Spiritual leader that sees or understands Spiritual truth clearly, then the “whole Church” will be affected by the truth that the Spiritual leader understands and that Church will not Stumble Spiritually because it understands and obeys the truth.
But a Church that has a Spiritual leader that is Spiritually blind and does not understand the truth, will stumble Spiritually and fall Spiritually because that Church does not understand the truth.
Matt. 15:14
14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Isaiah 9:16
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
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Doctrinal Truth (Taught by Jesus in the Parable of
“The Light of the body is the eye”)
Spiritual:
1. The amount of Truth and understanding that a Church has depends upon its leader or Pastor.
2. If the Pastor has a full commitment to serving only God, then the Church will be full of Truth and understanding.
3. If the Pastor has an “evil” or “double - mind” and tries to serve God and “The mammon of unrighteousness”, then the Church will be full of error and misunderstanding of Spiritual things.
4. The “mammon of unrighteousness” represents covetousness (Luke 16:9-15) which could relate to many things such as the “love of money” or “the love of the praises of men more than the praises of God”.
5. Even the “Truth” that the Church thinks it has, will really be Great error and misunderstanding.
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The Parable Of:
The
“Eye With A Beam
In It”
( We are not to Judge others because
only God sees things as they really are )
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