October 13 (Daily reading: Luke 11) Jesus used the same illustration in Luke 11:33 that He gave in Luke 8:16. We do not light a lamp and then hide it. We put the lamp on a lampstand “so that those who come in may see the light.” Think of the light as revelation. We receive light by hearing the word. The lesson of Luke 8:16-18 concerns other people. We must hear God’s word so that we can share it with them. “So take care how you listen” (8:18). The light (revelation) that we have received should be put on a stand where others can benefit from what we have seen and heard. When we do this, even more light will be revealed to us that we can share with others.
In Luke 11:33-36, Jesus stated the same goal: we put the light on a stand “so that those who enter may see the light.” But the light this time is for our personal benefit. He said, “The eye is the lamp of your body.” It is by the eye that the body receives light, but the extent that we see is determined by the condition of the eye. Someone who is visually impaired cannot see clearly. Jesus continued: “When your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.” John wrote about Jesus: “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (Jn. 1:9). When we believe in Jesus, our “eye is clear” and we have true Light! We must therefore “fix our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). When Jesus comes into our life, our “whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it” (Lk. 11:36).
– Al Gary
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