Luke 11:33-36 Your Eye is a Lamp
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: September 5, 2018 Luke 11:33-36
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a hiding place or under a basket, but on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see its light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when it is evil, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful that the light in you isn’t darkness. Now if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.”
(Understanding the Text) I’m having trouble understanding the significance of this. I know that the lamp and the eye are metaphors. Jesus has just finished saying, “Look, something greater is here,” meaning for us to look at Him. The Pharisees had attributed Jesus’ miracles to a demon. Guzik’s commentary says that they would have had to be spiritually blind in order to not clearly see that Jesus’ works were from God.
Now, Jesus speaks of the eye lighting up the body. Is He saying that what we look at will lighten or darken us completely? I understand that a lamp is meant to provide light to see and putting the lamp on a lampstand provides the greatest possible visibility. If the eye is a lamp providing light for the rest of me, then it needs to be positioned in the right place to provide maximum visibility. In other words, whatever I focus my eye or my attention on will either make me lighter or darker. To focus my attention on Jesus results in the greatest amount of light. Guzik’s commentary says “Just as a lamp should be displayed out in the open, so all can benefit from its light, so the word and work of God should be displayed. But when Jesus displays His word and works, the religious people of His day won’t accept them!”
(Revelation of God) John uses this metaphor of light to refer to Jesus. “In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. John was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world” (John 1:4-9). John equates life and light. He also equates enlightenment with understanding and something more.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus said that when the eye was healthy it lightened the whole body. Comparing that with John, can I say that when the eye is healthy, the body is full of life? Here, body would seem to be equal with self. When we look at Jesus, our whole self will be full of light.
Nowadays, with our powerful halogen lights, lamps seem pretty dim; however, at the time Jesus walked on this earth, a lamp was the most powerful artificial light. Thus, Jesus was using an example of the most powerful light source that humans could interact with and control.
Clark says “When the light of Christ dwells fully in the heart, it extends its influence to every thought, word, and action; and directs its possessor how he is to act in all places and circumstances. It is of the utmost importance to have the soul properly influenced by the wisdom that comes from above. The doctrine that is contrary to the Gospel may say, Ignorance is the mother of devotion; but Christ shows that there can be no devotion without heavenly light. Ignorance is the mother of superstition; but with this the heavenly light has nothing to do.”
(Application) The application seems to be that what we focus on will either darken or lighten our very being. Jesus promises that if we focus on Him, our being will become totally light with no darkness in us. On the other hand, if we focus on worldly things, our being can become darker and darker until there is no light in us. Jesus warned me to be careful where I look, or focus my attention, because I will either become darker or lighter inside depending upon where I look. I guess this is a promise of transformation. Keep looking at Jesus and be transformed into light.
(Prayer) Fill me with Your light until there is no darkness in me at all. Let me see Your light even when darkness surrounds me. Lighten my heart and my mind so that I rise above the darkness of others and the systems of the world.