ISB ~ Luke 11 v33 - 36

These sayings make use of two traditional beliefs about the eye. (1) Ancient peoples including Israel commonly held that the human eye was a source of light that shone out into the world and made vision possible (Ps 38:10; Prov 15:30). (2) The difference between a good eye and an evil eye was a metaphorical distinction between a generous and compassionate spirit (Prov 22:9) and a selfish and miserly one (Deut 15:9; Sir 14:8-10). In this context, Jesus is calling for an examination of the interior of our lives. Unless one is filled with light, which shines out through healthy eyes in the form of generosity, one cannot be a lamp enabling others to see and enter the kingdom (11:33; Mt 5:15-16). To be filled with darkness and beset with an evil eye of greed and selfishness is to stand outside of the kingdom and to leave others in the darkness as well (11:52). This emphasis on what is inside a person is closely connected with the following episode, where Jesus chides the Pharisees and lawyers for their preoccupation with the exterior practices of religion and their neglect of interior holiness (11:37-52). That they appear outwardly devout to others when in fact they are inwardly filled with corruption and impurity makes them guilty of “hypocrisy” (12:1).