Mowing season is about to begin. The grass is turning green as temperatures warm and the sun shines. We have a riding mower as we have several large areas to mow. You would have laughed at the results of my first attempts at mowing a field. The mowing lines were a bit squirrely—definitely not straight, which is very noticeable for a long run. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I needed a focus point at my desired ending location. To mow a straight line, I needed to keep my eyes on the focal point. If I looked towards the road, I would unwittingly veer slightly towards the road. If I scanned the tree line, I would drift towards the trees. I found I went in whatever direction my eyes were looking. My eyes were guiding my way.

I’ve been studying Matthew with a Bible study group. This past week we discussed a confusing passage in which Jesus talks about our eyes. Many times we can gain clarity on confusing passages when we look at previous context in the Old Testament. Let’s take a look at Matthew 6:19-24 and then gain some insight from related Old Testament verses.

Matthew 6:19-24

¹⁹ “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!

²⁴ “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.

This passage starts with a negative command: do not collect treasures on earth. Then a positive command is made: collect treasures in heaven. It makes sense that our heart will be where our treasure is found. But then Jesus switches from the heart to the eye, to light and darkness, then serving masters, and ends up on money. How does that make sense? The text does not feel like it flows well and it may seem like Jesus’ sermon is randomly jumping all over the place creating a tangled mess. Let’s turn to the Old Testament for some help with detangling.

The biggest question is, what does it mean to have good eyes or bad eyes? Good and bad eyes are mentioned in the Old Testament, but you will not see those exact terms in English translations. They have translated the literal words into the idea that was meant. That will make more sense as we look at our examples below. I have marked in bold the words translated for good eye or bad eye. As you read, take note of what it means to have a good eye or bad eye.

Proverbs 22:9 – A generous (good eye) person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 23:6 – Don’t eat a stingy (bad eye) person’s bread, and don’t desire his choice food,

Proverbs 28:22 – A greedy (bad eye) man is in a hurry for wealth; he doesn’t know that poverty will come to him.

The proverbs inform us that a person with a good eye is generous, while a person with a bad eye is miserly. A lamp is a tool that guides our way (Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 6:23). Wherever the lamp shines, that is the direction we will face.

Jesus is saying we will follow whatever we allow our eyes to focus on. If your eye is on your money, you’ll follow the money, which becomes your master. If your eye is on the needs of those around you and being generous, you’ll follow in the character of God, whom you serve.

If you are generous, you will be full of the light of life. The greedy person’s life will be dark and lonely. Ebenezer Scrooge is a great example of this. He was so focused on money he had no meaningful relationships and he literally lived in the dark because he was too cheap to light another candle!

May we go forth with good eyes that are not focused on earthly treasures. Generosity stores up treasures in heaven and displays the character of the only Good Master. Set your eyes on His character and your way will be straight.

Verses for reflection:
Hebrews 12:1-3
Psalm 25
John 1:4-5, 8:12
Psalm 36
Psalm 49

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The verses in this post are quoted from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).