Matthew 6 - Practising Righteousness Sample

A Single Eye

I often wondered what this means, but the context clarifies it for us—the eye is likely the eye that is focused on treasures. If that is the case, Jesus says your eye is bad, and consequently your body is full of darkness. If what is mean to be light is darkness, “how great is the darkness.” A healthy eye is a body full of light. If all you can see is what you see and want, (“you shall not steal” and “you shall not covet”), then you can’t see. Not only can you not see but also your eye (the seeing member) is darkness to your whole body (life).

This is all summed up in the fact that you can’t serve two masters—God and money—you will hate one or love one, despise one or be devoted to one. The accumulation of goods is a devotion to what is seen. Generous giving is a devotion to what is not seen which is eternal. This doesn’t invalidate the fact we have to provide for those we care for—family, etc. This involves money, and has specific context, but money has the insidious capacity of capturing our sight, and therefore, our heart/affections. Money/goods shouldn’t be seen as neutral, as though it/they can’t determine destinies. The corruption of the human heart doesn’t allow for neutrality. Granted, Jesus spoke a lot about money, but what is spoken of less by us are the warnings and condemnations that populate his sayings about money. He never assumed money/goods to be innocent in and of themselves. On the contrary, the cost of discipleship with some (not all) was their financial security. The rich young ruler walked away from the call of Jesus. His goods separated him from true life. He couldn’t see over the pile.