“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. – Matthew 6:22-24
Jesus is teaching a progression here. He just talked about focusing your heart in the previous passage. Now he’s talking about focusing the eye and how to focus our service.
“The eye is the lamp of the body.” What kind of light does the eye give? If your eyes are healthy, the body is full of light. If unhealthy, the body is full of darkness. The metaphor of light represents both wisdom and energy. The healthy eye highlights wisdom, so the body is healthy and energetic.
Modern science says so, too. If you see the world through a filter of distress, the body becomes stressed. “Chronic stress puts your health at risk,” according to the Mayo Clinic. When we look at things in unhealthy ways, it results in depression and anxiety.
“Right Outlook” is a key to living longer, according to Blue Zones, an organization that studied and promotes the keys to living past 100 years old. It also identifies “Loved Ones First” as another key. If your eye is focused on this type of wisdom, you’ll be healthier and live longer. Just ask Jesus.
“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.” – Wayne W. Dyer
Also, Blue Zones identifies “Right Tribe” as another key to longevity. That means, having close, supportive friends and serving in a community increases health and longevity. On the other hand, “Type-A Personality” and the insistent drive to achieve is associated with shorter lifespan and sudden, premature death. Focus your service on God and not money, because you cannot serve both.
Also, Jesus doesn’t make any distinction between spirit, body and parts of the body. He’s teaching that what is in the body is what the heart, eye, and service is focused on. The external world is connected to the internal world through the heart, eye and active service. That connection is important to your health, happiness, and longevity.
Keeping a light attitude means seeing things through a positive filter, keeping a positive attitude at your core. Then, you will be filled with God’s light energy.