“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But
if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the
light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
(Jesus, Matthew 6:22–23)
I can
relate to Jesus’ analogy of the eye. I have had eye trouble since young
childhood. At that time, I had to have bifocals and was farsighted in both
eyes. Today, I am now nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other.
Needless to say, without corrective lenses, I do not see very clearly. As Jesus
talks about how people view wealth, He highlights the fact that we need good
eyes to have clarity of vision within. Bad eyes only give us “darkness.” If we have an evil, envious, materialistic
eye, then we will not see life rightly. But if we have an eye toward God, our
focus in life will be clear, full of light. It is perilous, in other words, to
view wealth as the ultimate source of satisfaction, for our life was meant for
far more than temporary treasures. Paul says to believers in Christ, “Set your
mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life
is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:2–4). This
is to be the focus of the Christian, “on things above,” and as Jesus says, laying
up treasure in heaven.
Many have found the American Dream
to be a nightmare because wealth is not all it is cracked up to be. The way to
true peace and fulfillment is a life lived with focus on God, basking in His
acceptance and love; the life of earth-centered materialism is at best a
temporary joy, and often a disillusioning path to despair, or “darkness.”
“No one can serve two masters; for
either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Jesus, Matthew 6:24)
A final word Jesus gives about
materialism is that it ultimately enslaves us. We do not like to think ourselves
as slaves. We like to think that we are in full control of our lives, with the
power to do as we please. But the reality is, humans are influenced and
controlled by various impulses, and if we place our focus on money, it will
ultimately control the direction of our life and the satisfaction of our heart.
Jesus says a choice must be made, our ultimate allegiance will either be toward
God or toward money, living for eternity and what it offers or living for this
world and what it offers. What are you truly living for?
All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King
James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
