“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (NIV)

If I had to make a list of the order that physical abilities were taken from me, I think sight would be the last thing I would want to lose. We live in the time of the incredible. “Need cataract surgery with a high probability of success? That is common!” “Need eye surgery that eliminates the need for glasses? That is common!” “Need a cornea transplant? That is certainly possible!” “Need eye glasses? That is super common!”

What is common for us did not exist in Jesus’ society! Eye glasses? Forget it! Eye disease, cataract surgery, cornea transplant—do not mention those things! Do you realize how many of us would be ‘legally blind’ in Jesus’ lifetime?

The only ‘window’ to admit light into this body is the eye. If the eye has a cataract, vision slowly decreases. When the condition was bad enough, blindness came. Once a person was blind, the situation was irreversible. The body went from light, to dim, to total darkness. When total blindness came, total dependence also came. What a complete blackout! It was the darkest form of darkness! Remember Jesus healing the blind? Remember the gratitude?

Jesus declared he was the light of the world by being life’s light and making life in darkness unnecessary (John 8:13). John made numerous associations between light and Jesus. Jesus’ life was the light of people (John 1:4), the true light who could enlighten every person (John 1:9). He was God’s light to the world, but some preferred darkness (John 3:19). The evil hate the light because they do not wish to see their lifestyle’s reality (John 3:20). Only they who base their lifestyles on truth are not fearful of the light (John 3:21).

Some exist in darkness yearning for light, but will never see light unless we dare reflect Jesus’ light (Matthew 5:14). In Jesus’ day light did not exist to be hidden but to dispel darkness (Matthew 5:15). God does not intend for us to hide Jesus’ influence in our behavior, but for us to share his light with others (Matthew 5:16). As you live your life, radiate Jesus’ influence in the way you live and the way you treat others!