People today use the expression “having a good eye “ as being smart at picking out something…..whether it be clothes, matching colors or perhaps something small and insignificant that had escaped the notice of others. I consider myself having a good eye for bargains……I go shopping and compare prices. I haven’t always been successful however. Sometimes my “bargain” turned out to be a bummer!
Yeshua said that “the eye is the lamp of the body” (Matthew 6:22) He explained, “If 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.” I don’t believe he was using this expression in the same way that we think of having a “good eye”. Well, what did he mean? Can you tell if a person is spiritually healthy by the light in their eyes? Not quite.
Not being familiar with many ancient Hebrew expressions we probably would come to the conclusion that Yeshua was speaking only about the spiritual aspects of an eye that is “good” (spiritually) or an eye that is “bad” (sinful). But there is more to this expression than we imagine.
Although at times the expression could be physical or spiritual. In this case, Jeshua was invoking an old Hebrew idiom for stinginess and greed. The Bible and rabbinic literature describe a miserly person as man with a “bad eye”. In other words the term “bad eye” meant selfishness or greed, while the “good eye” meant being generous and giving.
“Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire his dainty meats. (Proverbs 23:6)
“He that wants to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” Proverbs 28:22)
The sages described a charitable person as a man with a good eye. Yeshua also used the good-eye/bad-eye terminology metaphorically to speak about spiritual blindness. If a person is generous and charitable, he has a good eye. If the “lamp” of his body functions well, filling his body with light, then he has spiritual insight. If the person has a bad eye, meaning he is greedy and selfish, the lamp of his body is not functioning well, and his whole body is filled with darkness—which is to say he is spiritually blind.
So what about our eyes? Do you have that “good” eye?
“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
AbideLines 