Matthew 6:22 Meaning of the Eye Is the Lamp of the Body

Matthew 6:22
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”

Explanation and Commentary of Matthew 6:22

The lamp, in this case, is that which lights a path. We take in information about the world in front of us with our eyes. Our eyes register images, and our brains interpret them as objects so that we can process and make decisions concerning how to act (for instance, move left, or you will hit that tree). Our spiritual eyes are at issue here. We process the world spiritually as well as physically. Our spiritual vision gives input to our whole body. How we “see” comes from our knowledge of God, his Word, and our worldview. How we view circumstances should be informed by our spiritual vision so that our choices in regard to these circumstances can be in line with what we know about God.

Eyes become healthy by looking at the right things. Gazing on God, and his Word, and at the same time avoiding looking at perversion is a way to keep the eyes healthy. The verse after this one says that if the eye is bad, the light in us will be darkness (Mt 6:23). For the light in us to be darkness is a substandard existence in every way and is the pathway to hell.

The passage about the eye is wedged between two remarks about money. The first is verse 21 concerning treasure in heaven, and then the following is verse 24 which says that “you cannot serve both God and money…” So there may be some connection to a “whole body…full of light” and a proper view of worldly wealth. By “looking” at money and possessions in the right way, one can be filled with light.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Matthew 6:22

#1 “The eye is the lamp of the body.”
The body is led through life by the eyes which see what is ahead and make sense of the world.

#2 “If your eyes are healthy,”
Healthy eyes see clearly. To see clearly is to know things, to notice what is. This is having wisdom. Things are happening around us every day. Those with healthy eyes process events they see and make sound judgments as to what they mean for the world. Someone physically blind will not judge the environment properly, and the same goes for the spiritually blind.

#3 “your whole body will be full of light.”
Seeing properly will illuminate your existence. Seeing things in the right way will lead to the right understanding, and to right living. To truly see something means that you will act on it. If you don’t act on it, you don’t see it. This would be like the folly of reading or hearing the Word without being a doer of the Word (Ja 1:22).

Expert Overview of Matthew Ch. 1-13

Biblical Translations of Matthew 6:22

NIV
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”

NLT
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.”

ESV
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”

KJV
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”

NKJV
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.”