Luk 11:34 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord Jesus then speaks of the Word of God as a light. He speaks the Word of God and thereby lets the light shine in the house of Israel. The light reveals everything. In Him there is nothing that obscures the light. However, we can dim the light. If it is placed in a cellar, nobody can see it. The light is also not seen when a basket is put over it. Light should stand on a lampstand, so that it can illuminate anything freely anywhere. We can obscure the light that has been ignited by hidden sins, “a cellar” is a hidden place, or by being completely absorbed in our daily work, busy to fill “a basket” with what we need for daily life. The Lord points these things out to us in order to draw our attention to the possible causes that the Word of God remains ineffective in relation to us. We do not need to think that we will believe when we see signs, or that signs strengthen our faith in God’s Word. Faith in the working of God’s Word and experiencing its working is not in the presence or absence of signs, but in the object of our eye. A “simple” [Darby Translation] eye is an eye that focuses on only one object, Christ. We will then know what to do with our bodies in order to achieve God-glorifying deeds. The Word of God always turns our eyes to Christ. If Christ is not the object of our eye, if we do not live in the light of God’s Word, our eye will be turned to bad things and we will come to bad, God-dishonoring deeds. There can be external light, there can be external knowledge of God’s Word, as in Israel and in professing Christianity. Such knowledge does not result in a life of dedication to God. That’s why this light becomes darkness. The history of Israel has confirmed this. They once possessed, compared to the nations, Divine light, but the light that was in them has become darkness. In that state of darkness they came more and more during the life of the Lord on earth, until there was no way back. At first they were indifferent to Christ, but finally they totally rejected Him. What remains is the darkness of death. The Lord places them in the full light of His Word. This has two effects. The first effect is seen in those who believe, who have condemned themselves as sinners in the light of God’s Word. Their whole body is enlightened, they are totally in the light. They walk in the light, as God is in the light ( ). It is important that they also walk in accordance with the light. This is possible if the eye is simple, if it is directed only at the Lord Jesus. The second effect we see in those who do not believe and reject the light. Once all of them come into the light, nothing remains hidden. If they were aware of that, they would repent. Because they reject the light, what the Lord says here will become clear to them in judgment in its full horror. The lamp will shine on them with its light when they stand before the great white throne. Everything will be brought to light ( ) and judged righteously. In the next section we see people to whom this applies.

‏ Luke 11:34

The Lamp of the Body

The Lord Jesus then speaks of the Word of God as a light. He speaks the Word of God and thereby lets the light shine in the house of Israel. The light reveals everything. In Him there is nothing that obscures the light. However, we can dim the light. If it is placed in a cellar, nobody can see it. The light is also not seen when a basket is put over it. Light should stand on a lampstand, so that it can illuminate anything freely anywhere. We can obscure the light that has been ignited by hidden sins, “a cellar” is a hidden place, or by being completely absorbed in our daily work, busy to fill “a basket” with what we need for daily life.

The Lord points these things out to us in order to draw our attention to the possible causes that the Word of God remains ineffective in relation to us. We do not need to think that we will believe when we see signs, or that signs strengthen our faith in God’s Word. Faith in the working of God’s Word and experiencing its working is not in the presence or absence of signs, but in the object of our eye. A “simple” [Darby Translation] eye is an eye that focuses on only one object, Christ. We will then know what to do with our bodies in order to achieve God-glorifying deeds.

The Word of God always turns our eyes to Christ. If Christ is not the object of our eye, if we do not live in the light of God’s Word, our eye will be turned to bad things and we will come to bad, God-dishonoring deeds. There can be external light, there can be external knowledge of God’s Word, as in Israel and in professing Christianity. Such knowledge does not result in a life of dedication to God. That’s why this light becomes darkness.

The history of Israel has confirmed this. They once possessed, compared to the nations, Divine light, but the light that was in them has become darkness. In that state of darkness they came more and more during the life of the Lord on earth, until there was no way back. At first they were indifferent to Christ, but finally they totally rejected Him. What remains is the darkness of death.

The Lord places them in the full light of His Word. This has two effects. The first effect is seen in those who believe, who have condemned themselves as sinners in the light of God’s Word. Their whole body is enlightened, they are totally in the light. They walk in the light, as God is in the light (1Jn 1:7). It is important that they also walk in accordance with the light. This is possible if the eye is simple, if it is directed only at the Lord Jesus.

The second effect we see in those who do not believe and reject the light. Once all of them come into the light, nothing remains hidden. If they were aware of that, they would repent. Because they reject the light, what the Lord says here will become clear to them in judgment in its full horror. The lamp will shine on them with its light when they stand before the great white throne. Everything will be brought to light (1Cor 4:5) and judged righteously. In the next section we see people to whom this applies.