Can you please explain Luke 11:35?
Let’s begin by reading Luke 11:33-34, “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.”
We need to go back to see who it is the Lord is speaking to in this portion. We read in Luke 11:29, “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, THIS IS AN EVIL GENERATION: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.” In verse 15, we see that some accused the Lord of doing His miracles by the power of Satan (Beelzebub). In verse 16, some desired to see a sign from Heaven performed by the Lord. These were skeptics and unbelievers!
In verse 33, the Lord makes the statement that no man, whenever he lights a candle, will put it in the basement or under a bushel. Rather, he will place it on a candlestick where all may see it and benefit from it. In this statement, the Lord is speaking of God Himself. God lit a candle when He sent His Son, who is the light of the world (John 8:12), and He did not come to hide His message from the world. Through His person and His work, the Lord Jesus manifested the truth to all who would watch and listen. Whether they believed or not was up to them…the light shone upon all those the Lord spoke to or performed miracles in their presence.
It was because of impure motives that this ‘evil generation’ remained in unbelief. They had no true desire to know the Lord, so they accused Him and mocked Him by asking for signs from heaven, even after He had just cast a demon out of a man. In a physical application, the Lord tells them that if the eye is single, or healthy, then light will be allowed in. However, if the eye is evil (if the desires of the heart are evil), then the person remains in spiritual darkness.
For the sincere searcher, the one who truly desires the know the Lord and know more about Him, the eye is single, and the Lord will reveal Himself to that person. We are assured in John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” The Lord Jesus said in John 14:23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” The Lord is always faithful to reveal Himself to any who truly desire to know Him. We read in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”
After speaking of the single eye and the evil eye, He warns His audience, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” (Luke 11:35). These men the Lord Jesus was speaking to thought they were very wise. They believed that they had a great deal of light, but the Lord Jesus warned them to consider the fact that the light in them was not true light at it. It was actually darkness. They needed to examine their primary beliefs, their very perceptions of right and wrong in the light of God’s Word. Paul would later challenge some who doubted his authority as an Apostle to, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith…” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
My friend are you truly walking in the light of God’s Word, or are you walking in darkness, not realizing that your eye is evil? Do you have your own pre-conceived notions about what you should do, or are you relying on God’s Word to be your lamp and your light? (Psalm 119:105). I will close by quoting David’s words in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (448.4)