33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Section Overview
The opponents want a definitive sign, but in Jesus they have all the light they need to see. The issue is not whether they have enough light but whether they will receive the light. If they turned to the darkness, the so-called light in them would not be light at all. Those who receive the light become light for others and shine with the love of Jesus for all to see.
Section Outline
IV. Galilee to Jerusalem: Discipleship (9:51–19:27)
A. The Journey Begins (9:51–13:21) . . .
3. Controversy with Opponents (11:14–54) . . .
d. Parable of Light and Darkness (11:33–36)
Response
If we understand that Jesus is the truth, our whole body is full of light. But if our view of reality is flawed, we are shrouded and enveloped in darkness. The problem with those who oppose Jesus is that the light in them is darkness. In other words, what they think is truth is in fact error. There is nothing scarier than being wrong about the most important thing in life—who God is! Jesus’ opponents have a view of the world that is fundamentally flawed. They are absolutely confident of the truth of their view, but they fail to see the most important truth of all. They do not worry about being wrong, but they should. Let us pray that the light that is in us is not darkness. Let us cling to the Lord Jesus so that we are not shrouded in the darkness of error but illumined by the light of his truth. Let us pray that we are full of light so that the light of Jesus in us can shine for others.