The Window of the Soul
Photo by Nastia Petruk on Unsplash
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.“ (Matthew 6:22 NIV84) [see full text in button/link below]
Sayings and Their Context
The meanings of sayings need to be understood in their original context. The saying “the eyes are the window of the soul” has been around for a long time, with Cicero and Shakespeare often credited as its originators. But Jesus said it most profoundly in the Sermon on the Mount. 1
Over the years, I’ve tracked many sayings and phrases back to the Bible as their origin. For example, “there’s nothing new under the sun” didn’t originate with Shakespeare but King Solomon (see Ecclesiastes 1:9).
On the other hand, some sayings said to be in the Bible aren’t. Two examples are “God helps those who help themselves” and “Godliness is next to cleanliness.” The problem with cliché phrases and sayings is their overuse. They often get misconstrued or misunderstood because the context where they originated is lost or forgotten.
Figurative language is especially prone to misunderstanding, being taken in the wrong way, or being taken too literally. When someone uses figurative language, we need to discern what they meant by what they said.
Many people struggle with various Bible verses because they take what they read too literally, as when Jesus said to “pluck out your eye” if it offends you (see Matthew 5:29). Often, we find the clear, intended meaning in the context where it’s said or explained later.
When I teach how to study the Bible inductively, I emphasize the need to understand the context of whatever word, verse, or phrase we want to study in a deeper way. I addressed taking things too literally earlier in Chapter 10, that the only “honest Christians” would only have one eye, hand, and foot, because we all sin in some way.
When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, John, and James to follow Him, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They knew exactly what He was saying and left their nets to follow Him as their rabbi (see Matthew 4:18-22).
But people can take things intended to be understood in a literal sense and convert the meaning to some abstract or theoretical sense. When Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” He meant it (see Matthew 5:44 NKJV).
Insights
The common interpretation of the idea that eyes are windows to the soul is that they reveal someone’s true character and emotions to others. But Jesus reveals the eye is the gateway for what a person takes into their own heart.
In the original language of the gospel (Koine Greek), it is written, “The lamp of the body is the eye.” The word lamp refers to a candle or a small portable lamp set on a lampstand. A source of light that enables us to see.
How Jesus uses this word relates to what we see outside of ourselves and what we allow to be taken into our minds and hearts. Think of the light as a figure for truth, the truth of God and His Kingdom. The rest of verse 22 explains this further — “If your eyes are good….” Good means whole or single. In a moral sense, it is similar to the root meaning of integrity or wholeness of character.
God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel that He would give those who trust in Him an undivided or single heart—
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 11:19)
This seems to be the sense of what Jesus is saying here in verse 22 — “If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (see Matthew 6:22)
Basic health science tells us how our internal health connects to our physical health. Not only the effect of anxiety or stress, but also physical health based on good nutrition, exercise, and a good immune system.
When light (God’s truth) comes through our eyes into our minds and hearts, then our whole body or being is full of light as well. Keep in mind, we are not merely a body. We are a soul and spirit within a body.
If we let darkness come into our inner being, it will cause unhealthiness in our lives. The darkness invades and spreads throughout our lives. In the Gospel of John, we’re told how those who love darkness end up hating the light because it exposes their inner darkness (see John 3:19-21). It’s the same idea here.
When I was close to committing my life to Jesus, I still hung around my friends who drank and smoked pot, as we sat around jamming on our guitars. I remember saying to myself, “Okay, this time I’m not going to take a toke,” as the marijuana joint passed around the circle. I meant it. Really. And yet, after a few minutes, I realized I was just as stoned as everyone else. This made me realize I needed to change my circle of friends.
I’d like to say it was a straight line to Jesus and freedom, but it wasn’t. My girlfriend and I were living together and going to church. We had been baptized with hundreds of others at Pirate’s Cove near where we grew up, but didn’t see the need to get married. “It’s just a piece of paper, and God knows our hearts,” I would say. Indeed, God does know our hearts. 2
Because I embraced the worldly mindset of the sixties, its darkness filled my mind. One day, an old girlfriend said to me, “You know, God doesn’t like you just living together.” She and her husband had come to the Lord and saw our situation, and, I believe, God put it in her heart to speak to me.
After much conviction and turmoil, I finally realized the need to make the relationship with my girlfriend right. We needed to get married. We did, and immediately after the pastor pronounced us “man and wife” and we walked down the aisle to the back of the sanctuary, I felt a flood of clean water flow through me. It seemed to come from above me and flow through tears of joy.
I knew then that the Lord had set me free from the darkness I’d wandered in for so long. I experienced a joy and freedom impossible to put into words. It’s as if a brilliant light beamed through me and I couldn’t contain it. My wife wondered if I was okay. I was more than okay—I was set free!
When we seek and embrace the light, it makes us whole. But when we choose darkness over light, it corrupts us, and the darkness will overwhelm and blot out the light in us.
True Faith
True faith and our soul. Looking at the context of these two verses in Matthew Chapter 6, we might ask, What does this have to do with true faith or treasures of the heart?
It says in Proverbs—
The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart. (Proverbs 20:27 NKJV)
The Lord knows who and in what we trust. But too often, caught up in all we do in a day, we don’t realize where we are placing our trust. What we entertain in our minds or treasure in our hearts has a direct impact on the health of our inner being and character.
When we focus on the Lord and His Kingdom, His realm, we will be whole and healthy in our hearts. The apostle John tells us, “God is light…” and He’s the creator of light (see 1 John 1:5; Genesis 1:3). There is no darkness in Him.
But when we embrace the glare of this world that masquerades as light, it’s only a matter of time for us to be filled with its darkness. An unhealthy appetite for the kingdom of this world brings us into the realm of the prince of this world, the prince of darkness. The glare of the world is a distorted reflection of the darkness of the enemy of our souls. And it is a great darkness.
But here’s the assurance we have when we trust in the Lord and seek His Kingdom through faith—
And giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12-14)
Jesus calls us to be the light of the world even as He was when He walked on earth (see John 8:12).
What do you allow to shine into your heart?
The glare of the world or the light of God?
Reflections for Prayer
The Lord knows who and in what we trust. When we embrace the glare of this world that masquerades as light, it’s only a matter of time for us to be filled with its darkness. When we focus on the Lord and His Kingdom—His realm, we will be whole and healthy in our hearts.
Ask the Lord for discernment and His guidance to consider what you are allowing to come into your mind and heart. If it is the glare and darkness of the world, then ask the Lord to help you shut it out so you can focus on the Lord, His truth, and His Kingdom.
Footnotes–
Froland, M. (2024, December 15). The eyes are the window of the soul – meaning and origin. Two Minute English. https://twominenglish.com/the-eyes-are-the-window-of-the-soul/
If you’re unfamiliar with Ptr Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel, or the Jesus People Movement, here are a few links, including a video of water baptism at Pirates’ Cove in 1971 (the same year Susan and I were baptized there). The book, The Jesus Revolution, by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn, gives a good sense of the movement in those early years. The book was popularized in a movie by the same title, but as they say, the book is better.
Bob Anderson. (2023, March 21). Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel at Pirate’s Cove for Ocean Baptisms. 1971 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qw9-0o4TII
Feet, B., & Feet, B. (2025, May 7). 1967-1972 The Jesus Movement. BEAUTIFUL FEET. https://romans1015.com/jesus-movement/
Vaughn, G. L. a. E. (2018, November 21). Do you want a revolution? The 60s and 70s Jesus Movement, then and now. The Christian Post. https://www.christianpost.com/voices/do-you-want-revolution-60s-70s-jesus-movement-then-now.html
This is an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published book called The Heart and Soul of God’s Kingdom. Look for it on Amazon with my other books— Trip Kimball on Amazon
