“No
one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”
Luke 11:33-36
Luke 11 [29.] When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet. For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will also the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11 [33.] “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”
Luke 11 [37.] Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”
Meaning:
Jesus has just told the crowd that they will receive no sign except the sign of Jonah, and that one greater than Jonah and Solomon is among them (Luke 11:29-32). These sayings about light continue that thought. God has not hidden his light; the problem lies in eyes that will not see it. Matthew places similar sayings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:15; Matthew 6:22-23).
- “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket”
In a home of that time a small clay oil lamp gave light to the whole room. It made no sense to light one and then hide it. God has lit a lamp in the world through Jesus and his message. He is not hiding the truth from anyone; he has set it on a stand “that those who come in may see the light.” Jesus used the same picture earlier when explaining the parable of the sower (Luke 8:16). He later said plainly, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
- “The lamp of the body is the eye.”
The eye lets light into the body. If it is healthy, a person can see clearly and move safely. In Jewish idiom a “good” eye could also describe a generous, single-minded heart, and an “evil” eye a grudging, envious or divided one. Jesus is speaking about the inner life. If the heart is open and sincere towards God, his light fills the whole person. If it is closed by pride, envy or unbelief, even the brightest light cannot get in.
- “Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness.”
This is a sobering warning. People can believe they see clearly when in fact they are in darkness. The crowd asking for signs thought they were judging Jesus, but their own sight was clouded. Matthew records, “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). Self-examination is needed, because the danger is not only in what we look at but in how we see.
- “it will be wholly full of light”
Jesus ends with a promise. A life fully open to God, “having no part dark,” is filled with light, like a room lit by a bright lamp. The psalmist says of God’s word, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The Significance of Luke 11:33-36
- Receiving the light
The light of Christ is offered openly. Each person must decide whether to receive it with a sincere heart.
- Guarding the eye
What we focus on and desire shapes our inner life. Believers are called to keep their gaze on God, generous and undivided.
- Living as light
Paul writes, “For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Those filled with light become lamps for others.
Cross-References:
John 8:12: "I am the light of the world." Jesus is the true light.
Matthew 6:22-23: "The lamp of the body is the eye." Matthew’s parallel saying.
Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path." God’s word gives light.
Ephesians 5:8: "Walk as children of light" Living in the light.
Conclusion: God does not hide his light; like a lamp on a stand, it is there for all who come in. The eye is the lamp of the body, and a sincere, undivided heart lets God’s light fill the whole person, while a heart closed by sin turns light into darkness. Jesus calls his hearers to examine themselves and to be wholly full of light.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible