BE GENEROUS
Some teachings from Jesus were clear to the people Jesus was
talking to but are less clear today, unless we consider how Jews in
Jesus’ day understood expressions. Jesus talks about a lamp is lit to
be seen and then says, “THE LAMP OF YOUR BODY IS THE
EYE. WHEN YOU HAVE A ‘GOOD EYE,’ [THAT IS, WHEN
YOU ARE GENEROUS,] YOUR WHOLE BODY IS FULL OF
LIGHT; BUT WHEN YOU HAVE AN ‘EVIL EYE,’ [WHEN
YOU ARE STINGY,] YOUR BODY IS FULL OF
DARKNESS” [Lk 11:34 CJ]. This is one of the few translations
that tries to communicate the Jewish understanding an ‘EVIL
EYE,’ [WHEN YOU ARE STINGY]. It can be helpful to
consider usage of a word in other scriptures. In Matthew’s Jesus
stories, which seem to be written for Jews, Jesus refers to “IF
YOUR EYES ARE EVIL”, which was understood a being stingy
or greedy, and then concludes with “YOU CANNOT SERVE
GOD AND MONEY AT THE SAME TIME” [Mt 6:23-24 IC].
As Jesus cautions against being stingy or greedy resulting in
darkness, He encourages us to be generous and have our whole
body “FULL OF LIGHT” [Lk 11:36 NI]{Mt 6:22}. Are you
generous?
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