Matthew 6:22,23 reads as follows: "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" What does it mean to have a body full of light or full of darkness?

The key to the answer to this question is found by looking at the context of the whole portion. What was the Lord Jesus talking about before He made the remarkable statement above? He had just said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Connecting these verses with the verses following we find that the single or evil eye and the body full of light or full of darkness has to do with the laying up of treasures in heaven or upon earth. If my one desire is to lay up for myself treasures upon earth, then I have real "eye trouble." My spiritual eyes are out of focus. I am not looking at time in the light of eternity. I am forgetting that the accumulation of possessions here upon earth for myself is foolish. The inevitable result of this will be that my whole heart will be taken up with these treasures that can never satisfy and which I will eventually leave behind. The end result is that my body, my whole being, will be filled with spiritual darkness because my eye is evil.

If, on the other hand, my one desire is to lay up for myself treasures in heaven, then I have "20/20" vision. My spiritual eyes are in focus. I am looking at time in the light of eternity. I am using my energies and God-given talents to lay up for myself treasures that will truly satisfy and most important of all, that I will never lose. This is spiritual wisdom. The inevitable result of this will be that my whole heart will be taken up with "those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1,2). My mind will be set on things above, and not on things on the earth. This means that my body will be filled with spiritual light because my eye is single. I am looking at time in the light of eternity.

Matthew 6:24 continues, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is a Greek word which is used to signify wealth or riches. If our whole desire is to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth, to accumulate riches, then these treasures will become our master. We cannot serve two masters.

These words of the Lord Jesus are needed by the Christian today. The popularity of casinos, lottery tickets, the desire to accumulate things, to be rich and to attain a good position in life are traps for the Christian. Let's ask ourselves the question. Do I have a single eye? If so, I will concentrate on laying up treasures in heaven.