‘“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”’
Matthew 6:22-23
Jesus speaks here not merely of physical sight, but of spiritual perception: how we see the world, ourselves and others.
The ‘eye’ is the lens through which we interpret reality and, in this context, it is deeply connected to generosity. In fact, the phrase that Jesus uses here is interesting.
In English, we use the idioms ‘open-handed’ and ‘tight-fisted’ to describe someone who is either generous or stingy. The equivalent in Hebrew is ‘open-eyed’ for someone who has a generous spirit and ‘tight-eyed’ for someone who has a mean streak. So, Jesus is talking about much more than money here.
The Greek word for ‘healthy’ in verse 22 is haplous, which can also mean generous or single-minded. Jesus is saying that when our eyes – our inner orientation – are generous, our whole being is flooded with light. But when our eyes are ‘unhealthy’ (ponēros), meaning stingy, selfish or envious, darkness takes root.
Generosity, then, is not just an action but a vision. It is a way of seeing the world that begins with the abundance of God. When we see through the lens of grace, we recognise that everything we have is a gift. We are stewards, not owners. We are conduits, not containers.
In a culture obsessed with accumulation, Jesus calls us to radical release. To live generously is to live prophetically. It declares that our security is not in possessions, but in the Provider. It enables us to say, “I trust God enough to give freely.”
But generosity is not only financial. It is relational, emotional and spiritual. It is seen in how we forgive, how we serve, how we listen and how we love. Generous eyes see the image of God in others. A generous heart makes space for the broken, the weary or the overlooked.
And here is the warning: if we allow stinginess to cloud our vision, we risk spiritual blindness. “How great is that darkness!” Jesus says. The tragedy is not just in withholding but in losing sight of the light.
So today, ask yourself: How do I see?
Malcolm Duncan
Senior Minister, Kensington Temple, Elim
Reflect
‘“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”’
Luke 16:10-13
Pray
- Pray for wisdom to recognise the areas of life where money could be used more purposefully.
- Ask God to show you someone who could be blessed through what you’ve freed up.
- Thank Him for the chance to serve one true Master and find joy in giving rather than having.
Act
A generosity challenge for you to complete today:
| Hit pause on a subscription that just sits there. Add the amount saved to your monthly top-up in your Stewardship Giving Account and bless someone this month. |
Not got your Stewardship Giving Account yet? Start one today. You can track your 40acts journey in the app.
About Kensington Temple
Kensington Temple is a London-based international church in the Elim network, welcoming people of all races and nations.
They are growing a network of churches, cell groups, fellowships and ministries serving Jesus across Greater London and reaching out to the nations of the world.
