The Lamp of the Body

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The Lamp of the Body is a phrase found in Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:33-36. This thought has lit several studies, I will list some of them below. I prefer to think of this entry as another layer in the study of these verses and eyes. I will follow Matthew’s Gospel as the primary source for this intriguing thought about the Kingdom.

Jesus used the two thoughts that make up Luke’s version in the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:15 and 6:22-23. There are many great verses in the Old Testament about light and lamps, today I like Proverbs 4:18; my path is like following the sun. Verse 19 is about those is darkness and stumbling. c is a possible source of Jesus’ teaching on the Mount; sin is the lamp of the wicked because of haughty eyes and a proud heart (I used the NASB). Do a Bible search with “light and hid”, it looked good. Mark 4:21-25 repeats the light and hiding part, but ends with hearing and what kind of measure you use.

Tree of Knowledge

I will use this idea again, and not be sorry about it. In our verses, we have eyes, lamps, and light associated with good/healthy and evil, negative, and unsound. What we see can depend on how we are looking at something and in what type of light. Things and people may/can/do have a good and bad side to them.

  • Grapes – a great food source and wine can gladden the heart or you can get drunk. People who chose to be a Nazarite for a season could not partake of either of grape‘s attributes.
  • Yeast – Jesus used it as a symbol of how the Kingdom would grow. It is forbidden during Passover and the Feast of Unleaved Bread, in part, because it was associated with an Egyptian deity and beer-making (a wage earned as slaves). Many love to proclaim yeast is always a symbol of sin.
  • The Bronze Serpent – Jesus compares Himself to this implement of healing during Moses’ time. One of Pharoah’s symbols was the cobra.
  • King Saul – He was changed when he believed and followed the signs from Samuel. He turned to the dark side when he sought his own glory and a tidy profit because he feared his men, by saving forbidden items. He worked hard trying to kill David because of a song.
  • Peter – You have to love him and his steady growth throughout his time with Jesus. Matthew 16: 17 Jesus to Simon you are blessed. 16:22 Jesus to Simon, “Get behind Me, Satan”. Peter had his highs and his lows.
  • The Number Thirteen – In the Bible, I found many positive things associated with thirteen. There are Christians who make it a symbol of bad, it really depends on how you want to look at something. I won’t even discuss the world’s view of the number.

If I may, think of Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith”, as I have heard it labeled. The writer of Hebrews sees these men and women as examples of faith, and they are. It is very easy when you read through their stories in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, and Samuel to pick out their failures and faults. Light or darkness; it may be time to study grace. The Father loves righteousness and He is the one who defines it.

The Greek

I enjoy looking at the Greek and Hebrew words and thoughts, the Lord has used to this clear up and shed new light on many things. (God bless translators.) For the most part, Luke shares Matthew’s quote from the Sermon, many of the Greek words are the same. Some of these Greek words have more than one meaning. I found that when I compared the texts from the same Bible, they may read differently even though they are the same in the Greek text. You can use the links, do text analysis, and/or look up words in a concordance, whatever makes you happy and you are comfortable with.

Evil πονηρός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Filled with darkness σκοτεινός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com 

Matthew uses two different words for darkness (yes they are related). The last two “darkness” words are skotos. σκότος | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Good ἁπλοῦς | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Filled with light φωτεινός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

It is good to see what other verses use the same root words to convey the message. Mounce lists the verses on those pages. I found some of these words are used only in our two primary texts.

My New Layer

I have played with the thought of beams of light coming from our lamps/eyes out into the world, like lasers in some comic book characters. Now I would like to say our lamps are shining inward and spotting the things in us that need correcting and more attention on our part. Light shining on an object is what allows us to see the object. If an idea is unhealthy/evil that is what and how we will see it. You need to look up these words!

The Tree of Life in Revelations is for healing the nations. We are the product of eating the Tree of Knowledge. Yes, we need knowledge and wisdom, but those without healing from mercy and grace can still produce an unhealthy person.

Luke

What an amazing person. A Gentile doctor who traveled the Mediterranean with Paul as he spread the Gospel. Yes, there are legends and folklore surrounding this man, but we really do not have many facts. In this same breath, I want to thank God for Theophilus. He shared (apparently) the two works with others that Luke wrote for him.

I think this teaching in Luke 11 is a great example of Luke’s collecting and recording the stories he heard from eyewitnesses. (That is a huge thought in itself.) He combines several thoughts to get verses 33 + 34 and then adds some very insightful words for 35 + 36. Had Luke borrowed 35 + 36 from Paul, Peter, or John? Perhaps he got it from Mary (either one). Given his profession and level of training, it may be his insight from the years of travels, trials, and teachings he experienced that produced 35+36.

I view the Gospel of Luke as his reteaching and reinforcing the Good News he shared with Theophilus. I like his version because he joined stories together in units to boost our thinking about the topics. He adds details and information that may not be in the other Gospels but maintains an “orderly account” in this piece for the Master. (Thank you, Holy Spirit, for getting his work into our Bible.)

These are other posts I have done that might help you.

My hope for this post is that you will find the common thoughts in Luke 11:33-36 and Matthew 6:22-23 to grow in your travels with Jesus.

Hevel or Abel

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My post on Hevel or Abel is a 2fer. I will talk about Abel and the food God gave man from Genesis 2 through 9.

Abel

The second son of Adam does not get a lot of printed words in the Bible; Genesis 4 and he is mentioned four times in the New Testament. Now Abel is mentioned many times and is associated with town names, it seems to refer to stream, so be careful in your studies.

Hevel is another form of Abel or pronounced the same as Abel. It means vanity and is used by Solomon and others. The vanity idea comes from a breath that is quickly passing. Please use the links below as they do a great job of exploring this word.  

These words surprised me by ending in “el” and not being associated with God. The root words for these words are not the same Hebrew word. I find it interesting that the second son of Adam is associated with breath and a stream of water. This sounds like part of the Trinity to me, not by name but by association.

Hevel: VANITY of Vanities! Is life a Vapour of Nothingness? – Hebrew Word Lessons

Strong’s Hebrew: 1892. הָ֫בֶל (hebel) — vapor, breath (biblehub.com)

Abel | The amazing name Abel: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)

The references in the New Testament deal with blood, either his own or through his sacrifice in Genesis 4. Luke 11:51 and Matthew 23:35 are a statement that Jesus made on the Temple Mount the Tuesday before His crucifixion. He was fussing at the Temple leaders, it is part of the “seven woes”. In this section (V29-39), Jesus points out all of the innocent lives that were lost because religious men were not following God.

Hebrews 11:4 – This starts a section of “better” in my post Better in Hebrews. Abel is recognized for his faith because of his sacrifice in Genesis 4. This is also the verse that made me think about food in Genesis 2 – 9. Better in this verse is polys in Greek, it makes you wonder how much or how many times Abel had made offerings.

Hebrews 12:24 – This is the end of the section that started in 11:4, this “better” is kreitton. It could be read that Jesus’ sprinkled blood is more excellent than Abel. Some translators include or say “of the blood” of Abel, but that is not what the Greek says. Hebrews 12:24 Greek Text Analysis (biblehub.com) I am glad the Holy Spirit who has mastery of all languages helped Hebrew/Aramaic educated men who were writing in Greek.

Food

While working on my Genesis 911 post it was clear that food and animals were part of the plan for the ark. This led to questions that did not have a simple clear-cut answer. I love to find answers in God’s Word and see things in a better level of understanding. Oh, I am good with not always finding an answer, after all this is a STUDY, not an answer. I did look through many websites, Jewish and Christian, but was not confident they were answers to my question. Look up Cain and Abel, but be prepared; even from ancient times, man’s imagination has been very fertile on this subject. Opinions vary on topics like the sacrifice and why it was rejected, the twins’ relationship with their mother, and many other things that were opinions with little or no proof. Some writers superimposed things from after the Law was given back onto Genesis 4. Even the text in Chapter 7 mentions ideas from the Law long before it was delivered to Moses on that mountain. Now for my question.

Why was Abel keeping flocks when they had not been given to man as food? Yes, I came up with many hypotheses, but most required Exodus to Deuteronomy to be a plausible answer. Yes, clothing first came to mind, but then there is the sacrifice. So, please follow the verses from Genesis as I go through what man got to eat and when.

Genesis

2:15 Adam and Eve could eat from the trees.

3:18 Part of the curse was eating the plants of the field.

4:3 Cain brought fruits of the soil, Abel brought fat of the firstborn. This may imply knowledge of what was good inside that lamb.

6:21 To prepare for the flood every kind of food to be eaten was taken into the Ark.

7:2 Seven pairs of every clean animal and two pairs of the unclean animals were to go into the Ark. This predates the requirements of the Law. Please remember that some of the sacrifices and offerings in the Law were eaten in the presence of the Lord after a portion was burnt on the altar.

8:20 After the flood Noah offered animals and birds as sacrifices and the aroma was pleasing to God. Here is the first mention of animals being food for man.

9:3 God adds everything that lives and moves to be food just like the green plants. This verse begins and ends with everything (H 3605). It was repeated for a reason, to confirm the decision.

9:20 God has made a covenant with Noah. The next thing we read is him planting a vineyard, making wine, and getting drunk. I doubt this was an accidental discovery. You could have gotten vinegar just as easily (sour wine). So, there was a process that he must have known about before going into the Ark.

Contrast the big picture of Noah and the Flood to the text of Jeremiah 31 and the new covenant God would make especially verse 29.

Okay, it appears that Abel and later Noah had the idea of an altar and offerings made by fire. I know that Abel and his offering were pleasing to the Father. Jesus refers to him as righteous and the blood of his sacrifice and possibly his blood were part of that consideration.

To complete the study, view some about Cain.  

Strong’s Hebrew: 7014. קָ֫יִן (Qayin) — Cain (biblehub.com)

Cain | The amazing name Cain: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)

What I can rest in is that Adam, Cain, and Abel/Hevel were told things that were not included in our Genesis narrative; I am good with that.

Begged in Mark 5

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Mark 5 has five uses of the Greek word parakaleo or beg. This chapter has the story of the Man of Gerasenes, the Woman with the issue of blood, and Jairus and his daughter. The Gospel of John does not use parakaleo but John does use parakletos (See Our Wonderful Counselor). Luke makes use of this word, parakaleo, many times in telling the story to Theophilus.

παρακαλέω | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Strong’s Greek: 3870. παρακαλέω (parakaleó) — to call to or for, to exhort, to encourage (biblehub.com)

I learned recently that Strong’s Concordance and other reference works will first focus on the root word. That is why it is good to use several references if you are “digging deep” into a word or passage.

These words are used in a variety of ways, but both parakaleo and parakletos carry a “legal” air about them. The legal aspect can be read in the first three entries of Mark.

  • 5:10 – Here and in verse 12 the “he” and “unclean spirits” are understood from verse 2. I have heard that demons are territorial.
  • 5:12 – If they go into the pigs they could stay in the area. That must have been an interesting conversation.
  • 5:17 – The people of the region were upset and confused and wanted Jesus to leave. I have to wonder if the “freed” demons were agitating the crowd.
  • 5:18 – The Man begged to go with Jesus. Jesus sent him out as the first missionary to the Gentiles.
  • 5:23 – Jarius, an official of the synagogue begged for Jesus to follow him to his house.

The other times Mark uses the word are in 1:40, 6:56, 7:32, and 8:22. These are all healings. Every time in Mark when someone parakaleo Jesus, even the demons, He complied with the request. Except for the Gentile to follow Him, it was just too early for that to happen.

Proverbs 911

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Proverbs 9:11 is a promise and a transition in a chapter that compares and contrasts Wisdom and Folly. Please allow me to explain. Verses 10-12 are the shift from Wisdom to Folly; #10 informs you of Wisdom’s benefits and #12 introduces the results when you choose to not fear the Lord and that leads to Folly.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. (KJV)

Proverbs 9:10 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)  Use the blue arrows to go through all of the verses. A few minutes researching wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and wise will be worth your time. The Strong’s numbers are hotlinks to a short definition. Wise and wisdom are related terms.

With individual text analysis, section headings, and chapter and verse numbers it is hard to remember that is not how Solomon’s treatise on wisdom and folly was written; there were none of those things in his original work. Proverbs 1:7 introduces the letter with almost the same statement as 9:10. Take a moment and reflect on those verses, and note where they are in Solomon’s “nine chapters” master class on Wisdom and Folly. It is easy to believe that you are to go from knowledge to wisdom as you read the lessons and move into the fear of the Lord. I personally believe that this section, like the rest of Proverbs, was the result of collecting, studying, and carefully reflecting before he wrote anything. He did the time and work, but the Spirit directed the outcome. The Book took a long time to reach its final form, see 25:1.

In the big picture, I see the two Trees in the Garden of Eden. Solomon is presenting knowledge to us about good and evil, but Life is where we should be going. There are many things in these verses and some live and work very close to each other as they call out to us; choose the righteous one.

The Woman Wisdom

Is there a spiritual person in Heaven named Wisdom? My guess, Sophias are there; Chochmahs I am not so sure about (not a top-ten name for girls or boys). On that topic, my body is weary because of binah.

I decided to discuss Her personification with the same respect I have given Daughter Zion and the Bride of Christ. God’s Girls are important to Him. Proverbs begins with women and ends by talking about a woman. Why would the Spirit use women as the metaphor for wisdom? Women carry babies to birth and nurture children. Men, we are to follow Father God’s example in caring for our wife and children. (I would bet Adam thought about that missing rib when he took a breath. He gave up something from his side to have Eve by his side.) Malachi 2:15 is clear on the fact that the Father wants Godly offspring; read verses 13 – 16. Ponder that thought as you see the devil and “the woke” attack the family and women.

This calling, desire, and responsibility from God is seen in the vignette of 9:1-6 and Her advice in verses 7 – 9. Proverbs 9:11 is her promise to us of life if you listen to her, she wants to look out for you.

Wisdom’s house in 9:1 caught my attention. I pondered those seven pillars and the seven spirits of God, I hoped to draw a brilliant statement comparing the two, but it did not happen. There are many ideas about what those pillars are, but as I looked at my clock, I realized they could hold up a round building. Six pillars will evenly space to support the walls and you put the seventh one in the middle to hold the roof. I wrote about the seven spirits of God and identified them with Isaiah 11:1-4. The first word in that list is chokmah (wisdom) and the second one is binah. Number six is the fear of the Lord. James 3:17 is a great list of what wisdom is, but there are eight things.

  • pure
  • peace-loving
  • gentle
  • reasonable
  • full of mercy and good fruits. Most translators list these separately, making it a total of eight.
  • impartial
  • free of hypocrisy

1 Corinthians 1:24 and 30 identifies Jesus as the wisdom that comes from God. Verse 30 lists righteousness, holiness, and redemption as the wisdom from God that is in the God-Man, Jesus. (I am sure that there is more to come on this topic, but I need to get back on track.)

Folly’s vignette is verses 13 – 18. Like any good lie, Folly mimics Wisdom and does some of the things she does. Compare their advertising techniques and how they want to feed the people who come to them. Please notice both are in the “highest” part of the city. Now, contrast everything else, especially their messages.

It is not unusual for Solomon and Lady Wisdom to be compared to non-Hebrew deities and other countries’ wisemen. True wisdom belongs to God, so if Solomon repeated true wisdom that is fine with me.

Woman Wisdom: Bible | Jewish Women’s Archive (jwa.org) You need to read the whole article and not cherry-pick lines from it. It is one of the better articles I have read that compares Wisdom to pagan goddesses, I believe they are for Woman Wisdom, but many are not.

Mother Nature or Father God is something a Christian should think about. I will stick with Father God, but remember that Satan fell to earth and does have some power down here. Come, Lord Jesus.

Long Life

David’s greeting for Nabal was “have a long life” in 1 Samuel 25:6. Nabal’s greed and foolishness brought about his early death.

Solmon did not pray for a long life in 2 Chronicles 1:11 and 1 Kings 3:11 but for wisdom to rule God’s people.

Psalm 91, by Moses, starts with “he who dwells with the Most High” and ends with God giving him long life and salvation.

Hezekiah prayer for God to remember the things he had done and was given fifteen more years.

Wisdom, fear of the Lord, and long life appear in Proverbs 3:2 and 16, 4:10, and 10:27.

Paul in Titus 1: 1-3 talks of eternal life that had been promised: “a long time ago”. Faith, truth, hope, and knowledge came from Paul’s preaching because of his revelation and commission from God the Father and Jesus. I still wonder what it would have been like if Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life.

Ephesians 1:23

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Ephesians 1:23

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (KJV)

  • Which, hostis G 3748.
  • Is, eimi G 1510.
  • Body, soma G 4983. This word is used a lot in the books to the Corinthians. In Ephesians see 4:4, 12, and 16, 5:23,28, and 30.
  • Fullness, pleroma G 4138. See 1:10, 3:19, and 4:13.
  • Fills, pleroo G 4137. See 3:19, 4:10, and 5:18.
  • All, every, pas G 3956.

Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ  Jesus by the – Bible Gateway

Ephesians 1 Interlinear Bible (biblehub.com)