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2017 The "Nonsense" Words of Jesus - Israel Study Center

THE NONSENSE WORDS OF JESUS

In Jewish Jesus by Dr. Noel RabinowitzJuly 11, 2017

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Some words of Jesus seem to make no sense at all. We read,

The eye is the lamp of the body. Then, as if this was not
confusing enough, Jesus adds: So, if your eye is healthy
() your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is
bad (
), your whole body will be full of darkness. (Matt.
6:22-23a)

The most popular way of dealing with texts such as these is to

ignore them!

First, lets talk about the The eye is the lamp of the body. Modern people, like you and I, think of the
eye as a window that allows light into the body. Ancient Jews, however, thought that the eye was
the origin of light (something of a flashlight). In other words, everything in your life depends on how
you see things. Someone put it this way: It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your
altitude (dont worry I had to reread it few times too, but it was worth it!).

Our second insight concerns the meaning of the healthy eye versus evil eye. A better translation
should be a single-mindedeye versus lustful eye. Jesus is using these terms metaphorically. A
man with a single-minded eye looks at a God-given path alone! Gods word becomes the guiding
light (Ps. 119:105). But the one with the lustful eye gets distracted and greedy by looking at the
possessions of others. As envy takes root, generosity dies. Then darkness settles in.

Do not ignore the words of Jesus any longer! Unearth his words from under the ruble of time to
discover their original meaning. Explore our Jewish Culture for Christians program. Begin
below. Unearth his words from under the dust of time to discover their original meaning.

https://israelstudycenter.com/nonsense-words-jesus/ 1/1