The Evil Eye (1)
Light in the Eye, Treasure in Heaven
This article is part 1 of a series titled "The Evil Eye", exploring how the idiom is used in the Bible to speak about generosity, greed and jealousy. Part 2 will be posted on July 25, 2025.
All Bible quotations are from LSB (Legacy Standard Bible) except otherwise stated.
Jesus once said, “If your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.”1 He said this as part of his admonition to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth2. In this first part of The Evil Eye series, we’ll listen carefully to Jesus’ words and consider what it means to have clear eye. What we see—and how we see—might be shaping our entire way of living.
What is an evil eye?
The “evil eye” is a Hebrew idiom that we find in the book of Proverbs.
Do not eat the bread of a selfish man,
And do not desire his delicacies3
The word translated “selfish” is the Hebrew idiom “evil eye”. In more literal terms, what the proverb says is “do not trust the bread of an evil-eyed man”4
The LSB translation maintains the literal wording in the following quotation:
A man with an evil eye hurries after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.5
In this instance, “evil eye” is used to refer to a person who is greedy and has an inordinate desire for wealth.
If an evil-eyed man is someone who is selfish or greedy, then a person with a good eye is someone who is generous. This is expressed in the following quotation:
He who is generous will be blessed,
For he gives from his food to the poor.6
Knowing this, we are set to explore the meaning of one of Jesus’ most popular sayings in the Gospel of Matthew.
Treasures in heaven, clear eyes and devotion
As part of the Sermon on the Mount, We have this admonition from Jesus:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.7
When you read Matthew 6:19–24, it almost feels like Jesus is jumping topics mid-thought. First, he’s talking about treasure—don’t store it up on earth, store it in heaven. Then, suddenly, he’s talking about eyes and light and darkness. Before you can catch your breath, he ends with a statement about serving two masters. At first glance, it can feel like three separate teachings pressed together with no clear connection. However, Jesus isn’t rambling. He’s revealing something profound about the way our hearts, our vision, and our loyalties are all bound together. If we slow down and listen, we may find that he’s exposing not just our relationship with money, but the spiritual condition of our inner life.
Storing up treasure
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.8
In this passage, Jesus teaches an important lesson on how to orient ourselves. He uses financial terms to say that the way to direct your heart is to situate the thing that it wants the most in the direction you want it to go.
The answer to how to store up treasure in heaven is given in Luke’s narration of this saying:
“Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.9
Jesus calls his followers to radical trust in God’s provision by urging them to give freely and generously. By giving to others, they are storing up treasure in heaven—a kind of wealth that cannot be lost, stolen, or ruined!
Clear eyes
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!10
The connection between this passage and the one before it is clearly seen if we understand “if your eye is clear…but if your eye is bad”.
“If your eye is clear” is the converse of the Hebrew “evil eye” idiom, which is what we have as “if your eye is bad” in this verse. In more literal terms, what Jesus said is “If your eye is good…but if your eye is evil”.11
Jesus is still encouraging his listeners to be generous, but in idiomatic terms! He’s not giving a lesson in biology, but revealing how our way of seeing—especially our posture toward money and others—shapes our spiritual condition. A generous eye reflects a heart filled with God’s light, while a greedy or stingy eye clouds our vision and darkens our soul. How we look at others, especially in matters of giving, reveals what kind of light is guiding us.
Devotion to God
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.12
Jesus is saying that our hearts are not built for divided loyalties. Sooner or later, love for one will lead to despising the other. And then he names the rival god explicitly: mammon—wealth, possessions, the pull of material security. Jesus wants us to see that money isn’t neutral; it competes for our trust, affection, and obedience.
Given the context of the preceding verses, we then realize that generosity is how we direct our affection, shape our spiritual condition and also direct our devotion.
Seeing Jesus Clearly
Understanding the idiom of the "evil eye" opens a window into Jesus’ heart and teaching. He was painting a unified picture of the inner life shaped by kingdom values. When we recognize that “a healthy eye” means a generous spirit, and “an evil eye” points to jealousy or greed, we begin to see how verses 19-24 all hold together.
Jesus’ words about the eye, treasure, and masters are more than scattered proverbs—they’re a deep call to live with clarity, generosity, and single-hearted devotion to God. As we’ve seen, understanding the idiom of the evil eye sheds light on what he meant and helps us hear his teaching more clearly.
If this reflection has helped you see Jesus’ words in a fresh way, I’d love for you to stick around. You can subscribe below to receive future posts.
Part 2 of this series will explore how the evil eye also reveals the dangers of jealousy and resentment. Until then, may your heart be anchored in heaven, your eye full of light, and your life shaped by the generosity of our Lord.
Matthew 6:22
Matthew 16:19-24
Proverbs 23:6
See footnotes in LSB, NASB95, CSB translations
Proverbs 28:22
Proverbs 22:9. See footnotes in LSB, NASB95, CSB translations
Matthew 6:19-24
Matthew 6:19-21
Luke 12:33-34
Matthew 6:22-23
See footnotes in LSB, NASB95 translations
Matthew 6:24
clarity of purpose, generosity and selflessness. The way to live to the fullest is to not be so obsessed about looking out for it alone