Eye – Ayin

Since I’ve been writing about eyes and sight lately, I thought I’d share the Hebrew word for eye, which is עין (pronounced AH-yeen).

Matthew 6:22-23 literally reads: “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is good, your whole body is full of light; but if your eye is evil your whole body is full of darkness…”

“If your eye is good” is a Hebrew saying that means, “if you are generous.” If a “good eye” speaks to generosity, what is an evil eye? Someone not knowing the Jewish background might suppose it is speaking of casting spells. But in Hebrew culture, having an “evil eye,” means being stingy – just like having a “good eye,” means being generous. Yeshua (Jesus) is warning against lack of generosity and nothing else. This fits the context perfectly: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also….You cannot serve both God and money.”

 

Nearsighted And Farsighted

I’m continuing to ponder the ways that we see others and ourselves. These are all thoughts that I have worked through over the years as I have wrestled with how to see myself and others–especially difficult people.

In the last few days, I have been thinking about being nearsighted and farsighted in how we see others and ourselves.

How We See

I’ve learned a lot about Greek and Hebraic thinking in recent years. I know, I know, I have written about it quite a bit, but it really does affect many things, ranging from our belief about God and Scripture to life and to teaching a teenage son.  One aspect of Greek thinking is that two opposite things can’t both be true–if Thing A is true then Thing B is false. Greek thinking has resulted in many church debates and denominational splits over the centuries as people argue(d) about things like “Does God choose us OR do we choose God?” or “Is God sovereign OR do we have free will?” “They can’t both be true!” Hebrew thinking, on the other hand, believes that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than our ways and there is room for mystery. Two seemingly opposite things can both be true. God chooses us AND we choose Him. God is sovereign AND we have free will. The Jews believe “these, also, are the words of God.”

Through Different Eyes

I have a teen.

The Rest of the Story…

We had an awful weekend. It discouraged us. Sometimes it just feels as if life is a series of struggle and heartbreak, and we get weary. I asked God for encouragement, and it came, and my spirit was strengthened.

The Three Coats of Benny Bunny

I’m again the first one awake, and I’m drinking coffee, browsing favorite blogs and sites, and thinking.

A Cold Winter Day

EJ has been working 12 hour shifts this week. His normal shift is from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m., but this week he has been working from 6 p.m. until 6 am. It’s strange having him home for most of the day, although he’s not awake through most of it. A change in hours is always a difficult adjustment, and he has been very tired.

K.D. and Mr. Spock

When I was about 9 or 10, my sister woke me up one morning to tell me that our brother had brought home a little black puppy. I didn’t believe her because it was April Fool’s Day. Yeah, right. I wasn’t born yesterday. But she wasn’t fooling. Our brother had really brought home a little black puppy. He raised homing pigeons that he raced, and apparently someone at a race had had a champion schnauzer that had had puppies with a traveling poodle (stray). The guy was so disgusted that he gave away the puppies, and my brother brought one home.

Rabbi Jesus

Saturday I didn’t get to sleep until about 3 a.m. Last night, I didn’t sleep all that well either. EJ didn’t feel well–he thinks his pain meds were affecting him. JJ said he hardly sleep all night. We were all very tired this morning. EJ feel asleep in his chair this morning, and as soon as school was over, JJ and I took naps too.

Crown of Messiah

We study the Scriptures together as a family. We follow the Jewish Scripture reading schedule. Ezra (the one in the Bible) set up this reading schedule, and Jews have been following it ever since–including Jesus. For the past few years, we’ve been using the Hebrew for Christian book, A Year Through the Torah. You can buy a hard copy of the book or access it on line for free by clicking This Week’s Torah Reading in the sidebar at the left. The teaching is tremendous, and we have learned so much through it.