“The eye is the lamp of the body.
Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 6:22
If your eyes are healthy,
your whole body will be full of light.”
These words of Jesus offer us a way of understanding the role that our attention and perception play in creating reality.
They challenge us to examine the lens of our perception and see the unconscious biases that may cloud or distort our vision.
These words of wisdom have practical implications for how we relate to ourselves, others and the world around us.
Its profoundness struck me in a fresh new way as I was reading and reflecting recently on the work of both John Vervaeke and Iain McGilchrist.
John Vervaeke explores our modern meaning crisis. While Iain McGilchrist reveals how the right and left hemispheres of the brain shape how we see and relate to the world.
Video preview using Google NotebookLM
What follows is an exploration of how this ancient wisdom aligns with the contemporary understanding of perception and meaning-making.
This analysis was done with the help of ChatGPT.
The metaphor of the ‘eye as the lamp of the body’, relates to perception, attention, and spiritual health. It can also be understood through the lens of modern concepts like the frame problem, predictive processing, and relevance realization, as well as hemispheric differences in brain function that Vervaeke and McGilchrist explore in detail.
Connection to Frame Problem and Predictive Processing
The frame problem is concerned with the question of how people intuitively filter out irrelevant details and focus on what matters.
Vervaeke suggests that we rely on our evolved capacities to dynamically filter information and focus our attention (relevance realisation) in a way that is meaningful to us.
Predictive processing is the idea that our brains are constantly making predictions about the world based on our past experiences, and they update these predictions as new information comes in. These mental model allows us to navigate the world without having to consciously process every detail.
The Eye as a Lens of Perception
The “eye” in this passage is used as a metaphor to symbolise the way we perceive and interpret the world. If our attention and perspective (our frame) is clear and healthy – aligned with truth and goodness – our “whole body” (our being and actions) is illuminated.
Conversely, an unhealthy or distorted framing of reality can be compared to darkness, representing misunderstanding, delusion and moral failure.
Framing and Blind Spots
If one’s “inner light” (perspective or cognitive frame) is skewed by self-interest, pride, or narrow thinking, it may blind them to broader truths. This aligns with the frame problem, where a poor framework excludes relevant aspects of reality.
This also means that our mental models of the world (predictive processing) are biased and wrong.
Relevance Realization
A healthy eye could correspond to the dynamic capacity to recognise what is relevant in the moment. An “unhealthy” eye might fixate on irrelevant or trivial details, distorting one’s perception of reality and decisions.
Connection to Left vs Right Hemisphere Thinking
Narrow Focus vs Holistic Vision
The “unhealthy eye” could represent a left-hemisphere-dominated perspective: narrow, analytical, and overly fixated on particulars (e.g., material wealth, moral purity or rigid legalism).
The “healthy eye” aligns with right-hemisphere processing: integrative, open to context, and attuned to relational and spiritual realities. The aim of religion is to restore our connection to God and one another.
Rigidity vs Adaptability
Jesus contrasts a rigid, inward-focused frame (darkness) with an adaptive and outwardly aware frame (light), which allows for a balanced and meaningful engagement with the world.
The difference between the right and left hemisphere view of truth
As you look at the differences outlined below think about the story of the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John 8: 1 to 11. Notice how Jesus and the Pharisees apply the law of Moses.
Practical Implications
Just when you think you know it all, stop and examine the lens through which you see reality.
Jesus’ teaching encourages mindfulness about where we direct our attention and challenge us to examine our mental and spiritual frameworks that shape what we perceive.
If someone constantly focuses on fear, punishment, their own superiority or material gain, their worldview will be “darkened,” skewing their moral and emotional balance.
A “healthy eye” reflects purity of intention, humility, and openness to divine guidance, leading to clarity and wisdom in decision-making.
Jesus’ teaching about the “eye” invites us to self-examination, openness to broader truths, and attentiveness to the things that truly matter.
These ancient principles resonate deeply with our modern discussions of perception and cognition. The two references below offer a great starting point to dive into this topic.
Two ways of seeing
References
- Watch John Vervaeke’s YouTube series on Awakening from the Meaning Crisis that looks at the frame problem, relevance realisation and predictive processing.
- Listen to Iain McGilchrist talk about the differences between the left and right hemisphere of the brain and how it impacts our view of reality in The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World.
The question is not what you look at, but what you see.
Henry Thoreau
Exodus 