The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. (Luke 11:34-36)
In our household, fall is our favorite time of year. The days get shorter, the leaves change to a rainbow of beautiful colors, and pumpkin spice flavored treats are everywhere. For many people, Halloween is included in their list of favorite things they like about fall. As October 31st approaches, the perpetual onslaught of commercials and shows with a Halloween theme are put out by the entertainment industry. At the same time, the annual debate on how Christians should address Halloween or participate at all returns with plenty of condemnation to go around.
We do not need to rehash the details over the origins of Halloween or what even modern day Church of Satan participants say about it. However, the sad thing about this time of year is that some of the same people who adamantly condemn Halloween see no problem with participating in other celebrations that have numerous ties to anti-Christian or pagan origins as well. So then, what is a Christian to do when the entire world embraces anti-Christ beliefs and practices all around them? Jesus gave us the answer in today’s Scripture passage.
We are told in Luke 11:34 that the light of our body is the eye and makes a comparison of having a single eye or an evil eye and how it can affect our behaviors. Having a single eye means that when we focus our thinking on things of the Lord we have clarity, or light, about what we should do in every situation. However, when we have an evil eye, we allow our thinking to be divided between the things of the Lord and our own selfish desires. Our selfish desires influence our decisions and opinions so that we do not have clarity, but instead, we have conflicting thoughts, or darkness, about what we should do in every situation. When this happens, we make choices that are contrary or even condemned in Scripture.
By now, you may be wondering what this has to do with Halloween. This is where Luke 11:35-36 applies. We must take heed, or be careful, that we choose to have singleness of thought, or light, in our decisions about participating in anything that would be unpleasing to God. But, at the same time, we must take heed that we do allow our Godly choices to be used as a justification to communicate our Godly choices in a way that is ungodly. Therefore, if we make a decision not to participate, we should do so in such a way that does not personally attack those who do participate. But, instead we should use our interaction with them to share the light of the gospel in the midst of the darkness.
There are many ways to do this. In the case of Halloween, some Christians hand out candy with gospel tracts to trick-or-treaters. Some churches have harvest parties that focus more on celebrating giving thanks to God in a thanksgiving sort of way. For Christians who reject a December 25th Christmas with all its pagan rooted practices, it can be used as a time to connect the light of the world, Jesus Christ, as the light that can bring light to any heart during what is the darkest and shortest days of the year.
Finally, we must understand that the dark origins of some traditions and holiday practices are no surprise to God. However, we can see a practical example in Genesis 50:15-21 of how they can be used for good and for God’s glory along with our attitude toward others that may or may not participate. When Jacob, the father of Joseph died, Joseph’s brothers were terrified that he would take vengeance on them for selling him into slavery. However, in Genesis 50:19-20, Joseph told them not to worry because what they meant for evil, God meant for good and as a way to save many people. He concluded that they should not fear, that he would provide for them and their little ones, and he spoke kindly to them. We should do the same when others participate in traditions or holiday activities that we do not share or agree with. We should see this as an opportunity to share the good news of the gospel so that people can be saved and we can demonstrate God’s love for them and their children with kindness. May God bless us with hearts to do the same.
