The Sunday Sermonette – Lyin’ Eyes!
In the summer of 1977, Gulfport’s First Baptist Church loaded its infamous Bluebird bus with a gaggle of young people, and off to Mobile they journeyed, excited to hear The Eagles in concert. It was my first rock concert; it was my last as well. The screaming, singing crowds were too much for my twenty-five-year-old self, as was the thick cigarette smoke, coupled with the occasional whiff of marijuana. But that night, for the first time, I heard something I’ve never forgotten, the song “Lyin’ Eyes.”
The song’s title and lyrics were conceived in the imaginative minds of Glenn Frey and Don Henley, The Eagles’ lead singers. Late one evening, after many a drink in their favorite Los Angeles bar, Dan Tana’s, the men begin talking about the women they knew who were cheating on their husbands. Through the smoky cigarette smoke, they saw an attractive young woman flirting with an obese, much older, wealthy man. Frey looked at Henley and remarked: “She can’t even hide those lyin’ eyes.”
Once the Eagles’ concert ended, we loaded the bus, riding off into the night and home to Gulfport. As moonlight saturated the countryside with its silvery beauty, the song’s lyrics haunted my mind. “You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes. And your smile is a thin disguise. I thought by now you’d realize. There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes.”
The eyes can indeed communicate various emotions. Wide-open eyes communicate fear, while a squint of the eyes communicates anger or disgust. Dreamy eyes are said to express love and affection. Eyes that dart side to side can indicate that someone is lying. The Bard once said, “The eyes are windows to the soul.” How true that is. A person will always give away their true feelings if you watch their eyes and facial expressions.
Studying people’s faces as they age can be fascinating. Youthful faces convey joy and innocence. With the passing of years, sometimes people’s faces become etched with anger, rebelliousness, or disbelief. Behind those defiant, lying eyes, a hollow soul might reside. One that is frightened, cold, and filled with guilt or agonizing grief.
Like the Eagles’ song and the Bard, Jesus had something to say about our eyes: “The eye is like a lamp for the body. Suppose your eyes are good. Then your whole body will be full of light. But suppose your eyes are bad. Then, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is darkness, then it is very dark!”
Come Judgement Day, God will see through our darkness. He will study our facial expressions. He will look deep into our eyes. And He will know if they are “lyin’ eyes” or not.
Ponder this and go forth.