"Deliver us from evil" is the familiar request. Are we (being) delivered from evil?
That request might have been made by victims; perhaps even by the perpetrators.... (I do not imagine it is hard to apply the word "evil" to what the images evoke.)
It is often said that “X”, is, or was, evil. Perhaps in the evil there is a mixture of fear and ignorance, but that is not it.
It is often said that “X”, is, or was, evil. Perhaps in the evil there is a mixture of fear and ignorance, but that is not it.
In
the opening pages of the Bible (“Beginnings”) we read: The Lord God
made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were
beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden
he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil (Genesis 2:9, NLT). In the first Act of the drama of salvation we
have the hint of “good”, and of “evil”, to come.
Jesus, like the Bible overall, sees evil as a reality.
To be delivered from, or protected from, evil (or, the evil one) is a clear part of the pattern Jesus gave for prayer to our Heavenly Father. Here is the final request in Matthew's model:
Keep us from being tempted
and protect us from evil.[a] (Matthew 6:13, CEV)
To be delivered from, or protected from, evil (or, the evil one) is a clear part of the pattern Jesus gave for prayer to our Heavenly Father. Here is the final request in Matthew's model:
Keep us from being tempted
and protect us from evil.[a] (Matthew 6:13, CEV)
Protect from - -
[?]. As easily seen below, rendering the request (in translation)
poses a question, Although in 1881 changes were published, the English
Bible common traditional answer is best known (along with extra wording
to follow it).
a. I focus here on Matthew’s record, with the starting point that well-known Matthean request (6:13 above). I am not trying to encompass all the Bible, or even all the NT, has to tell us on “evil”, nor attempting to speculate. This post surveys what readers of Matthew encounter of that specific word.
Not all translators render the request the same way:
And do not bring us into[a] temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.[b] (CSB).
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.[a] (ESV).
And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b] (NIV).
And don’t let us yield to temptation,[a] but rescue us from the evil one.[b] (NLT).
And do not bring us to the time of trial,[a] but rescue us from the evil one.[b] (NRSV).
Thus, in the above 6 modern renditions, 4 of them favour “evil one”, rather than the more apparently broad term, “evil”, as is in the old English Bible. In their marginal notes the modern experts acknowledge the difficulty.
b. In Matthew, the first time Jesus referred to “evil”, he recognised that his followers were likely to be traduced: “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account (5:11, NRSV). The evil is the responsibility of the speaker. The opprobrium that Jesus attracts may instead fall on his followers, who may be happy to be identified with him. (Thinking evil of Jesus was in the record, as we can see further on.) The followers' names will be defamed or spurned as evil (Luke 6:22). This gives us a clear use of the word. (However, note that Jesus refers to false accusations, not to much-needed exposure of wickedness amongst the disguised predatory wolves!)
c; d. At that time, as in our day, some people might have made their word their bond and been known to do so. Others resorted to oaths to assert their entitlement to trust (though they could still twist even that - see Matthew 23). Jesus did not support any deceit! His approach was direct: Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.[a] Matthew 5:37, (ESV). One of the several instances of the adjective form used with “the” as a noun. And the meaning? An internal tendency, or external instigator, or both? With that question before us we read on for a few words: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:38-39, ESV). The grammatical form is the same in both, but the translations leave the first rendition more “open”. If Jesus was referring to a specific evil entity in verse 37 (and the words support that, as per the ESV margin), he could hardly have been doing so in the second (comparable) instance, which directs our minds to the very tangible face-slapping person who is evil doing. [However, the wording could be taken as “the evil one” or “the evil”.}
e. Evil notwithstanding, God persists in being generous. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt 5:44-45, ESV). Surely the picture is of people, on whom God’s sun and rain fall. God is long-suffering and not diverted away by labels, even if the label “evil” is well-earned. Moreover, hearts can be changed. Jesus’ "love and pray" direction contrasts with the instinct to call down fire and brimstone on persons being evil. Jesus wants his followers to display the "family likeness".
f. Matthew records (as does Luke) Jesus speaking of the vital importance of a “healthy eye”: but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matt 6:23, NRSV). The word used for “unhealthy” is the same (“evil”) and there is the clue that Jesus was not referring to a medical condition. (In fact, the old Bible rendered as “evil eye”, but that expression now has a specific sense not intended by Jesus.) His “bad/unhealthy/unsound eyes” warning is about my attitude and outlook, warning against holding a prejudiced, warped, greedy, lustful or hate-fuelled way of looking at life, people or the world around. We need to ask for Jesus’ outlook; to see the other as through his eyes. To “see” what is real, valuable and true.
g. Although they saw him going about doing good, some people firmly held the bad mind-set against Jesus which led them to condemn him out of hand. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? (Matt 9:2-4, NRSV). The critics might have been asking themselves the meaning of what they saw. They were not; but were strangely in agreement in their judgement. It seemed like they had decided in advance. Those mental evils that day were internal, and unjustified, but Jesus knew what was going on. Evil was, and is not, hidden from him.
h. We reach a point in the Gospel narrative where the opposition are blindly (evil-ly) saying Jesus is a bad man. Jesus described them plainly and gave a stark analysis: You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart (Matt 12: 34-35, NRSV). Certainly an internal problem. That must be blunt enough! They sadly are “the evil (ones)” and they reflect their inner being in what they say, as well as in what they do. Their actions reflect their mindset. I take that “evil” as describing the ungodly inner drive which, for example, can knowingly devise and direct "dispersal", slaughter and genocide against the weak or defenceless, even supposedly in service of a higher power, or even of God. Clearly some foster that culpable disposition of evil, that “heart”. They bring forth “evil”, or, we could say, “evils”. With others, those of good heart, the possibility exists to produce what is good, lots of good. Jesus makes the way to empty the evil and treasure up good instead.
i. God was at work in this world communicating through Jesus. The varying results of his message Jesus portrayed in a parable (“The Sower”). In the parable of the sown seed (ie, the distributed message about God), Jesus pictured an opponent working to actively negate God’s call. One of the unfortunate outcomes (or lack of outcome) of the proclamation he put this way: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts (13:19, NLT). To have the truth fall on the ears is one thing; it is another to give it mind. (I suppose we, today, can apply this principle to what we read…). The thief, “the evil (one)”, Mark labels as “ (the) Satan”; Luke labels the same as “the Devil”. (In the story other "seeds" also come to a bad end, due to opposition, or distractions, even after the truth being understood. Other "seeds" bear the intended harvest!)
j. In another less well known agricultural image of the “end times”, Jesus spoke of “the evil (one)” and of “the devil” (he did not specifically identify the two as being the same, which surely hints at the need for interpreter caution): He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels (13:37-39, NIV). The parable describes the world as a “mixed bag”, which will eventually be sorted. Jesus is doing his work; the opponent seeks to spoil. The world (community) is a mixture (which can not be unmixed by us). The true sorting waits for God’s harvest time. As God’s purpose is served by those who accept God’s call, so others are active - for the opponent (“evil one”). Thus, it is possible to belong to the Kingdom, or to the evil (one). It seems clear Jesus is pointing to an entity with human representatives; perhaps “the evil (one)” as at that time understood in that populace. The evil (one) is constantly in opposition aiming to negate God’s work. (An entity, or a tendency..?)
k. Jesus did predict an ultimate separation: So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous (Matt 13:49, ESV). As we have seen (above), people can actually earn their own label, “the evil”; people are not robots controlled by an external power or mysterious enemy. No irresistible force directs our steps. We all have the choice; help is at hand - if asked for.
l. In a confronting parable, Jesus later used a comparable expression to describe an awful mindset, a twisted, grasping, and jealous mindset: Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Why should you be jealous, if I want to be generous?” (20:15, CEV). If the owner chose to be generous, is that why should they see with an “evil eye” - as the old Bible literally translated? The parable portrays God’s generosity in contrast to human grudging.
m. One of Jesus’ parables was about guests being wanted for a banquet. In the story, reluctant invitation recipients were eventually replaced by unlikely types: So those servants went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests. (Matt 22:10, CSB). Other translations render “bad”, which is the meaning. God does want the “bad”, which may be a label applied by others. This is a plain statement of God’s standing welcome to the outcast, or disreputable. A welcome especially to the non-religious, which was an unpalatable idea to the (supposed) righteous and elite.
n. Jesus’ made a challenging little statement which is apparently addressed to his friends. Jesus clearly has no rosy view of us: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt 7:11, NIV). He places the natural person (all of us) in contrast with their Heavenly Father, who is constantly, overwhelmingly generous (see also above - "e."). Yes, we flawed people, with all our limitations, we can do good. So we should. God wants to do us good. He said those who ask from God, receive.
o. We find another use of that word, “evil”, here describing fruit as “bad” (old Bible had “evil fruit”): “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20, NRSV). For that “bad fruit”, or “evil fruit”, I am reminded of our use of “bad apple”. He means us to bear good fruit. But if the fruit is evil, the “tree” must be diseased, or suitable for knocking over! (That is true in pomology, but not in the good news from Jesus. His business is - change and restoration!)
p. Jesus spoke similarly and directly to those who clung to evil stuff to use for evil. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil (12:34-35, ESV). He describes them as evil with stores of evil, in contrast to the good person who retains good stores to bring about good. His followers are to speak to uplift, strengthen, encourage; to act accordingly.
q. Some (perhaps a lot of) prominenti did not like what Jesus went about doing or saying. They wanted to provoke him or expose him. One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah (12:38-39, NLT). The demand for an authenticating sign flowed from a shared disposition of distrust, disobedience and unfaithfulness. Despite the numbers of like-minded people, the hearers were not helpless in this!
Not all translators render the request the same way:
And do not bring us into[a] temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.[b] (CSB).
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.[a] (ESV).
And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b] (NIV).
And don’t let us yield to temptation,[a] but rescue us from the evil one.[b] (NLT).
And do not bring us to the time of trial,[a] but rescue us from the evil one.[b] (NRSV).
Thus, in the above 6 modern renditions, 4 of them favour “evil one”, rather than the more apparently broad term, “evil”, as is in the old English Bible. In their marginal notes the modern experts acknowledge the difficulty.
b. In Matthew, the first time Jesus referred to “evil”, he recognised that his followers were likely to be traduced: “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account (5:11, NRSV). The evil is the responsibility of the speaker. The opprobrium that Jesus attracts may instead fall on his followers, who may be happy to be identified with him. (Thinking evil of Jesus was in the record, as we can see further on.) The followers' names will be defamed or spurned as evil (Luke 6:22). This gives us a clear use of the word. (However, note that Jesus refers to false accusations, not to much-needed exposure of wickedness amongst the disguised predatory wolves!)
c; d. At that time, as in our day, some people might have made their word their bond and been known to do so. Others resorted to oaths to assert their entitlement to trust (though they could still twist even that - see Matthew 23). Jesus did not support any deceit! His approach was direct: Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.[a] Matthew 5:37, (ESV). One of the several instances of the adjective form used with “the” as a noun. And the meaning? An internal tendency, or external instigator, or both? With that question before us we read on for a few words: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:38-39, ESV). The grammatical form is the same in both, but the translations leave the first rendition more “open”. If Jesus was referring to a specific evil entity in verse 37 (and the words support that, as per the ESV margin), he could hardly have been doing so in the second (comparable) instance, which directs our minds to the very tangible face-slapping person who is evil doing. [However, the wording could be taken as “the evil one” or “the evil”.}
e. Evil notwithstanding, God persists in being generous. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt 5:44-45, ESV). Surely the picture is of people, on whom God’s sun and rain fall. God is long-suffering and not diverted away by labels, even if the label “evil” is well-earned. Moreover, hearts can be changed. Jesus’ "love and pray" direction contrasts with the instinct to call down fire and brimstone on persons being evil. Jesus wants his followers to display the "family likeness".
f. Matthew records (as does Luke) Jesus speaking of the vital importance of a “healthy eye”: but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matt 6:23, NRSV). The word used for “unhealthy” is the same (“evil”) and there is the clue that Jesus was not referring to a medical condition. (In fact, the old Bible rendered as “evil eye”, but that expression now has a specific sense not intended by Jesus.) His “bad/unhealthy/unsound eyes” warning is about my attitude and outlook, warning against holding a prejudiced, warped, greedy, lustful or hate-fuelled way of looking at life, people or the world around. We need to ask for Jesus’ outlook; to see the other as through his eyes. To “see” what is real, valuable and true.
g. Although they saw him going about doing good, some people firmly held the bad mind-set against Jesus which led them to condemn him out of hand. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? (Matt 9:2-4, NRSV). The critics might have been asking themselves the meaning of what they saw. They were not; but were strangely in agreement in their judgement. It seemed like they had decided in advance. Those mental evils that day were internal, and unjustified, but Jesus knew what was going on. Evil was, and is not, hidden from him.
h. We reach a point in the Gospel narrative where the opposition are blindly (evil-ly) saying Jesus is a bad man. Jesus described them plainly and gave a stark analysis: You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart (Matt 12: 34-35, NRSV). Certainly an internal problem. That must be blunt enough! They sadly are “the evil (ones)” and they reflect their inner being in what they say, as well as in what they do. Their actions reflect their mindset. I take that “evil” as describing the ungodly inner drive which, for example, can knowingly devise and direct "dispersal", slaughter and genocide against the weak or defenceless, even supposedly in service of a higher power, or even of God. Clearly some foster that culpable disposition of evil, that “heart”. They bring forth “evil”, or, we could say, “evils”. With others, those of good heart, the possibility exists to produce what is good, lots of good. Jesus makes the way to empty the evil and treasure up good instead.
i. God was at work in this world communicating through Jesus. The varying results of his message Jesus portrayed in a parable (“The Sower”). In the parable of the sown seed (ie, the distributed message about God), Jesus pictured an opponent working to actively negate God’s call. One of the unfortunate outcomes (or lack of outcome) of the proclamation he put this way: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts (13:19, NLT). To have the truth fall on the ears is one thing; it is another to give it mind. (I suppose we, today, can apply this principle to what we read…). The thief, “the evil (one)”, Mark labels as “ (the) Satan”; Luke labels the same as “the Devil”. (In the story other "seeds" also come to a bad end, due to opposition, or distractions, even after the truth being understood. Other "seeds" bear the intended harvest!)
j. In another less well known agricultural image of the “end times”, Jesus spoke of “the evil (one)” and of “the devil” (he did not specifically identify the two as being the same, which surely hints at the need for interpreter caution): He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels (13:37-39, NIV). The parable describes the world as a “mixed bag”, which will eventually be sorted. Jesus is doing his work; the opponent seeks to spoil. The world (community) is a mixture (which can not be unmixed by us). The true sorting waits for God’s harvest time. As God’s purpose is served by those who accept God’s call, so others are active - for the opponent (“evil one”). Thus, it is possible to belong to the Kingdom, or to the evil (one). It seems clear Jesus is pointing to an entity with human representatives; perhaps “the evil (one)” as at that time understood in that populace. The evil (one) is constantly in opposition aiming to negate God’s work. (An entity, or a tendency..?)
k. Jesus did predict an ultimate separation: So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous (Matt 13:49, ESV). As we have seen (above), people can actually earn their own label, “the evil”; people are not robots controlled by an external power or mysterious enemy. No irresistible force directs our steps. We all have the choice; help is at hand - if asked for.
l. In a confronting parable, Jesus later used a comparable expression to describe an awful mindset, a twisted, grasping, and jealous mindset: Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Why should you be jealous, if I want to be generous?” (20:15, CEV). If the owner chose to be generous, is that why should they see with an “evil eye” - as the old Bible literally translated? The parable portrays God’s generosity in contrast to human grudging.
m. One of Jesus’ parables was about guests being wanted for a banquet. In the story, reluctant invitation recipients were eventually replaced by unlikely types: So those servants went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests. (Matt 22:10, CSB). Other translations render “bad”, which is the meaning. God does want the “bad”, which may be a label applied by others. This is a plain statement of God’s standing welcome to the outcast, or disreputable. A welcome especially to the non-religious, which was an unpalatable idea to the (supposed) righteous and elite.
n. Jesus’ made a challenging little statement which is apparently addressed to his friends. Jesus clearly has no rosy view of us: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt 7:11, NIV). He places the natural person (all of us) in contrast with their Heavenly Father, who is constantly, overwhelmingly generous (see also above - "e."). Yes, we flawed people, with all our limitations, we can do good. So we should. God wants to do us good. He said those who ask from God, receive.
o. We find another use of that word, “evil”, here describing fruit as “bad” (old Bible had “evil fruit”): “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20, NRSV). For that “bad fruit”, or “evil fruit”, I am reminded of our use of “bad apple”. He means us to bear good fruit. But if the fruit is evil, the “tree” must be diseased, or suitable for knocking over! (That is true in pomology, but not in the good news from Jesus. His business is - change and restoration!)
p. Jesus spoke similarly and directly to those who clung to evil stuff to use for evil. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil (12:34-35, ESV). He describes them as evil with stores of evil, in contrast to the good person who retains good stores to bring about good. His followers are to speak to uplift, strengthen, encourage; to act accordingly.
q. Some (perhaps a lot of) prominenti did not like what Jesus went about doing or saying. They wanted to provoke him or expose him. One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah (12:38-39, NLT). The demand for an authenticating sign flowed from a shared disposition of distrust, disobedience and unfaithfulness. Despite the numbers of like-minded people, the hearers were not helpless in this!
r. Jesus used the word in another of his brief stories: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation” (Matt 12:43-45, ESV). Reformation without inner change is unlikely to “take” and has no true value. Jesus’ generation may have mouthed the words and held up (the executed) John the baptiser, but the “powers” decided to reject the Word of God. The consequence for that generation was grim. Here the word “evil” describes (as a comparative) “unclean spirits”, and it also describes a “generation”. (Jesus’ language is pictorial, at least to some extent.) There was a time in Australia when the fostering of “religion” (some) was seen as a bulwark to community morality and prosperity. That kind of “skin deep” practice has a sadly appalling record.
s. At that time “purity” was a “hot issue” in their religion. Jesus set aside a focus on hand-washing (!) and directed attention to the internal: Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” (15:17-20, NRSV). What is thought or planned, may be evil, or it may be good, and it underlies the action, crime or not. So, Jesus was surely not speaking about our (amazing) pumps but about our (amazing) minds. It is a sad human genius to turn capacity for good thinking to bad use!
t. Reading on we find (again) from a different grouping of temporary allies: And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them,[a] “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed (16:1-4, ESV). They rejected the plain evidence of their eyes and looked for a loophole, any loophole, to endorse their stance. Again - what kind of a generation (community) was theirs, anyway? They (leaders) had abandoned the ability to pursue good thinking.
u. In an extended parable featuring a king of unlikely generosity, Jesus contrasted God’s unmeasurable mercy with people dealing in a mean spirited way with others (especially less empowered others). The king called the first official back in and said, “You’re an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent (18:32, CEV). The emphasis is on the greatness of God’s kindness. The mean man earns the label, “evil”. He had received so much but rejected the idea of giving little.
v. In Matthew 25:14-30 we have a parable of three servants (slaves) put in temporary charge until the master returned. The third one quite deliberately did nothing productive with his opportunities. We read the owner’s judgement: “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, (25:24-25, CSB). The word is used to describe the person who knew fully, but wilfully adopted a disobedient attitude or disposition. (As often, the scene is a story, an “hypothetical”.)
w. In his final earthly week, Jesus’ opponents became more brazen, and more devious. The Gospels (apart from John) record a trap question from some to Jesus about Jews paying taxes (to Roman occupation authorities). According to Matthew this was an expression of their evil: But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? (22:18, NLT). Mark tells it that Jesus knew they were being hypocrites and Luke has that he knew their craftiness. I think we can easily enough see hypocrisy and devious craftiness intended to bring harm, as “evil”, or, as “malice”. (This passage has the one use of the noun form in Matthew.)
We need deliverance from those who willingly give reign to evil. We need deliverance from our own evil, our own failings. We need deliverance....
I full know I make decisions. I am responsible for my decisions. There is no support in the teaching of Jesus for anyone to say that Satan/Devil made them “do it”. That kind of claim reminds me of the sad, “I was only following orders” - which may have more truly been stated as “I was following orders”. (I wonder if the war crimes trials have resolved the hard issue of defying orders without impunity.)
[The Bible uses the word “evil” in many more places. I think my survey of Matthew shows the issue for translators, about “evil” or “the evil (one”). Translators of course may look more widely than the one book.]
I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t. Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. (John 17:14-15, CEV). Jesus’ prayer for us is for God to keep our feet on the right path, his path, in his world. (BTW: I have a particular reason for now including the CEV of John 17:15 - see intro. Unlike the old Bible, this translation choice was adopted by all the modern English versions I mention. Literally the last phrase is is: "out of the evil", contrasting exactly with "out of the world". The alternatives - to belong to one or to the other. These words are from Jesus' prayer, rather than from his teaching - he and the Father knew all about it.)
Very bluntly, Paul, the Apostle of Jesus, reminds us to: reject every kind of evil (1Thess 5:22, NIV). In whatever form evil comes, the followers of Jesus are to abstain from it, to stay away from it.
Note on the comparison of the “Lord’s Prayer”:
In Luke, chapter 11, we read Jesus giving his followers, in similar words, a prayer to use. Although, in very well attested records of that passage, Jesus there does not mention “evil”, or “the evil (one)”, he does want us to ask for protection (see Luke 11:4).
Old Testament Note:
It is clear that the word “evil” is found in the OT (see intro) and God opposes it! The OT naturally provides a basis to the NT background picture. However, the picture is not as clear as some claim. (I have heard some colourful interpretations of OT texts.) I believe the OT content was "developed" in the years before Jesus and those ideas were part of that culture.
s. At that time “purity” was a “hot issue” in their religion. Jesus set aside a focus on hand-washing (!) and directed attention to the internal: Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” (15:17-20, NRSV). What is thought or planned, may be evil, or it may be good, and it underlies the action, crime or not. So, Jesus was surely not speaking about our (amazing) pumps but about our (amazing) minds. It is a sad human genius to turn capacity for good thinking to bad use!
t. Reading on we find (again) from a different grouping of temporary allies: And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them,[a] “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed (16:1-4, ESV). They rejected the plain evidence of their eyes and looked for a loophole, any loophole, to endorse their stance. Again - what kind of a generation (community) was theirs, anyway? They (leaders) had abandoned the ability to pursue good thinking.
u. In an extended parable featuring a king of unlikely generosity, Jesus contrasted God’s unmeasurable mercy with people dealing in a mean spirited way with others (especially less empowered others). The king called the first official back in and said, “You’re an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent (18:32, CEV). The emphasis is on the greatness of God’s kindness. The mean man earns the label, “evil”. He had received so much but rejected the idea of giving little.
v. In Matthew 25:14-30 we have a parable of three servants (slaves) put in temporary charge until the master returned. The third one quite deliberately did nothing productive with his opportunities. We read the owner’s judgement: “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, (25:24-25, CSB). The word is used to describe the person who knew fully, but wilfully adopted a disobedient attitude or disposition. (As often, the scene is a story, an “hypothetical”.)
w. In his final earthly week, Jesus’ opponents became more brazen, and more devious. The Gospels (apart from John) record a trap question from some to Jesus about Jews paying taxes (to Roman occupation authorities). According to Matthew this was an expression of their evil: But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? (22:18, NLT). Mark tells it that Jesus knew they were being hypocrites and Luke has that he knew their craftiness. I think we can easily enough see hypocrisy and devious craftiness intended to bring harm, as “evil”, or, as “malice”. (This passage has the one use of the noun form in Matthew.)
We need deliverance from those who willingly give reign to evil. We need deliverance from our own evil, our own failings. We need deliverance....
I full know I make decisions. I am responsible for my decisions. There is no support in the teaching of Jesus for anyone to say that Satan/Devil made them “do it”. That kind of claim reminds me of the sad, “I was only following orders” - which may have more truly been stated as “I was following orders”. (I wonder if the war crimes trials have resolved the hard issue of defying orders without impunity.)
[The Bible uses the word “evil” in many more places. I think my survey of Matthew shows the issue for translators, about “evil” or “the evil (one”). Translators of course may look more widely than the one book.]
I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t. Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. (John 17:14-15, CEV). Jesus’ prayer for us is for God to keep our feet on the right path, his path, in his world. (BTW: I have a particular reason for now including the CEV of John 17:15 - see intro. Unlike the old Bible, this translation choice was adopted by all the modern English versions I mention. Literally the last phrase is is: "out of the evil", contrasting exactly with "out of the world". The alternatives - to belong to one or to the other. These words are from Jesus' prayer, rather than from his teaching - he and the Father knew all about it.)
Very bluntly, Paul, the Apostle of Jesus, reminds us to: reject every kind of evil (1Thess 5:22, NIV). In whatever form evil comes, the followers of Jesus are to abstain from it, to stay away from it.
Note on the comparison of the “Lord’s Prayer”:
In Luke, chapter 11, we read Jesus giving his followers, in similar words, a prayer to use. Although, in very well attested records of that passage, Jesus there does not mention “evil”, or “the evil (one)”, he does want us to ask for protection (see Luke 11:4).
Old Testament Note:
It is clear that the word “evil” is found in the OT (see intro) and God opposes it! The OT naturally provides a basis to the NT background picture. However, the picture is not as clear as some claim. (I have heard some colourful interpretations of OT texts.) I believe the OT content was "developed" in the years before Jesus and those ideas were part of that culture.
A Reference
T. Elgin, “Belial, Beliar, Devil, Satan”, Dictionary of NT Background, ed. C.A. Evans & S.E. Porter, (IVP, Downers Grove, IL, 2000) 153-157.
Grammatical note:
The New Testament has a specific noun for “evil”. That word is infrequent.
Like English, the NT uses in various ways a word meaning “evil”, parsed as an adjective. The adjective is also used as a noun.
A Greek NT lexicon (Abbot-Smith) distinguished word uses for “evil”; I followed that listing.
Noun
Mt 22:18, Lk 11:39, Ro 1:29, Eph 6:12
(Pl.) Mk 7:22, Ac 3:26, 1 Cor 5:8
Adjective
A -
B
painful (things) (a)
Eph 5:16, 6:13, Rev 16:2
Worthless (things) (a)
Mt 7:17, 18,
Wicked (a)
7:11, 12:34,35, 18:32, 25:26 | Lk 6:45, 11:13, 19:22, Ac 17:5 2Th 3:2, 2Tim 3:13 | Matt 12:39, 45, 16:4| Lk 11:29 |Matt 12:45, Lk 7:21, 8:2, 11:26, Acts 19:12, 13, 15, 16 |
wicked (n)
Matt 13:49 |5:45, 22:10| Lk 6:35 | Mt 5: 37, 39, 6:13, 1Cor 5:13 | Mt 13:19, 38, Lk 11:4, Jn 17:15, Eph 6:16, 2Thess 3:3, 1Jn 2:12, 13 3:12, 5:18, 19
evil (a)
Mt 5:11, 12:35, 15:19, Lk 6:22, 45, Jn 3:19, 7:7, Acts 18:14, 25:18, Gal 1:4, Col 1:21, 1Tim 6:4, 2Tim 4:18, Heb 3:12, 10:22, Ja 2:4, 4:16, 1Jn 3:12, 2Jn 11, 3Jn 10, | Mt 6:23, 20:15, Mk 7:22, Lk 11:34,
Evil (n)
Acts 28:21, 1Thess 5:22 | Lk 6:45, Ro 12:9 |
Matt 9:4, Mk 7:23, Lk 3:19
T. Elgin, “Belial, Beliar, Devil, Satan”, Dictionary of NT Background, ed. C.A. Evans & S.E. Porter, (IVP, Downers Grove, IL, 2000) 153-157.
Grammatical note:
The New Testament has a specific noun for “evil”. That word is infrequent.
Like English, the NT uses in various ways a word meaning “evil”, parsed as an adjective. The adjective is also used as a noun.
A Greek NT lexicon (Abbot-Smith) distinguished word uses for “evil”; I followed that listing.
Noun
Mt 22:18, Lk 11:39, Ro 1:29, Eph 6:12
(Pl.) Mk 7:22, Ac 3:26, 1 Cor 5:8
Adjective
A -
B
painful (things) (a)
Eph 5:16, 6:13, Rev 16:2
Worthless (things) (a)
Mt 7:17, 18,
Wicked (a)
7:11, 12:34,35, 18:32, 25:26 | Lk 6:45, 11:13, 19:22, Ac 17:5 2Th 3:2, 2Tim 3:13 | Matt 12:39, 45, 16:4| Lk 11:29 |Matt 12:45, Lk 7:21, 8:2, 11:26, Acts 19:12, 13, 15, 16 |
wicked (n)
Matt 13:49 |5:45, 22:10| Lk 6:35 | Mt 5: 37, 39, 6:13, 1Cor 5:13 | Mt 13:19, 38, Lk 11:4, Jn 17:15, Eph 6:16, 2Thess 3:3, 1Jn 2:12, 13 3:12, 5:18, 19
evil (a)
Mt 5:11, 12:35, 15:19, Lk 6:22, 45, Jn 3:19, 7:7, Acts 18:14, 25:18, Gal 1:4, Col 1:21, 1Tim 6:4, 2Tim 4:18, Heb 3:12, 10:22, Ja 2:4, 4:16, 1Jn 3:12, 2Jn 11, 3Jn 10, | Mt 6:23, 20:15, Mk 7:22, Lk 11:34,
Evil (n)
Acts 28:21, 1Thess 5:22 | Lk 6:45, Ro 12:9 |
Matt 9:4, Mk 7:23, Lk 3:19
Copyright
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked (CSB) are from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Note 5. I retain in the publishers' text where they occur the references to footnotes (eg, [a], [b]), but usually not the notes. You can check them out by viewing the text on-line. Often they are replicated in different translations.
Bible passages accessed via biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.org
Images sourced from Pixabay.com and "News"
Scripture quotations marked (CSB) are from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Note 5. I retain in the publishers' text where they occur the references to footnotes (eg, [a], [b]), but usually not the notes. You can check them out by viewing the text on-line. Often they are replicated in different translations.
Bible passages accessed via biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.org
Images sourced from Pixabay.com and "News"
Images note
Images in separate form follow. For obvious reasons of respect I have not included the chained Aboriginal men in WA from the 1900s. Sadly, you can access (on Trove) in “The West Australian” newspaper, or WA State Library: http://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4767317_4
Images in separate form follow. For obvious reasons of respect I have not included the chained Aboriginal men in WA from the 1900s. Sadly, you can access (on Trove) in “The West Australian” newspaper, or WA State Library: http://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4767317_4
AL
13/10/24
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