Q: In Matthew 6:23, Jesus says, If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. Isnt this absurd?
A: The alleged absurdity seems to involve the premise that Jesus is incorporating the concept of the evil eye into his teachings, as if the simple phrase if thine eye be evil must convey a superstition about the ability of a covetous stare to cause bad luck or calamity upon the object of its focus. However, Jesus is simply making a normal contrast between the effects of seeing things correctly (with singular focus) and the effects of seeing things the wrong way. (The contrast begins one verse earlier, where Jesus says, "If therefore your eye is good...") And rather than endorse the superstition that an evil eye causes trouble for the object of its focus, Jesus teaches that the individual who has negative effects from having an evil eye (i.e., full of envy) is its owner. Since the existence of a contrast here is self-evident, and the effect of what Jesus is talking about is the opposite of the evil eye superstition, it seems plain to me that the charge of absurdity has been contrived.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: The alleged absurdity seems to involve the premise that Jesus is incorporating the concept of the evil eye into his teachings, as if the simple phrase if thine eye be evil must convey a superstition about the ability of a covetous stare to cause bad luck or calamity upon the object of its focus. However, Jesus is simply making a normal contrast between the effects of seeing things correctly (with singular focus) and the effects of seeing things the wrong way. (The contrast begins one verse earlier, where Jesus says, "If therefore your eye is good...") And rather than endorse the superstition that an evil eye causes trouble for the object of its focus, Jesus teaches that the individual who has negative effects from having an evil eye (i.e., full of envy) is its owner. Since the existence of a contrast here is self-evident, and the effect of what Jesus is talking about is the opposite of the evil eye superstition, it seems plain to me that the charge of absurdity has been contrived.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
