The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015Sample

Good or Evil?

I used to be an atheist. I believed that our bodies and minds and the circumstances into which we were born determined all our actions. I did not believe, therefore, that there was ultimately any such thing as ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Logically, it seemed to me, if there is no God there is no absolute basis for morality. Therefore, following this logic there is no absolute ‘good’ or ‘evil’.

Yet, deep down, I knew that there was such a thing as ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Even though I did not believe in God, I used those words. However, it was not until I encountered Jesus that I understood that there is a God who has created a moral universe. He has given us a conscience so that we know that some things are ‘good’ and others are ‘evil’.

But our consciences can be dulled and they need to be sharpened by objective truth. In the Scriptures, and in particular in the person of Jesus Christ, the nature of good and evil are revealed.

Jesus asks the question in today’s passage, ‘Which is lawful … to do good or to do evil ...?’ (Mark 3:4). Each of the passages for today tells us something about the nature of good and evil.

Proverbs 5:1-14

1. Beware of evil disguised as good

All sin involves a kind of deception. It often involves the disguising of evil as good. There is a superficial attraction – ‘For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil’ (v.3). But in the end she is ‘bitter as gall’ (v.4) and following that path leads to ‘death’ (v.5a) and ‘the grave’ (v.5b).

These verses capture both the appeal and the danger of sexual temptation. We live in an increasingly sexualised society, with internet pornography readily available, sexual images all around us, and a culture that encourages us to seek sexual ‘fulfilment’.

Our sexuality is a God-given blessing (see Genesis 2:24), but when used wrongly it can be destructive and damaging. If we are to resist temptation it is important that we recognise both its attraction and its danger. These verses alert us to the attractiveness of sexual sin, but warn us not to be deceived by it.

‘You don’t want to end your life full of regrets’ (v.11, MSG). Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Wisdom is our friend; it helps us not to live in regret. I think the saddest thing in the world would be to reach old age and look back at my life and feel nothing but regret about what I did or did not do. Wisdom helps us make choices now that we will be happy with later.’

The writer of Proverbs warns us to keep away from the path we will regret and not to go anywhere near that course of action (v.8). If we ignore this advice we will waste our lives. And at the end of our lives we will deeply regret it (vv.11–14). ‘Keep your distance ... stay out of her neighbourhood’ (v.8, MSG). We are not to flirt with temptation. We are to flee temptation. (Further practical suggestions for how to avoid sexual temptation in particular can be found in The Jesus Lifestyle, chapter 5: ‘How to understand sex in the 21st century.’)

Lord, help me to take wise precautions in my life in order to stay far away from anything that could lead me into sin. ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’ (Matthew 6:13).

Mark 2:18-3:30

2. Decide about Jesus: good or evil?

Who is Jesus? All of us have to make up our minds about Jesus: Was he evil? Was he insane? Or was he God? This is not a new question. We see in this passage that the people in Jesus’ time also had to decide between these three options.

Jesus was not just a great religious teacher. He clearly regarded himself as far more than that. Jesus made astonishing claims about himself. Even in this relatively short part of Mark’s gospel we see a number of such claims.

C. S. Lewis pointed out that: ‘A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.’ He would either be insane or else he would be ‘the Devil of Hell’. ‘You must make your choice,’ he writes. But C. S. Lewis goes on, ‘let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.’ There really are only three options: either he was evil or insane or else the claims were true.

• Was he evil?
  The teachers of the law said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons’ (v.22). They were saying, ‘He has an evil spirit’ (v.30b, NIV).
• Was he insane?
  People were saying about Jesus, ‘He is out of his mind’ (v.21b).
• Was he right?
  Jesus is implicitly saying that he is the bridegroom (see 2:18–19). He describes himself as ‘Lord even of the Sabbath’ (v.28), and when the evil spirits cry out ‘You are the Son of God’ (3:11), Jesus did not deny it but ‘gave them strict orders not to tell others about him’ (v.12).

After spending three years with him his disciples came to the conclusion that he really was the unique Son of God, the Word made flesh, a man whose identity was God (2:21–22). Our decision about whether Jesus is evil, insane or God has huge consequences.

Jesus says to those who are describing him as evil, ‘Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven’ (v.29). This verse has caused great anguish to many people. But anyone who is worried about it will not have committed the sin. Scripture is clear that those who are repentant will be forgiven. The fact that they are troubled (that is, are willing to repent) is sure proof that they have not committed it.

What is referred to here is not the uttering of a sentence but a fixed attitude of mind. Jesus does not say that they have committed a sin – but warns them of the danger they are in. These are not ordinary people. The scribes were duly accredited theological teachers of God’s people. They were in daily contact with the word of God. This sin is an attitude that regards good as evil and evil as good. Such a person has sunk to a point where they cannot repent and be forgiven.

The New Testament assures us that anyone who does repent and turn to Jesus will be forgiven.

Jesus, I worship you today as the bridegroom, my Lord and the Son of God. Thank you that you call me first to be with you and then to take your message to the world. Thank you that you call me to new ways with new wine and new wineskins.

Exodus 21:1-22:31

3. Promote good and prevent evil

The people of God drew up rules for their society. Some of the laws may appear very strange or harsh to us. However, if we compare them to the laws of other ancient people they are remarkably humane and some of the principles are still relevant today.

For example, where a burglar is caught red-handed by the owner of the house and ‘is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed’ (22:2). However, if it happens after sunrise – in other words the householder can see clearly and has not killed the burglar by mistake – he is guilty of bloodshed (v.3). That is, there is a right to self-defence, but not a right to use excessive force in self-defence.

These laws were designed to limit evil. There was a danger of escalating violence (as there always is), so the law demanded that only the equivalent penalty be exacted: ‘But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise’ (21:23–25).

The law was clearly created for judges and not for private individuals (see Deuteronomy 19:18–21). It was a guide for judges and sentencing. It was never intended that individuals should exact such revenge. In fact, it was almost certainly never taken literally, except in the case of capital offences. The laws were seen as giving the maximum possible sentence. Penalties were generally replaced by financial fines and damages.

At the same time, the laws of Ancient Israel sought to promote good. God said, ‘You are to be my holy people’ (Exodus 22:31a). So there were laws to protect the ‘foreigners’ (v.21), as well as widows and orphans (v.22). In tomorrow’s passage we will see that there were also laws to ensure ‘justice’ for the poor (23:6). Individuals were taught not to seek revenge and not to bear grudges. Rather, they were taught, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18).

The law helped to build a community that had interdependence and mutual accountability as its basis. Each strange regulation helped the people to learn how to belong together and care for each other. This is a lesson we all need to learn, particularly in the independent and isolated environment of twenty-first-century living. We do not follow rules and regulations just because we have to, but because they help us to treat each person recognising that they are made in the image of God.

Lord, help me in my life to avoid evil and to do good. Help me to treat each person that I am in contact with today as someone made in the image of God – with love, dignity and respect.

Pippa Adds

Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:4–5) shows how he radically interpreted the Old Testament law. It is just as well having read Exodus 21 and 22.

Notes:

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (HarperCollins, 2001)

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.