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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for September 18, 2009
“What Did Jesus Mean By Resist Not Evil?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person.”
That’s exactly what it says in Matthew 5:39. The King James says, “…resist not evil…”
Well what on earth does that mean?
Do we take that literally? Does it apply in all situations, for everyone, all the time? Are we to never resist evil?
Just think what kind of society we would have if no one resisted evil. If good people didn’t take a stand, evil would prevail. Gangs would run the cities. Hitlers would run the nations. The world would quickly become a terrible place.
Now look what Jesus said in Luke 6. “If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”
Well what would that world look like? First of all, you would have nothing, because plenty of people want everything you have and would ask for it instantly if you were giving it away. And if they knew you wouldn’t resist, they would just come take it.
And don’t forget all the sickos out there. Someone would take your wife and kids. And if we give to everyone who asks, and we don’t resist evil, then evil people will ask for all kinds of evil things.
The world would become a wretched place so fast you would go insane.
Does something inside you say, “That can’t be right”?
But if it isn’t, then what did Jesus mean? And how do we know? I mean, we can’t just take the Bible and make it fit our preconceived notions.
Well here is what we do. We use the Bible as a whole to help us understand the parts.
For example, Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person.”
So here is a simple question. Did Jesus Himself ever resist an evil person?
The answer is yes. For example, in Matthew 21 the chief priests and the elders asked Him, “By what authority are you doing these things?”
A simple question, right? But did Jesus give a simple answer? No.
In Mark 8 the Pharisees asked Jesus for a “sign from heaven.” Did He give it to them? No.
More than once they tried to seize Jesus. They even wanted to kill Him. In Luke 4 they took him “to the brow of the hill…in order to throw him down the cliff.” That’s what they wanted, but did Jesus give it to them? No.
At his trial, several times, they asked for answers, but Jesus refused to give them.
In Luke 13 Jesus was told that Herod wanted to kill him. So when Jesus learned what Herod wanted, did he go give it to him? No.
In Luke 23, during the trial, Herod wanted Jesus to perform a miracle. Did he? No.
So Jesus resisted evil people many times.
And so did the disciples. More than once they were told to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, but did they? No. Acts 5:42 says, “…they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”
So is there an explanation for this behavior?
Yes there is. Look at Acts 4:18, 19. “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.’”
So there’s the answer. What God wants from us takes priority over what people want from us.
For example, First Timothy 5:8 says that I must provide for my family. So what if an evil person wants to take my provision for my family? Or what if someone simply asks for everything I own. Am I supposed to give it to them?
Well if I do, then I’m not providing for my family.
And you know what? There are plenty of people out there who would love to kill me just for the sport of it. There are places in this world where radical Muslims would love nothing more than to decapitate me for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So should I just let them, not resist them?
That’s not what Jesus did, so that must not be what He meant by, “Do not resist an evil person” and “Give to everyone who asks.”
So what did He mean? What did Jesus mean by anything He said? We find out by looking at the entirety of His teaching, not just by pulling one thing out here and there and treating it like a blanket statement.
Yes, we do what Jesus said – within the context of all that He said.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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