Editorial Staff

Question: What did Jesus mean when He spoke of a "good eye" and an "evil eye" in Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:34-36? Surely belief in the "evil eye," or a look that brings bad luck, is just a superstition that contradicts Christian avoidance of magic and pagan influences, right?

Answer: These terms were used in the Bible as figurative descriptions of positive and negative attitudes, and had no connection to superstitious belief.

Question: Your magazine often describes the Ten Commandments and other Old Testament teachings as still applicable to Christians today. So, are Christians supposed to follow the command in the Law of Moses to wear "fringes" or "tassels" on their garments (Numbers 15:38-41; Deuteronomy 22:12)?

Question: God tells His people to avoid imitating pagan practices. Yet I see that most professing Christians describe their denominations, and the buildings in which they worship, as "churches." Since "Circe" (Greek Kirke, meaning "falcon") is the name of a Greek goddess, how can it be associated with Christian worship?

Question: What do colored eggs and bunny rabbits have to do with Christ's death and resurrection?

Answer: Anyone familiar with biology can quickly recognize that rabbits do not lay eggs! What do those symbols have in common? Rabbits are noted for their reproductive proclivity. Eggs are considered a symbol of fertility.

Question: Scripture describes that Jesus Christ was scourged by Pontius Pilate before His crucifixion (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1). Was there any special meaning behind this scourging?