Most likely you've heard of the "evil eye;" when someone looks at someone else with intense suspicion and a look of "you're guilty, but I just haven't figured it out yet."

It's my onion this hurts the person casting the glance more than the person who receives it.

From what I've observed, many (or most) of the people who are on the receiving end of the evil eye glare suddenly turn "innocent" and act like they've done nothing wrong, "yes sir, no sir," they say.

At times, I guess, that is the purpose of the evil eye glare, to tamp down a behavior without having to say something or without having to do something. But in other cases, it seems to me, authority figures use it as a means to scour another person's soul for evidence of guilt.

Don't Use the Evil Eye, Why?

So it's one of my contentions that using the evil eye in the latter case is not really the best method to determine guilt. I also believe, like I wrote at first, those who go around giving scouring glances of "I know you're guilty but I don't have the proof yet" are harming themselves — in part because some of them are supposed to uphold our constitutional right of being innocent until proven guilty — but there are spiritual ramifications that will haunt them later, the more they use the evil eye.

Not the Evil Eye

As someone trained in education and who has spent a lot of time around kids, I readily admit that not all disapproving looks qualify as the "evil eye." There are many reasons and circumstances in which it's possible and advisable to give another look, perhaps best called "are you really sure you should be doing that?" or more straight forward, "you shouldn't be doing that."

Conclusion

I believe there is definitely a difference between casting a glance that says "I know you're guilty but I just don't know of what … yet," and "I recommend you don't do what you're doing."

What I'm about to write may sound harsh but you know what they say, "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." [Proverbs 9:10] There are sayings in the Bible about having an eye for evil, and while I'm sure much of that interpretation is directed at those who go around looking to take advantage of others and otherwise do harm, I think it can also apply to people who assume and assert guilt before there's any evidence.

Jesus also advises us that if any part of our body causes us to sin, a hand, an eye, we should remove it, instead of being thrown in to Hell/Gehenna because of it. [Mark 9:43-47]

My final bit of advice for authority figures and other enforcers is another saying from Jesus. "Be clever as a serpent, but innocent as a lamb." [Matthew 10:16] What's the best way to catch people? (If it's best they're caught vs. discouraged.) Once they've let their guard down. And for sure, giving someone the evil eye gives the opposite feeling to the recipient.

Let's Pray

Heavenly Father, please help us to be as clever as serpents, but as innocent as lambs. Please keep us from being lead in to temptation, and please keep us from entrapping others by leading them in to temptation. Please expose the wolves in sheep's clothing so we are not tricked by fakers and the duplicity of evil people. Please help us show up at the right place at the right time so we can rescue from the oppressor. Please bless those who are inclined to search out victims, so they don't commit crimes. Please help us so we are not thrown on the garbage dump due to any part of us leading us to sin.

Amen.