This might be thought to be the most effective means of being preserved from the evil of the world. But the disciples had a mission to accomplish in the world, even as Jesus had come into the world to accomplish His work (see v. 4).

 The Greek may be understood as referring either to evil as a principle or to the evil one (see on Matt. 6:13). Either meaning is appropriate to the context. The same word appears in 1 John 5:18, but there a different grammatical case identifies the adjective as masculine, so making it a clear reference to the evil one.