Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be a shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
We all need a good pep talk now and again. Life can be pretty discouraging, so we need a few words to build us up, a few hugs to let us know we are part of a community, a few joined voices to let us know we are on the right path. Bottom line, we need each other.
When life throws what life throws, and we receive our portion, we all want to know that the present circumstances won’t last forever. As we face face-coverings and limited hours, we want to know that the restrictions will be lifted eventually. And depending on the election results, there will be a miraculous vanishing of difficulties or anarchy. (At least that is what I see.)
So with this kind of future, we all need some encouraging words.
And we are not alone in this. Over the ages people have needed encouraging words. Even Jesus disciples needed encouraging words as they were being sent out for the first time to bring God’s kingdom to people.
And what does Jesus share with them? He tells them it is a dangerous place they are going. They have to be shrewd like snakes. What? Shouldn’t someone who is sharing about the provision of God for everyone be respected and welcomed openly and freely?
Nope! They will be arrested. And that is when they are sharing with insiders, those who ought to have been looking and welcoming of the message of deliverance. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, after all. They were the fertile ground. They had been prepared for years for a harvest. Shouldn’t they have been ready?
But they are the very people who will reject and betray. So the disciples have to be like snakes. Snakes are vulnerable. One foot can cause grave harm. They are also hated and scorned. Very few wants snakes lurking around.
The disciples are to be shrewd like a snake and harmless like a dove. What a combination of characteristics. No one worries about a dove being around. They just flitter and land. No venom. No fangs. No swallowing whole.
So Jesus tells his disciples that their outreach is going to be dangerous, and that they are to respond in about as non-dangerous way as possible. They are to be careful how they approach people, innocently.
How different this approach is compared to what is happening in cities across the country. No innocence allowed. No gentleness or harmlessness. It is all violence and abuse, coercion and mandated conformity. This is exactly the opposite of what Jesus wants His disciples to be.
So before we join a crowd or take up a cause, consider carefully the methods to be used to present the message that is being brought. Does it match up with the words of our text?
If we are to be bearers of Jesus’ message then let’s do it in line with Jesus’ way. We will face the negative consequences that He outlines in this passage of Scripture. We will be opposed. We will be opposed violently and vehemently. Even our families will turn against us.
But in the end, there will be a reward.
The Arnold Journey 