(Text and Audio)
Title: Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves
I remember when I was 5, living with mother in Lake Forest Village apartments in Willoughby, OH (mom, remember this?) That I would occasionally be allowed to walk down the road about 1/2 mile to the Lawsons (anyone else remember Lawsons?…basically like a 7-11, quickie mart, etc.) And my mother would only give me one item to get and a couple dollars to buy it with. I remember being so excited at having the responsibility to carry money and go shopping on my own. My mother sent me to Lawsons with specific instructions,”get one jar of grape jelly.” And I knew my mission, and when I walked in, the nice lady behind the counter recognized that I had been sent by my mother and she said, “Dear, can I help you find anything?” And I said, “Yes. I need one jar of grape jelly.” The nice lady walked me over to isle where the small selections of peanut butter and jelly was and there we about 3 different brands of grape jelly and she said, “Which kind?” And I said, “Jiff.” And she said, “Oh, you need peanut butter?” And I said, “Yes.”
Well, as you might imagine, there was some instruction and correction when I returned home. My mother said that I had done a good job bringing back change, and that I quick about my mission, but there was one problem with the operation, I brought back peanut butter, not Jelly. Why do I share that with you? Because that event, and others like it, were most certainly part of my training. I was able to come back to my mother for assessment and evaluation.
Well, it’s been three weeks since we’ve last been in Matthew, and today, what I’d like to do with your permission, is to re-focus our minds and hearts back into the setting in Matthew 10 and look at Jesus’ continuing instruction as he prepares to send the first apostles out into the world without Him. Remember, up until now, all of the ministry that these men have done has been in the presence of, and under the tutelage of, Jesus himself. Now they are about to go on a trial. They are about to go out on their own. Jesus will be there when they return to offer feedback and to further prepare them. But he is doing so because he know that a day is coming when they will be sent out and Jesus will have ascended. It will now be the apostles who will commission, train, and send out believers to this lost world.
So as we consider the setting, the first test run, if you will, I just want to focus on the advice and imagery that Jesus uses, that we might be able to apply these principles when we go out into the world today.
Furthermore, what Jesus says today in verse 16 will be amplified in further detail through the rest of this chapter. Today we will look at the main statement, then, over the next few sermons we will see how that statement will be further revealed.
I. The Setting is Not Kind
We see that Jesus minces no words about the expectation of the environment he is sending the 12 out into. There is no sugar coating, there is no minimizing of potential threat. Jesus is brutally honest with his apostles when tells them: You are sheep, they are wolves. I’m sending you into their territory. So let’s break this down a bit and see what we are dealing with.
In what ways are the followers of Christ sheep?
1. Recognize Jesus as the shepherd.
2. Follow His direction.
3. We are not vicious or carnivorous.
4. Others.
In what ways is the world like wolves?
1. They do not recognize Jesus as the shepherd
2. They are pack hunters/predators
3. They are vicious and violent
4. Others?
So the stage has been realistically set by Jesus. He is sending them with a message into hostile territory. Such hostile territory that they might well see themselves as prey to be devoured by the world.
What is the lesson for us today as we train and equip the next generation of disciples?
1. You will be considered prey
2. You will be seen as an easy meal
3. We’re not sending you to an easy life. We are sending you to hostile territory.
4. Others
II. Therefore
Because of these facts of danger Jesus offers some instruction that will be amplified over the next several sermons, and he does so, again using images of animals from nature. He’s already told us what we are: sheep in the midst of wolves. Next he tells us to be “wise as serpents” and “harmless as doves.” Let’s dig into that a little bit.
A serpent was considered wise to Jesus’ audience. Satan himself, of course is represented in the form of a cunning serpent in the Garden of Eden. So is Jesus saying, be deceptive? To be misleading? To bend the truth? To manipulate people?
Obviously I would argue that’s not what Jesus is advocating? But let me ask an exegetical question: Why would I argue this is not what Jesus is saying? Answer: because of him saying “harmless as doves”
The concept of “harmless of doves” indicates innocence of any wrong doing. So Jesus’ very practical instructions are this: You are going to a hostile environment where you will be seen as an easy mark. Because of this, be wise, be shrewd, use the God-given intelligence I’ve blessed you with, but in using this tools, you must also remain blameless of any wrong-doing or manipulation.
So here is the $25,000 question I want to close with: What are examples of Christians who follow the first part of this instruction, but not the second part? What does it look like when we are just wise a serpents, but not harmless as doves?
1. Not sharing the full reality of the Christian life
2. Using worldly means/methods to promote a Holy message
3. Feeling superior in our own inventions and methods
4. Others?
And what is the common thread here? Sadly, it’s a lack of faith. Simply put, we trust ourselves more that God. God’s people must always be holy, always. But that doesn’t mean we have to be ignorant, unaware, or idiots. It just means that we can’t use our intelligence in a way that would make us guilty of anything less than the standard of holiness.