Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of man comes."

- Matthew 10:16-23

In yesterday's reading, Jesus "sent out" His apostles, teaching them what they must do and say. They are, first, to go to the "lost sheep" of the house of Israel, not to the Gentiles. They are to preach, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus tells them, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." They carry the power He has vested in them, as they carry the kingdom. They are not to carry extra provisions in any form. They are to inquire who is worthy, and to stay in one household. They great each house with peace -- but if the house is not worthy, let their peace return to them. In places where they are not received nor their words heard, they are to shake the dust off their feet as a rebuke, and depart.

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Into the midst of the world go the disciples, "as sheep in the midst of wolves." And so, we get a sense of the kingdom of "the ruler of this world," and the ways that are different from the loving message of the kingdom. A sheep is that which is under the care of the shepherd; a wolf in this image is "ravenous" and predatory, and does not care for the sheep except as prey. To be wise as a serpent is to watch and be aware, as harmless as doves is the gentle way of the kingdom, in which a rebuke is to "shake the dust off their feet." My study bible says they are to be wise as serpents that they might not be unnecessarily wounded, harmless as doves so they do not retaliate against those who do them wrong.

"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." Here Jesus graphically warns of what is to come. He prepares them for adversity, in every way He can, and for fearless witness.

"But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." What is witnessing? Is it not here clearly depicted as the work of the Spirit in us? Moreover, we are linked to the Father -- this is truly the Trinity at work in us. Where Christ is, where the Spirit is, where the Word is, so is the Trinity. This kingdom is connected in us and through us. My study bible says, "The work of the disciples in advancing the Kingdom of God is accompanied and empowered by the Spirit, who always accomplishes His purposes."

"Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved." A vivid picture here of what is to come. Jesus spares nothing in His imagery of what they can expect as His disciples, as witnesses. Note that in the Greek, a "martyr" is a "witness." But faith is the key here, the endurance of faith through all things.

"When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of man comes." Again, Jesus teaches they must move on when they encounter rejection and harm. They are to persistently remain "as wise as serpents and harmless as doves." But they have a job to do, and it is to move on, to spread the Word where it can be heard, to pursue their mission to those who want to receive it, who want to hear them. My study bible points out that they are "never told to quit or even to flee far when they are persecuted -- just to move on to the next city and thus to all the cities of Israel." Before the Son of Man comes, it continues, "is probably not a reference to the Second Coming, but to (1) the exaltation of the Messiah in His Passion and Resurrection, or (2) the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70" which it says was a visitation of Christ in judgment. It is possible, it seems to me, that this also indicates Jesus' revelation and persecution as suffering Messiah -- as my study bible points out, the events of the Passion and Resurrection.

So, the mission becomes clear. It crystalizes as one of peace. They are sheep in the midst of wolves. They are to be wise and serpents and harmless as doves. In the midst of persecution, fearless witnesses, relying on the "Spirit of your Father" to be at work in them, giving them the word for testimony. They are to be prepared for persecution even from their closest family members, among relatives, friends, kin, countrymen. But it is salvific faith that "endures to the end." They are to move on from city to city -- they clearly have a mission, a job to do. And the time is short -- as they are sent to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." What a preparation is this! What a mission! Let us consider the ways of the Kingdom, the ways of this spiritual truth and the reality it represents. Can we consider for ourselves this life, this Way to be in the world? And what is witnessing, in our context today? Shall we consider what it is to bear the kingdom within us? To be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves?" How do you bear that in your daily life? How do we tell the truth in the ways He asked of us?