Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves

 

 "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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus  sent out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission, He and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" 

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study Bible says that Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded and that they might take all advantage in the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them to be as harmless as doves so that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong, and should be blameless in their witness of the gospel.  

"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."  Let us note how Jesus does not at all promise an easy time for the spread of the gospel!  Let us note that for Jesus the emphasis is on testimony.  He tells them, "Do not worry" about what they will testify, and emphasizes the need for reliance upon God -- and here we have mention of the Spirit.  Finally, He emphasizes endurance through all, even if they are hated by all "for My name's sake."  My study Bible comments that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in mission.  According to St. John Chrysostom, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to His Second Coming, but it means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, He would rejoin them -- thus more quickly ending the hostilities they would encounter.

Let us note the things that Christ emphasizes.  There will be opposition to the spread of the gospel, and not only that, but the opposition will be highly personal.  In the Letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul writes:  "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  What this suggests to me is the depth to which our commitment to Christ will ask of us to make choices, and open the door to those who oppose.  We can't underestimate possible opposition -- Jesus goes so far as to use the word "hate" when He says that "you will be hated by all for My name's sake."  He does not mince words when speaking of the opposition to come, nor of the endurance which will be necessary, and our complete reliance upon God.  I find that these remain words to live by, as there are circumstances in life which remain unpredictable and chaotic.  To be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" is prudent, strong advice for those who are like "sheep in the midst of wolves."  Because we are His sheep, we must not conflate God's power with the kind of worldly power we associate with worldly kingdoms.  God does not go out to conquer the world in order to obtain "all the kingdoms of the world and their glory" (Matthew 4:8).  Indeed, this is one of the temptations of the devil to Jesus as He began His ministry, right after His Baptism by John the Baptist.  No, the word of God wields a different power, one that is not obvious, just as the coming of the Kingdom is not obvious (Luke 17:20-21).  This is why, although we understand there is evil working in the world, we follow Christ's instructions here, and we must still keep them in mind.  For there is a power at work in all things, even in the midst of persecutions, that works as an opportunity to testify.  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus puts these sayings in the context of His teaching on the end times, and again speaks of persecution as an occasion for testimony (see Luke 21:7-19).  Sometimes, as Christ advises, we may also need to flee from persecution to continue the work of discipleship and apostleship.  Let us simply note that, regardless of our circumstances in life, Jesus speaks for us all here concerning the work of discipleship. Even if we are not sent out as apostles, to follow these admonitions in His commandments is to live the life we are meant to live:  we follow His commands, we don't forget and don't remain asleep to the presence of evil in the world.  But neither do we seek out conflict or enemies, because the Cross remains our ultimate weapon and the power of God at work in His word and His truth.  Let us continue our own journey in contemplation of His words and how true they are, even in our own time and circumstance, no matter how far or how long a distance separates us from His time and place when these words were spoken. They remain true for us now (Matthew 24:35).