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 

 

Yesterday we read about Jesus sending out the twelve apostles on their first missionary journey:  These twelve Jesus sent out 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 comments on this passage that here Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded and that they might take all advantage of the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them to be harmless as doves so that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong.  Moreover, in this way they 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."  My study Bible indicates that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to the Second Coming.  It means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them -- thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.  

 

 As Jesus sends out the apostles on their first missionary journey, He has first told them to carry themselves in a very humble manner.  The only rebuke to those who will not receive them is that they are to shake off the dust from their feet as they leave.  (See yesterday's reading, above.)  Judgment is left to Christ in the "day of judgment," which will be at the end of the age.  Here in today's reading, as Jesus continues with His instructions, we read His words about persecution that will come to them.  Jesus presents this persecution as inevitable, and perhaps this is something that we, even those of us who live in nominally Christian countries where there is freedom of religion, must also take seriously.  There is first of all, Christ's teaching about proper responses to persecution and hatred.  We might not be persecuted for being of Christian faith, but there are teachings to which we adhere within our faith, regardless of denomination.  The world remains the world, a place dominated still by violence, by greed and ambition, by manipulation, by lies, even hatreds.  These things remain a part of the enemies of the kingdom of God.  Secondly, we can't forget Christ's words about the importance of testimony.  We mustn't simply think of testimony in terms of persuasive words or arguments, rational exposition of our faith in some kind of public debate.  Jesus adds regarding testimony:  "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."  If in our testimony we speak words by the Holy Spirit, then there is a power in testimony that is at work in the world on hidden spiritual levels, "behind the scenes," so to speak, and one simply can't estimate the impact of that power that can be contained in words through the Spirit, just as the power of Christ's words continues to influence the world throughout the centuries since His human life on earth as Jesus.  The powerful impact, for example, of the words in the Gospels goes beyond simply the printed words on the page; there are times when our soul is simply ready to hear or read those words, and that impact can't be explained away in terms of efficiency or utility.  Jesus warns of betrayals, and we know that betrayals and hostility, even hatred, for following our faith can happen in a number of ways having nothing to do with official persecution of a state.  Jesus tells us, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."  If we read the Revelation and Christ's prophesies of end times, we find also that this applies beyond the early Christian era, and to the whole of this time in which we await Christ's return and judgment.  When evil is present in the world, a Christian will struggle to follow faith and to resist following evil.  This remains a reality with us, regardless of historical change, and so we continue to take Christ's words seriously -- in the ways we present ourselves, how we carry ourselves in the world, how we respond.  Let us learn to be the disciples who follow in the footsteps of the apostles, regardless of who we are or where we live.  Let us continue to endeavor to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  Let us make wise and prayerful testimonies.  Let us not copy the ways of the world but remain true to His teaching.