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 that Jesus sent out His chosen twelve 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.  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 copper in your moneybelts, 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 see all true opportunity in the spread of the gospel.  To be as harmless as doves is to not retaliate against those who do them wrong, and 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."  Jesus warns the apostles (as they are being sent on their first mission) in a way that speaks to all subsequent missionary work.  He warns about why they need to be shrewd (wise as serpents).  They will face persecution, and also testify to the Gentiles, who rule as governors and kings.  It's quite important to note the words here:  it is "the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."  This is the Holy Spirit, who "proceeds from the Father" and who together "with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified."

"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."  Here we are given the levels of persecution that will be experienced, even brother delivering brother to death, and a father his child, or children their parents.  We should not be surprised at what history will reveal.  But the important word here is endurance; He wishes for His disciples to endure to the end.

"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 notes here that persecution must not cause a disciple to quit, but merely to move forward in one's mission.  According to St. John Chrysostom, before the Son of Man comes isn't a reference to the Second Coming.  But it merely means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them, and thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.

Jesus tells His disciples to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  He warns them that they are being sent out by Him "as sheep in the midst of wolves."  We may think that in our daily lives such dire warnings and advice is not applicable.  But one might be surprised how this advice stands us in good stead.  To be faithful to Christ may often mean we're at odds with those around us in one way and another.  Our opinions may differ; we may disagree about how to approach a problem, or how we treat others.  Whatever it is, these words still hold true.  To be as "wise as serpents" is an interesting phrase.  In this case, the word for "wise" indicates a type of forbearance.  It means to be prudent, to measure one's actions before taking them, to be reticent in some sense, not impulsive.  The word for "serpents" is exactly what one would expect it to be.  Usually this is used in a negative sense, to indicate the devil or Satan.  But Jesus doesn't speak of evil here; He's telling His own disciples that they need to be equally savvy about their circumstances, not naive.  We are to be the intelligent, rational sheep, and to know what we are about.   The word for "harmless" (in the phrase "harmless as doves") means simple, unmixed, sincere.  We can't go into things with mixed motives or hidden agendas, for these surely will simply be used against us.  This is another kind of caution about the need for self-knowledge, and the rigorous application and practice of repentance, of being aware of our own flaws or weaknesses.  Thinking about the terms that Jesus uses, and His included warnings about dire persecutions to come, takes us into an understanding that His faith isn't for those who wish for an easy life, or to live in a kind of abstract fantasy.  Rather, it's a faith that asks of us a rigorous understanding of reality, of precisely what is and what isn't, where we can go and where we can't -- and a strong self-awareness and discipline that serve the Kingdom and its message.  This isn't a faith for those who live in denial of the problems of the world, but rather for those who believe precisely because its salvific impact is so precious and necessary, as is its message of love.  We must note also the type of salvation that is implied here:  human beings are capable of bearing even the Spirit of the Father and the words given by the Spirit as testimony.  Salvation isn't merely an abstract notion, but works even to illuminate the nature of human beings, and teach us what we are capable of being and becoming.  The discipline implied here is for all who will follow, in communion and individually.  The commitment necessary is another kind of comment on the rigors and transcendence such "rational sheep" are capable of.  We think of those whom He's sending out, practically none of whom have particularly exalted education or social standing.  But what is asked of them is deep and powerful.  What is promised elevates all of us.  We are each invited to participate in this Kingdom and this ongoing work of the harvest.

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, we read that Jesus sent out the twelve apostles, on their first mission.  He 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."  Here my study bible points out that Christian mission is accompanied by persecution "because of humanity's sin and rebelliousness against God.  Jesus instructed the disciples to be wise as serpents that they might not be unnecessarily wounded, and harmless as doves that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong."  The word for harmless in the Greek is an interesting one to look at, because it means unadulterated; i.e. pure.  It can also be translated as innocent.  Yet another important meaning to this word is simple -- which is in keeping with the simplicity of mission as stated by Jesus, as we remarked upon in yesterday's reading and commentary.

 "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."   My study bible tells us that "when the disciples bear witness to Jesus, the Spirit will speak through them and they will not be defeated (Mark 13:11; John 14:26), though they may be persecuted, even martyred.  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.  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."   An important note here emphasizes the nature of persistence in this mission:  "The disciples 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 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 was a visitation of Christ in judgment."

Let us continue with the understanding from yesterday's commentary about the simplicity and directness of this mission.  It is emphasized in the word for harmless (in harmless as doves).   This word in the Greek means pure and unmixed with anything else, unadulterated, so its translation can and has also been used as "simple."  We can also think of this word as something that implies single-mindedness.  Jesus has been careful (in the verses in yesterday's reading) to lay out the very specific and direct nature and commands of this mission, and this word for "harmless" also emphasizes that simplicity, that they are to stay on purpose.  It kind of emphasizes Jesus' teaching about the narrow gate, which we read earlier in Matthew's gospel:  "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  The words emphasize a kind of enforcement of this principle that they are to turn neither to the right nor to the left, but stay focused, on mission, keep it simple.  We could also point out that in chapter 6, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light."  The word translated as "good" is again a word that taken down to its basic meaning can be translated as "simple."  Meaning, nothing clouding it, it's not double (as in double-minded) but single, clear or pure, direct and on purpose.  In fact, the main use of that particular word (aplous/απλους) in modern Greek is to mean "simple."  Along with the straightforward nature and purpose of mission here is the emphasis on the power of the kingdom that is at hand.  Judgment is of God, they are reassured.  Even the power to speak when persecuted, to make a good defense, is in the hands of God; it rests in the Spirit.  They are, in fact, assured of persecution -- and certainly these words can be taken to apply to all of us when we seek to bear His kingdom into the world.  But the mission remains simple and straightforward; it's not their own power they rely on, but God's -- and especially in the form of the Helper to come, the Spirit, the Paraclete (one who is by your side when called).  Jesus promises "the Spirit of your Father" will be speaking.  That is a promise that the Trinity is present.  In this is our confidence; not in a worldly sense of power.  And finally, here is the assurance and teaching about our attitude in the mission:  "He who endures to the end will be saved."  We are to be persistent, to remember what we are about, and in this way also, we keep it simple.  When the Apostles are persecuted in this city, they are to go on to that one.  Simple.  So, let's consider our own lives, and consider these instructions.  How do we stay "on mission?"  How do we keep it simple, without too many extraneous things that deter us from purpose, cloud our vision, distract us from what we're really about, and keep us from God's peace?  There's a lot of talk in the world about simplification, about simplifying one's life.  Let us remember His words and His teachings, and put the purpose of the kingdom of heaven first.  In that light, even the persecutions and hatreds He promises they (and we) may go through come second -- and we place those in God's hands.