RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-11-11	Wise As Serpents And Harmless As Doves (Mt.10:16)
		Mat 10:16  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus often uses figures of speech to communicate ideas. Here He is comparing two unlike things. That is snakes and doves. Jesus is instructing His disciples how to behave as they are sent out to minister. He begins by telling them they would be sent out “as sheep in the midst of wolves”. The world is purposely hostile toward believers as wolves intentionally seek to harm “sheep”. In such a difficult environment, how can the disciples be effective? Christ taught to be effective they must combine the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove. In Scripture the serpent was seen as “subtle”, “shrewd”, or “cunning” (Ge.3:1) Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" The dove was thought of as innocent and harmless. They are considered a clean animal, and were used for sacrifices (Le.14:22). Thus, the combination of the serpent's wisdom, and the dove's harmlessness is how the Christian can successfully cope with the world's hostility. Many have difficulty seeing a serpent in a good light no matter that the context may be. We should not attach the evil actions of Satan (as the serpent) with the serpent in general. The shrewdness of a serpent is an asset, and not a defect. He is telling His disciples to be wise as they represent Him. Jesus encourages His disciples to model this quality in their lives. And the harmlessness of the dove, if alone, would seem to make Christians vulnerable to harm, without resisting any attack. When we take the gospel to the hostile world having the serpent wisdom will help avoid the snares set against us. What we model is the serpent's positive aspect of wisdom. Jesus focused on this positive character of the serpent. Wisdom (serpent) does not equal dishonesty. And innocence (dove) does not equal gullibility. When we take the gospel to the hostile world having the dove's innocence we will serve the Lord without blame. Jesus refused to be caught in the many traps that His enemies laid for Him (Mk.8:11; 10:2; 12:13). Jesus was harmless as a dove. He acted with compassion (Mt.9:36), and He challenged anyone to find fault in Him (Jn.8:46; 18:23). Three times Pilate judged Jesus to be innocent (Jn.18:38; 19:4, 6). So believers should go into the world with the character of both wisdom (to not be harmed) and innocence (so as to not harm others). It is dangerous to be one and not the other. Some are only “serpents” who may harm you. Some are only “doves” who bring unnecessary harm upon themselves as pushovers. A serpent is dangerous, and a dove is in danger. We are to balance between the dove and the serpent. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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