Discipleship Series # 1
What Does a Disciple Look Like?
Matthew 10:16
SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 4: 17-22
INTRODUCTION:
For the next 6 weeks, we’re going to be studying DISCIPLESHIP – in sermons and in our Pueblo groups… When we think about Discipleship, it makes sense to look at the calling of the first Disciples which we just read in our TEXT. When I think about those men, I wonder: What would it have been like to be one of the first Disciples? If I had been around back then, would Jesus have called me? Well, the truth is that Jesus HAS called me. And He has called you. We are ALL called to be disciples.
So what does it take to be a Disciple? In Matthew 10:16 Jesus gave a surprising description of what a Disciple looks like: He said to his disciples:
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
That is an odd assortment of animals. Why would Jesus say his Disciples are like sheep, snakes, and doves? Well, let’s try to figure it out.
1. Sheep
What do sheep do? They follow. Whether it’s another sheep or a person, sheep tend to follow someone. Even children understand that. Think of the old Nursery Rhyme: Mary had a Little Lamb. What did the Lamb do? He FOLLOWED her to school one day…
But Jesus did more than compare us to Sheep. He said I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. When sheep smell a wolf nearby, they do two things. They bunch up close to each other, and they stick close by the Shepherd. (Either that or they end up as mutton with mint jelly on the wolfs’ table.)
That is what the first disciples of Jesus did. They stayed close to the Shepherd. They followed him day and night --- 24 / 7. They went everywhere Jesus went. They not only learned his teachings; they watched his life. They saw him in the best of times and worst of times. They saw him when he was rested and when he was weary. They saw him when he was happy and when he was sad. They were Jesus Disciples because they followed him daily.
Are you following Jesus? Does he direct your life every day? Do you learn something more about Him every day? Are you daily learning the Jesus Way? In other words, do you look like a SHEEP? That is the only way to look like a Disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. And then he added, Therefore be as shrewd as snakes … Matthew 10:16
2. A Snake
Why would Jesus want a Disciple to be like a SNAKE? We are used to thinking of the Serpent as a symbol of Satan. This makes more sense if you remember Jesus said we are sheep among wolves. Well, when was the last time you heard of a wolf successfully attacking a snake? If you think about it, a snake knows when it is time to “strike.” But a snake also knows when to “keep a low profile” … so to speak…
The problem is that a naïve Christian will try to “strike” in the wrong way and say the wrong thing at the wrong time. A naïve Christian doesn’t understand that Christian values are unpopular with some people. A naïve Christian may not know that certain people in our society are dead set again Jesus Christ and everything He stands for.
Many Christians start out naïve. We start out thinking that everyone who hears the truth will accept it like we did. It takes a few bad experiences for most of us to learn to be a little shrewder. I remember one of my first lessons.
I was a naïve straight-out-of-Bible-College Youth Minister in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the time. I attended a Preachers Meeting where we were urged to write local TV station and protest the fact that they had started broadcasting a daily show that featured a Psychic.
Well, my first mistake was assuming all those preachers were going to run home and do what they were told. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who wrote a letter. My second mistake was assuming the station manager would respect my point of view. All he did was forward my letter to the Psychic. I got back a scathing letter that called me … among other things … one of those intolerant torturers like the ones in the Spanish Inquisition. I can still remember that burning sensation on my skin as I turned red from the unexpected insults.
Since that time, I’ve written letters of protest many times. But I’ve never again been shocked by the repercussions. That experience prepared me to expect opposition when I spoke out for Christian principles. Dueling with the Devil is no picnic, folks. There are some wolves out there.
Jesus was not naïve. He knew the unbelieving world would be out to get him. Listen to the strong warning that Jesus gave his first Disciples:
"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:17-22:
Things are not all that different in our times. Think about what Jesus would be up against if he lived in the USA today.
• The FDA would want Him for turning water into wine -- not mention feeding 5,000 people without a permit.
• The AMA would cite him for practicing medicine without a license
• He’d be wanted by the EPA for killing fig trees
• OSHA would get him for walking on water without a lifejacket.
• And the city zoning department would be after him for building mansions without a permit.
Jesus knew the unbelieving world was out to get him. That’s why he needed to be shrewd. Webster’s Dictionary defines Shrewd this way: Astute; sagacious; discerning; sharp. Other synonyms are: level-headed, on-the-ball, perceptive, wise, cautious, judicious… Jesus Christ is the perfect example of these qualities.
For example, when Jesus dealt with the Religious Leaders of his day, he was anything but naïve. He knew what they were up to. Jesus knew these men were not true Seekers who wanted to hear God’s wisdom. He knew the Religious Leaders wanted only one thing: to trip him up. One tiny misstep would be enough for them to pounce on Him like a pack of wolves. Jesus was, indeed, shrewd as a snake. And it drove them crazy.
I’ve noticed an example of shrewdness in the news just this week. Have you watched any of the Senate Hearings for John Roberts’ confirmation as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? John Roberts would be naïve indeed to think the folks who oppose him are asking questions in order to celebrate his wisdom and knowledge. He understood the need to be guarded in what he said because his opponents would grab any chance to twist his words and use them against him.
The truth is, every Christian needs to be shrewd if they hope to influence the culture for Christ. That’s why Jesus said, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes… Then he finished with a word picture that seems like the exact opposite of a snake. He told us to be as innocent as doves.
3. A Dove
In scripture, the Dove is a symbol of the Spirit of God. In fact, when Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove.
This last word-picture shows us that we don’t have to participate with evil in order to recognize it. A Disciple can be shrewd as a snake and still remain innocent as a dove.
Romans 16:19, 20 really sums this up. It says … be excellent in what is good, and innocent of evil. And the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet.
But how can we hope to stay innocent of evil while living in the REAL world. I heard a story that illustrates the answer:
One day a man took a guided tour of a coal mine. As he entered one of the dim passageways, he was startled to see a pristine, pure-white flower standing out against the black earth.
Amazed, he asked his guide, “How can that blossom remain so perfectly white in this dirty coal mine?”
The guide told him: “Throw some coal dust on it and see for yourself.”
When he did, he was surprised to see the particles of coal dust slide right off the petals … without leaving even a trace of residue.
The guide explained, “Those flower petals are so perfectly smooth that coal dust can’t stick to them.”
[--Bible Illustrator Deluxe “Clean in a Dirty Place.” (Omaha: Quick Verse, July, 1986, number 23.].
None of us are able to be that “smooth” on our own. We live in a black, sinful world --- and some of that dirt sticks to every one of us. Only Jesus Christ was able to live a pure and sinless life. He is the only One who is truly “innocent.” The only way we can be innocent as doves is to become LIKE HIM.
Matthew 10:24-25 explains it this way: A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.
We are more familiar with the student / teacher relationship than we are with servants and masters. The servant of Jesus’ day was often like an apprentice to his master. So the idea of student & teacher or servant & master were related. An apprentice electrician will become a journeyman electrician, and someday, perhaps, even a master electrician. In the same way, a true student will eventually become LIKE his teacher.
I heard about a time when someone asked a renowned Professor about a younger man who had applied for a job. He said, “This young man tells me that he was one of your students." The Professor’s answer probably didn’t land him the job. He said haughtily, "He may have attended my lectures, but he was most certainly not one of my students."
There is a world of difference between attending lectures and being a student. A true student will be changed into the likeness of the teacher. In the same way, a true Disciple will be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. The first Disciples may not have known it initially, but they had entered a 3-year-long “Walking University” with Jesus as their one and only Professor.
CONCLUSION:
If we want to be Disciples of Jesus, we must first become Followers. Like sheep among wolves, we need to follow the Good Shepherd every day.
But a Disciple is more than a follower. A Disciple is a learner. That is how we can become shrewd as a snake. Like an apprentice who learns a trade from his teacher, we are learning Christ. We don’t just learn facts about him … We don’t just learn His philosophies or teachings … We literally learn Christ. Christians are Christ-ones.
The truth is, that is the only way any of us can every hope to be as innocent as a dove. We become like Jesus, who was entirely innocent of evil. We talk like him. We think like him. We even smell like him. (II Corinthians 2:14-16 We are the Aroma of Christ…)
Look around you this morning. We need to fill this room with a bunch of sheep, snakes, and doves.
Here at Castle Hills Christian Church, we want to help each other become true Disciples of Jesus Christ.
Let’s work together so that all of us can
• follow Him,
• learn from Him,
• and become more and more like Him.
