Sheep, Snakes, and Doves
Matthew 10:16-39
The world is on a collision course with disaster. It isn’t a massive asteroid hurling towards earth that threatens humanity, or global warming, or the AIDS epidemic. It is the clash between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. And the clock is ticking faster and faster towards midnight.
Recent developments have demonstrated the fierceness of this battle around the world. In Indonesia hundreds of Christian Churches have been burned and thousands of believers have lost their lives. In the Sudan, Nigeria, North and West Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia more than 100 million Christians were killed in the last century simply because they professed the name of Christ.
In our country on University Campuses, in Newspapers and on Television, and in our schools Christians are increasingly becoming the target of ridicule, abuse, and hatred. Meanwhile across the world, Muslim extremists have declared a holy war against Christians with Al Queda going so far last week as to say that their aim is to forever destroy the people and the message of the cross. They will settle for nothing less that the total destruction of Christianity in this world.
There is a war going on between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of our Lord and we are rapidly moving towards the culmination of this battle. The good news is that we know who wins in the end. Jesus will reign and every knee on heaven and on earth will bow either willingly, or by force to declare that He is Lord of All.
But we are living in the meanwhile. And in the meanwhile there is much work to be done, and there are many dangers to be faced. So how are we to live today, especially in this very volatile time? What can we do to prepare ourselves? Do we run to the hills like so many people thought of doing with the Y2K scare? Do we stockpile our homes with water and other supplies, like they were encouraging us to do after 9-11? What does Jesus tell us to do? To find out, we must look to His words to His disciples found in Matthew 10:16-39. Let’s look at this passage together.
"Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves. [17] But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. [18] And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me—yes, to witness to the world. [19] When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. [20] For it won’t be you doing the talking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
[21] "Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. [22] And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved. [23] When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I assure you that I, the Son of Man, will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.
[24] "A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. [25] The student shares the teacher’s fate. The servant shares the master’s fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household! [26] But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. [27] What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
[28] "Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. [30] And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. [31] So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.
[32] "If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. [33] But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.
[34] "Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. [35] I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. [36] Your enemies will be right in your own household! [37] If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. [38] If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. [39] If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.
1. Be prepared to go!
Is there any Christian that God does not call to go into the world with His Spirit and His message? Are there any Christians who are exempt from the Great Commission (to go and make disciples)? And the answer to this is NO. God’s commissioning is not just for the super-spiritual or the leader, but for every believer, ever follower of Jesus Christ. How do I know this? Because at the moment a person trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation, they are not removed from this earth and taken into heaven, but instead the Lord leaves them here in this world as a witness of His glory and grace. If you are still alive, and you are a believer in Jesus, they you by the very fact of your faith and your presence here on earth have been sent by God to this dark world as a witness of the light.
So with very simple words in verse 16 Jesus tells His disciples this: “I am sending you!” Jesus is sending you and me! He puts us right where He wants us to be. We are in the family, church, and community that God designed for us to be in.
Now notice how He sends us. He says I am sending you as sheep among wolves! Woe! Wait a minute! You mean that God purposefully and strategically is sending a bunch of harmless and vulnerable sheep into a pack of wolves? You mean that when the Christians went into the lions den of Rome, that God had sent them there? You mean that when the missionaries went into foreign lands where they were killed and rejected, that God had sent them there? You mean that when God put me in this family that mocks my faith and rejects my Jesus, that God put me there? You mean that when I go into that office or school where people make fun of me because I am a believer that God put me there?
Yes!
This phrase or idea of sheep in the midst of wolves was not new to the disciples. Their Jewish teachers had taught them that the Jewish race was often put in the position of sheep in the midst of wolves. The commentators would use the example of Esther, A Jewish girl, right in the midst of the heathen kingdom where lies and deception had led to a decree to destroy all of the Jewish people in the first holocaust. Mordecai told his niece Esther, that she had been born for such a time as this. She was a little lamb living in a pack of wolves, but God would use her to deliver his people and to save a nation.
Jesus sends us out as His Sheep amid the wolves of Satan. Sheep are harmless creatures. We go into the world, not to bring any harm to the world. Our message isn’t a message of hatred or war, but of peace and love. We are helpless to protect ourselves, but we go with the authority and power and presence of Christ. It is in His name that we go. And sheep can change the world.
Remember the picture of the lone man standing in front of the approaching tank in Tianneman Square in the student protests of 20 years ago. Though that lone sheep did not win his battle that day, in many ways it brought sweeping changes to the country of China. They have a long way to go, but change has begun.
We are Sheep. We need to depend fully upon our Shepherd. He will care for us and provide for our needs. Even when we walk into the shadow of death, we need not be afraid. He is with us.
Jesus then told His followers that they were to be wise like Serpents and innocent as doves. These two creatures would immediately create a picture for the disciples.
Serpents of course were often used to describe someone who was crafty or sneaky. But Jesus is not using them as an example in the negative sense, but in the positive sense. A snake will be very careful around danger. A snake will not act foolishly and put itself in a situation where it could be destroyed. Jesus is not sending His children out to be fools, to foolishly martyr themselves. We are not to be like the suicide bombers of extreme Islam where they desire to die. We aren’t to be fanatical or radical in our pursuit of Christ’s kingdom. But we are to be wise. We are to plan and strategize and think through what would be the most effective way for us to minister to others. We aren’t to shut off our brains, but to use them.
When Paul went from city to city, he did not foolishly put himself in places where he would be killed. Yes he was often attacked, but He did not deliberately look for ways to provoke others. When brought before the Arena of the angry crowd in Ephesus, He did not criticize or ridicule the beliefs of the Pagan Greeks. He didn’t make fun of their Goddess Diana. He didn’t put down the Corinthians many gods, but He pointed them to the one Creator God over all.
Sadly today, I see many Christians provoking fights around our nation. We don’t approach the presentation of the Gospel as Sheep among wolves, or with the wisdom of Serpents and the Innocence of Doves. Instead we speak with anger and bitterness and hatred in our hearts. I don’t believe Jesus would support many of the things that are done in the political realm by Christians in our country. I believe it does more harm for the Kingdom of God than good.
We do not see Paul or the early disciples looking for ways to pick political fights. We see them preaching and sharing the Good News of forgiveness and a risen Savior.
Jesus said we are to be as innocent as Doves. The Dove was the symbol of peace and of the Holiness and Purity of the Holy Spirit. Christians are to be examples of purity and of holiness. We are to be peace-loving, genuine, truthful, sincere, and good. When Christians do not portray this spirit, they are not speaking on behalf of Christ. Stephen prayed for those who persecuted him, even as he was being stoned to death.
We must be prepared to go as ambassadors of Christ. We are to be wise like serpents and innocent as doves. We are sent as sheep among wolves. Therefore . . . .
2. Be prepared for opposition!
Jesus warned his disciples in verse 17 with these words: Be on your guard against men. We must be prepared for the fact that anyone who hated Jesus will hate us too! We shouldn’t be surprised that if they crucified Him and called Him all sorts of names, they will find ways to shut us up as well. To be on your guard does not mean that we isolate ourselves from men.
That is a trend I see more and more in Christians in this country. We have opposition in the schools and so we pull out. We have opposition in the workplace, and so we quit and move on to an easier job. As believers, we aren’t to go looking for fights. But we must also be careful not to isolate ourselves from the very people God wants to reach. Are we pushing people away from Christ or towards Him?
Jesus warns us that we will be opposed for our faith. That opposition will come from all fronts, and some opposition will surprise us.
- We will be opposed by people in authority over us. (Verses 17- 18) When you live your faith day by day, it will be noticed by others. Some people who hold authority over our lives will not be pleased with our Christian values and principles. Your boss may object to your Christian standards of work. Your teacher may not like the fact that you refer to God’s principles when you do your homework. We should expect that this will happen. But the promise to us is that God will give us the right words to say if we trust in Him. We don’t need to worry about it. Just keep walking by faith.
- We will be opposed by other religions and their followers. The greatest opposition to the Gospel in the first century did not come from the pagans, but from the Jewish authorities. They detested this Christian sect. That did everything in their power to silence it. In today’s world, the more faithful you are to follow Christ, the greater will be the opposition you receive from followers of other religions. The very nature of our faith creates this opposition. Jesus said; “I am the way, the truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” There are not many ways to God, there is only one way. There are not many religions that can save a person. There is only one faith that can save a person. If you believe differently, then you are not a follower of Jesus, because Jesus did not leave any middle ground. You are either for Him or against Him. Yes, other religions believe in Jesus as a prophet of God, but they do not believe that He was God’s only begotten Son. They do not believe that He is the Savior of the World. And they do not believe that it is by faith in Christ alone that a person is forgiven and given eternal life. All the other religions of the world preach a message of works. Man is saved by doing good works. Only Christianity teaches that man is a sinner who can never erase sin by His good works. It is only by the death and resurrection of Christ that we are forgiven and acceptable to God.
Islam believes that Jesus was a good man and a prophet of God, but they reject Him as their savior and they reject Him as the Son of God. They believe they are saved by their good works, keeping the five tenets of Islam. And when they given their lives as martyrs and kill other innocent people, they receive eternal life. This is the saddest belief of all, because those suicide bombers die in their sins and apart from the forgiveness and grace of God in Jesus Christ. They have rejected Christ and will spend an eternity in hell. It is inevitable that these two very different worldviews are going to clash!
- We also may face opposition from our own family members. (Verse 21, verses 34-37) When the church began many families were divided. Some family members believed in Christ, while other family members remained Jews or pagans. This often led to terrible conflicts in families, and at times would spill over into family members turning in their believing relatives to the authorities who would imprison them or feed them to the lions. The same still occurs today. In many parts of the world if you become a believer you are rejected by your family. In the Muslim world, those who become believers often live under the threat of death from their relatives. Here in the United States the persecution can take the form of abuse or rejection. When I first became a believer, my family rejected me and tried to persuade me to give it up. My mother accused me of being a fanatic. They were angry that I stopped attending the Catholic Church and that I had begun to attend a strong bible church. I was never persecuted in my family for this, but I was often misunderstood and I felt very alone and isolated for many years. I know there are some in our church who attend church alone. You spouse or your parents or your children do not believe in Jesus as you do. They reject your Christianity, and it is lonely and hard for you. There are several promises God gives to you as you continue to live for Him.
a. Don’t worry about what to say. God will give you words at the right time. Just depend upon His Holy Spirit. (verse20)
b. At times it may be important to remove yourself from the threat of persecution ((verse 23). This may mean changing jobs, or separating yourself from an abusing family. It may mean moving to a new community.
c. God sees our need and He will take care of you. If he cares for the sparrow who falls to earth, won’t he care even more for you in your daily struggles to keep the faith? (verses 26-31)
3. Be prepared to carry the cross daily!
Look again at verses 37-39. The issue is one of devotion and love. Who do you love the most? Where does your allegiance lie? You will be opposed if you seek to follow Jesus. The cross represents identification. When we daily pick up our cross, we identify ourselves as followers of Jesus. With that may come persecution and rejection. But are we committed to following Christ, no matter what the cost?
When you seek to hold your life together, and avoid all kinds of conflict, and when you try to run away from your Christian faith – the end result is that you will lose everything. You cannot ignore or hide what you really are. If you are a believer in Jesus – come out of the closet. Be true to yourself.
If you will lay your life down, and give yourself fully to Jesus – then you will find out who you really are. You will find your life in all of its fullness and joy.
So remember:
Be prepared!
- Jesus will send you.
- You will face opposition.
- Pick up your cross and follow Him.
