Wise and Innocent
Matthew
10:1-23
We live in a world where
appearances can be deceiving. That statement applies as much to the Church as
it does to any other area of life. I find it amazing that sometimes the people
who present themselves as most pious, holy, and upright are in reality those
who can be the most cruel, the least generous, and certainly not people who are
merciful and compassionate. And conversely, sometimes those who best live out
God’s generous and unrestricted grace and mercy and love can seem to be the
most impious people. I suspect that may be one of the reasons why the Christian
faith has been so discredited in our culture.
Unfortunately, those of us who
have spent our lives in the Church can be people who try to “keep up
appearances.” I believe that we have times of upheaval in our society because
the “appearances” have never fully concealed the reality that lay
underneath—prejudice, hypocrisy, dishonesty, greed, selfishness, and violence.
Many of us may look back to the “good old days” as a time when life was better.
But those days weren’t so good for everyone. I would say that the cultural
upheaval we experience from time to time is so forceful because so much
injustice has been covered over by “appearances.”
When Jesus sent his disciples out
to spread the good news that “the Kingdom of God is at hand” to the cities of
Judea, he wanted them to be clear about what they would be facing. Betrayal.
Suspicion. Possible arrest for “disturbing the peace.” Being put on trial
before local authorities, who would not be receptive to their message. And
perhaps even enduring violence against them, as implied by the statement, “I am
sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves” (Matt. 10:16). It doesn’t
take much common sense to figure out that kind of situation usually doesn’t end
well for the “sheep”!
Some of the other instructions may
be a bit more confusing. The fact that they could expect betrayal at the hands
of their own family seems shocking to us. And yet, at the time, any Jewish
person who embraced faith in Jesus was likely going to be thrown out of the
synagogue and shunned by family and friends. I think Jesus wanted them to be
clear that they could expect the same opposition he faced. It may be hard for
us to imagine them being “hated by all because of my name” (Matt. 10:22). But
that was what they were facing when they went out to share the good news with
their fellow Judeans.
One of the more difficult
instructions Jesus gives the disciples is that they were to be “wise as
serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). Just on the surface of it, it
seems contradictory. How can one be like a “serpent” and a “dove” at the same
time? But if you dig deeper, you find that the Greek word for “wise” when
associated with a “serpent” has some history in the Bible. The “serpent” in the
Garden of Eden was said to be “wiser” or “more crafty” than any other creature
(Gen. 3:1; using the same Greek word as Matt. 10:16). And the serpent
demonstrated that “craftiness” by deceiving Adam and Eve. That makes the
apparent contradiction even stronger.
In the context of Jesus’
teachings, it’s hard to imagine that Jesus wanted his disciples to be “crafty”
in that sense of the term. A better translation would be that they were to be “prudent.”
They needed to know that their lives were in danger. And they needed to know
that they couldn’t trust everyone they met. In light of those unfortunate
realities, they would have to be “prudent” about the way they went about the
work of proclaiming the good news. They needed to know that not every house
that invited them in would truly be welcoming. They needed be prepared for the
dangers they would face and take appropriate steps to protect themselves when
possible.
On the other hand, Jesus made it
clear that they were to be “innocent as doves.” This instruction may be more
challenging to us. The idea is that they were to go about the work of
proclaiming the gospel with pure motives. There were plenty of wandering
preachers in that day whose sole intent was to make a buck. Jesus didn’t want
his disciples to be viewed in that way. So he told them demonstrate their pure
motives by not even taking the most basic necessities. As Jesus was defenseless
against the attacks that ultimately claimed his life, he sent out his disciples
as “sheep among wolves.” This was by design. The very pattern of Jesus’ life
was a demonstration of how far the society of that day had strayed from God’s
ways.[2]
And their opposition and even violence against him only strengthened that
indictment.
It may seem hard to know how we
can be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” We may not face opposition and
even violence for being a Christian. Nevertheless, the injustice that reacted
violently to Jesus in his day is still a part of our human experience. And that
injustice still follows the same violent pattern whenever anyone stands up and
declares God’s truth. I think that’s where the wisdom comes in. We have to
understand that there are people in this world who will oppose us when we stand
up for God’s truth. We also have to be prudent about how we go about that,
knowing when to stand up and when to stand fast. But that’s also where the
innocence comes in. We can only share the good news of the Kingdom as we
demonstrate it by the integrity of our lives.
[1] © 2020 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan
Brehm, Ph. D. on 6/14/2020 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
[2] Cf.
Ulrich Luz, Matthew: A Commentary, ed. H. Koester, 82: “To live as a
disciple is to live as Jesus does. That is why telling about this Jesus is so
important for Matthew. Jesus’ way of living is a prophetic sign that embodies
the truth of his message of the kingdom of God.”
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