Friday, April 3, 2015

Matthew 10:16-20

Matthew 10:16-20
“Behold, I send you as sheep into the midst of wolves.  Therefore become as insightful as serpents and as pure as doves.  And be on your guard against mankind.  For they will hand you all over to the Sanhedrin and they will beat you all with whips in their synagogues.  And you all will be led upon governors and even kings in witness to them and to the Gentiles for my sake.  And when they should hand you all over, do not have anxious concern regarding how or what you all should say.  For that which you all should say will be given to you all in that hour.  For you all are not the one who speaks but rather it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus is not very encouraging in the opening verses of this passage.  He basically says that if you follow Him, you will be looked upon as a sheep is looked upon by a pack of wolves.  In case you don’t realize it, that’s not a good thing!  Following Jesus is submission to the idea that we will be devoured by the world – much like the world devoured Jesus!  But God can overcome the world.  The world may devour us, but God will have the final say.  The truth is we will know persecution.  But our focus should not be on what happens to us in this world.  Thus, while this is not a particularly encouraging opening, it is an honest opening.  Because Jesus’ focus is upon the Father and life eternal, He can be honest in this passage.

How well does the idea of the world devouring you sit with you?  Why can that idea cause us to pause in our response to God’s calling?  Are you able to overcome  any concern you might have about how the world will treat you?

Second Thought:

However, I have not yet done justice to the warning that Jesus offers.  Jesus doesn’t actually leave it at the persecution of the world.  Jesus tells them that they will be dragged before the Sanhedrin and they will be flogged in the synagogues.  Jesus tells the disciples that their own kind will turn on them.  The people who should understand the call of Christ will instead turn on them.  Unfortunately, this is all too often the reality in churches as well.  We should be united in the mission of Christ under the banner of our heavenly Father.  But instead we wrestle for power and control and the assertion of our own agendas.  So we argue with one another, we fight one another, and we treat one another with contempt.  This happens frequently within even our own synagogues and churches.

Why do you think we can be just as ugly within the church as the world can be to us?  What is the end result of ugliness within the church?  Why do you think Jesus would warn His disciples of this threat especially?

Third Thought:

Jesus tells us that we must be as insightful as serpents and as innocent as doves.  What is Jesus telling us in this analogy?  I think that there are many layers to this analogy.
  • First of all, remember that Genesis makes the case that the serpent was the craftiest being in the Garden of Eden.  Jesus is telling us that we must be thoughtful.  He’s not telling us to use that craftiness for sin as the serpent did – for He also tells us to be pure.  But He is absolutely telling us that we will need to think and look for insight as to how to have our faith survive in this world.
  • Second, remember that the Law lifts up the dove as an animal that is pleasing in sacrifice.  We are to be pure as doves.  This means that we are to consider ourselves as suitable material for sacrifice on behalf of another.  In a world that desires to attack us and beat us down, we need to live with a posture of sacrificial love.  If my sacrifice helps another person find relationship with God, is it not worth it?


Do you live a life of insightfulness?  Where does insight come for you?  Do you live a life of sacrificial love?  How do you sacrifice yourself for the sake of others?

Fourth Thought:

In the end, I find this to be one of the most comforting passages in the Bible.  There are so many people in the world who are paralyzed in fear about what to say.  They are afraid to open their mouth because they either believe that they will say the wrong thing or they won’t have anything to say.  Jesus tells us that such a fear is not from God.  If we are put in a situation where God wants us to speak, words will be given to us to speak.  The words aren’t supposed to come from me anyways!  In spiritual moments, any significant words that I could possibly say will by definition come from God.  If what I say is to be meaningful, then God must be the source.  So why be worried or even paralyzed with fear about what to say?

Do you take these verses seriously regarding Jesus’ promise?  How often do you speak words when they aren’t from God just because you feel that you have to say something?  How often do you not speak God’s words because you are afraid that they are wrong?


Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 10:21-23

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