Our second question is: “To whom was the Lord speaking in this verse?” I’ve answer that a couple of times over the last few messages. Very clearly, Christ Jesus was talking to the members of His first church – the one of which He was Pastor. Those church members were named for us in verses 2 through 4. I know they are called “disciples” and “apostles,” but comparing this with other scriptures we should see connection to the Lord’s church. Christ started the first church during His life-time or else several sections of gospels make no sense. And that also means that what He is saying here belongs to us, who are members of one of Christ’s later churches.
Our third question is : “What is the context of Jesus’ statement?” We looked at this last Sunday and the Sunday before. These disciples were being sent out as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus – Apostles – missionaries. They were being sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Are were being commissioned to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. They were to be living testimonies – witnesses – of the grace of Christ. And in the midst of their work, they were told of upcoming persecution. So the Lord Jesus was not talking about job difficulties or problems with the neighbors, except if those difficulties arose because of faithful service for Christ. This is all about persecution against them because they were carrying out the Lord’s commission. And by the way, I remind you that the word “testimony,” in the Greek language is “marturion” (mar-too’-ree-on) from which comes our English word “martyr.”
Tonight’s fourth question is: “What does this reveal to us about the Saviour?” It tells us that He knows what His servants will have to face in their service for Him. That means that He is either very perceptive and knows the wicked human heart. Or it means that He is omniscient and knows with absolute certainty even future events. And of course that is the proper understanding of this verse. It also tells us that if we suffer for righteousness sake, it is not because of the lack of Jesus’ concern. He is concerned enough to warn us and encourage us. If we suffer well, that in itself is a great testimony to the grace of Christ. These things tell us that there is no reason to be overcome with despair in the midst of our persecution when it arrives.
Our last question is one that struck my imagination when I was preparing last week’s messages. Doesn’t it seem a bit odd for the Lord to tell us to be both like serpents and doves? Aren’t those animals nearly opposite in nature? What are the natures and character of these animals mentioned in this text? In other words, what should be the Christian menagerie within us?
First, the Lord uses the well-worn allegory of the sheep.
This is probably the most common picture of the child of God to be found in the Bible. Theologically it begins with Isaiah 53 – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” We are like sheep in so many different ways – stupidity is one of them. In fact, as sheep, we were so stupid that we didn’t even know that we were property of this Shepherd. The scriptures gives us reason to ague that there is a difference between the sheep of the Lord and the goats of somebody else. It was the Saviour Himself who told us the story about the ninety-nine sheep which safely lay in the shelter of the fold, while one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold. It was the Great Shepherd who went looking for that wayward sheep and brought it home. And Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice, and they follow me.” I read a piece of trivia the other day which tickled my fancy. Generally speaking, cattle recognize the faces of at least ten other cows, and at least two people. I wonder how many faces – sheep and human – that sheep recognize? And I wonder how many voices they recognize. Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice, and they follow me.” And then He added, “And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish…” David, one of Jehovah’s sheep said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.” And now Christ says, “I am sending you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.”
Would it be accurate to say that we would be better servants of Christ if we were more sheep-like? What are some of the other characteristics of sheep? I think that it can be safely said that when they know the shepherd they can be easily led. Sheep can be led by someone they trust, but they refuse to be driven by anyone else. If the shepherd walks into a stream, the sheep will walk in there as well. They are herd animals; they act as a group, following the leader – the shepherd. Oh, how the Saviour wants us to follow Him. And what a blessing there is in knowing that we can follow the Saviour. When Daniel was cast into the Lion’s den, Christ was already inside with His angels. When Daniels friend’s were tossed into the fiery furnace, the Lord was present with them. Peter says, Christ “has given us an example that we should follow his steps.” If you are a good sheep – if you are ovine in nature – you’ll long to follow Christ.
Second, sheep are passive creatures. Jesus, the lamb of God was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and He stood silent before his shearers. Sheep are not noted for aggressive behaviour, and they don’t have defensive claws or fangs. They don’t attack wolves or even elk; they don’t eat moose or even mice. They are timid, meek and mild vegetarians. And generally speaking they even make poor pets, partly because of their extreme timidity.
Especially in the domesticate varieties, sheep are dependent upon others for their care. Philip Keller, a preacher and former shepherd, says that if sheep can’t find standing or calmly moving water, they will die of thirst; a rushing stream frightens them. He also says that they will eat their pasture down to the roots and kill the grass that sustains them; so they have to be moved periodically. They are susceptible to diseases which are no problem to most animals. They have to be often bathed in sheep dip which kills other creatures, like dogs and cats. And if sheep are worried, they will not sleep and thus will fret themselves to death. Domestic sheep are absolutely dependent upon their master for their very lives.
But, if they are well cared for, they among the most productive of all domestic animals. The Hebrew Patriarchs measured their wealth in the number of their sheep. Sheep can live for years, producing enormous amounts of fine wool throughout their lives. When kept healthy, lambing is easy for them and herds can grow quickly. Some societies drink and make cheese out of their milk. A sheep can be a very productive animal.
These are all ovine traits which I think that the Saviour would like to see in us. Are you productive; are you submissive; are you meek and dependent upon the Lord? Or are you more like a wolf than a sheep? The Lord wants to see us like sheep. Unfortunately there are others out there, like wolves, that see us as sheep as well.
So, says the Saviour, we need to be as wise as serpents.
Serpents? Wasn’t it a serpent who came to Eve in the garden and introduced sin to our race? Isn’t Satan sometimes depicted as a serpent? Wasn’t it fiery serpents that attacked the camp of Israel when they sinned against God? Aren’t snakes used as allegories of deceit and lying with their split tongues? Don’t they provoke fear and bring about death? Yes, guilty in all points. By the way, if word “ovine” pertains to sheep, then “ophidian” pertains to snakes.
Is there anyone here who loves snakes? There are lots of people who do, and there are lots of rapists and murderers in the world as well. Do we have anyone who would prefer to have a pet diamond-back rattler over a dog of a cat? I heard the other day about a man who killed what may have been the largest Burmese Python in the United States. It was 18 feet long, as long as three average size men, and it weighed 128 pounds. There may be a few people who would like to own such an animal, but they are not normal. Those snakes first came to the United States as pets and zoo animals. In some cultures, snakes highly esteemed and even worshiped. In India, for example, where many people die every year from the bite of the cobra, those snakes are adored. And in Egyptian hieroglyphics, the serpent is a symbol of wisdom.
And it is to this wisdom that the Lord refers here. Sure there are a lot of things in snakes which shouldn’t be found in us. But I suppose that there are something in sheep which shouldn’t be found in us either. Can you house break a sheep? As far as snakes are concerned, I’d recommend that since God has given you legs, that you use them. We aren’t encouraged to slither to get to point B from point A. I don’t believe that the Lord wants us to spit or in some other way poison people. And if you constantly shed your skin in four or five foot chunks it might offend people. But despite the animosity that people have towards snakes, they are still here. They usually perceive danger when it gets too close, and know how to avoid it. They can adapt, and they can be found in just about every kind of place on earth. They swim in the sea and in rivers and lakes. They do well in tropical jungles and in burning sands where little else survives. In other words, serpents are survivors, and so should be the children of God. Doesn’t the Lord give us examples of this in his own life?
Matthew Henry quoted some examples, saying that these were what Jesus was trying to illustrate. Matthew 21:23-25 – “And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?” Here is an example of wisdom. Matthew 22:17-19 – The Pharisees came to Christ, trying to trick Him. “Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” The ability to turn the wrath of the enemy upon himself is to what Jesus refers.
Perhaps too, the fear and hatred people have of snakes might be part of Jesus’ meaning. How did the Pharisees treat the Lord Jesus? Wasn’t it much like they would an asp if it crossed their path. They hated Christ for His righteousness, for His perfection, for the constant rebuke that His that life was to their hypocrisy. Jesus didn’t have to constantly preach against their sins – once in a while was sufficient, because His life was a testimony against them. Once the ground work was established, just the presence of Lord was rebuke enough. So they went out their way to try to kill him with the biggest stick they could find. But did our Saviour deserve their wrath? No more than my surgeon did for cutting out my exploding appendix. And no more than the average snake deserves to die.
The reason Jesus didn’t deserve their hatred was because He was as wise as a serpent but as harmless as a dove.
I don’t think that the Lord would be pleased if we behaved only like doves and nothing more. They are too skittish, too beggarly, too fragile. But on the other hand if we were entirely serpentine or “ophidian,” we’d be useless to Christ as well. There must be a blending of the two natures to go along with that of the sheep. There must be a Christian menagerie within us.
And what is a dove like? First, he is harmless to just about everything – but statues. Like the sheep, this creature is not noted for its talons or its incisors. He is noted for one of his songs, for his peaceable nature, and for his unostentatious beauty. He is remembered for his olive branch; for his return to Noah’s ark and his mate. The Holy Spirit descended like as a dove upon the Lord Jesus. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove for then would I fly away, and be at rest.”
Look within that breast of yours, do you find any dove-like characteristics? How about the best of the serpent or sheep? In the glaring light of our responsibilities as ambassadors of Christ and in the midst of our difficulties, we need the best characteristics of each of these creatures.