Snakes and Doves

In Matthew 10, there's a great passage where Jesus is giving His disciples instructions before sending them out to the "lost sheep of Israel". In verse 16 he says, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

This passage obviously talks about discernment but I have always found myself caught up in the "snakes and doves" part. After all, didn't our adversary take the form of a snake in the garden?

After doing a word study, I discovered that the snake also stood as an emblem of wisdom in Jesus' day. I guess what they lacked in arms and legs, they made up for with their cunning.

The dove was also an interesting choice of animal. What about 'innocent as a lamb' or any other number of cute, cuddly and, well, innocent animals? Its then that I discovered that the Levitical law required an animal sacrifice for sin...and the dove (two, in fact) was to be the offering for someone who was too poor to afford a female lamb or goat from their flock.

This was all a fascinating study of the history of animals in the Bible for me but the real meaning of the passage can't be discerned by the animals Jesus chose. It is discerned by the words He used to describe these animals.

"Shrewd" (in the NIV - 'wise' in others)means "to think, to have a mindset, sensible, prudent, practically wise in relationships with others".

"Innocent" (again, in the NIV - 'harmless' in others) means "without any mixture of deceit, without any defiling material"

It was then that I realized that Jesus was trying to tell His disciples, "Be discerning in your relationships but do so from a pure heart - without any internal deceit, defiling sin, or hidden agendas."

Often, we beat ourselves up about being "judgmental" if we choose to disassociate with someone because we feel they are not a good influence on our lives or our minsitry. Jesus is very clear in this passage that He was sending them out "as sheep among wolves." But notice He wasn't sending them out into "the world" (that portion of humanity that the church - small 'c' - has so effectively eliminated from any of their associtaions). He was sending them to "the lost sheep of Israel" - the religious establishment.

He told them that they would find some who were "people of peace" - those that would accept the Gospel of the heart. For those, He instructed His disciples to "let their peace rest with them." But to the ones who would not accept His message, He told them to "shake the dust off their feet when you leave that home or town."

Now, this was a VERY strong gesture in the Jewish culture. In fact, it was the pious Jews - the ULTRA-religious - that would perform this gesture after going through a Gentile town or being found in a place where "good Jewish boys" shouldn't find themselves. It signified to those on the receiving end that "the dust of your town is not even good enough to be found on my the bottom of my shoes."

THIS is the gesture that Jesus instructed His disciples to perform for those who were not open to His message. He basically turned the gestures of the religious back on themselves. Amazing.

So, what does this mean for us?

I believe God is reviving the true Gospel - a Gospel of restoration, a Gospel of intimacy with God, a Gospel of the heart - that has been lost under a pile of religious ritual, tradition, denominationalism, and human ambition to build monunments to men. God is reclaiming His Church - one remnant at a time.

As He calls out these remnants, He knows that we will face accusation, lies, and even persecution from the established religious organizations. But, He's calling us to focus on those who will be open and receiving to His message - the person of peace - and shake the dust of the religious organizations (and the people who control them) off our feet.

As we do so, however, we must make sure that we are doing so as one who is "practically wise in our relationships with others without any mixture of deceit or any defiling material" within ourselves.

Psalm 24 makes it clear - "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false...Such is the generation of those who seek Him."

Shrewd as snakes, innocent as doves.