Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves
AM Psalm 5, 6 • PM Psalm 10, 11
Jer. 36:27-37:2 • 1 Cor. 14:1-12 • Matt. 10:16-23
There are one-liners from the Bible that stick in my head. Oftentimes, they get stuck there because I don’t understand them but I am convinced that there is a deep meaning and a message that I need. The verse in Matthew 10, when Jesus instructs his disciples to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” is one of those one-liners that I have often turned over in my mind. I don’t claim to understand what Jesus meant here when he was instructing his disciples, but I know that Jesus wasn’t telling them to stoop to dishonesty, or selfish deviousness. It’s pretty clear to me that he did not mean “serpent” in the same way that “serpent” was portrayed in Genesis. He was telling them to beware, I think, that they must be mindful and discerning, shrewd in a good way. Because, after all, he was admittedly “sending them like sheep into the midst of wolves.”
The world has always had its share of wolves who prey upon the sheep. Hatefulness, violence, greed, and fear of those who are “different” have always permeated society. It has become so commonplace today to turn on the news or open a newspaper only to hear or read of unspeakable horrors inflicted upon human beings by human beings. It is more than disturbing! Then add to that the kinds of hate, dishonesty, and violence that don’t ever make the news. Friends betraying friends, teenagers bullying the “different” kid, date rape that never gets reported, domestic violence and abuse, and on and on. This does beg the question, “are some people evil, or is it only behavior that is evil?”
I think Jesus is calling us to develop the wisdom that it takes to recognize the people we encounter that are not full of good intentions. Some people will harm others because they are driven by the selfish fears, desires, and insecurities that reside within them, and they choose to resort to evil behavior. Jesus’ words to his disciples was a warning and good advice. We have seen many examples in the New Testament of Jesus displaying the wisdom of a serpent with the innocence of a dove. He had enemies who purposely tried to trap him, and gently as a dove he displayed the assertiveness and the shrewdness to circumvent their attempts and manage all the while to turn that into a teachable moment for them. That is truly Love in action! We would do well to emulate Jesus’ example.
Written by Deborah Griffin
...who would like to be innocent as a dove and have a little more serpent wisdom.