In Matthew 10 there is a famous statement by Jesus in verse 16 which reads something like "be wise as serpents yet innocent as doves."

In context, Jesus said this right after telling the 12 that He is sending them out as sheep among wolves which sounds quite dangerous. Sheep are vulnerable, right?

So, to clarify, He commands them to be smart and diligent - avoiding unnecessary danger AND to maintain a good reputation and operate with integrity.

John Piper wrote about this several years ago, "So both the snake-intelligence and the dove-innocence are both designed to keep the sheep out of trouble. Jesus does not mean for us to get ourselves into as much difficulty as possible. He means: Risk your lives as vulnerable, non-combative, sheep-like, courageous witnesses, but try to find ways to give your witness in a way that does not bring down unnecessary persecution."

As we look to be disciples who make disciples, we would be wise to operate like Jesus tells us here.

Let us live with integrity AND with discernment as followers of Jesus!


Full John Piper article here: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/sheep-wolves-snakes-and-doves

Dove photo: Photo by Douglas Bagg on Unsplash
Snake photo: Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

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