Wise As Serpents
November 16, 2003
Dear Friends,
Being believers in God, Jesus and the high ideals presented in the Holy Scriptures, we look for the good in mankind. We take to heart admonition “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” (Php 2:3 AV) We sincerely try to live a meek lifestyle in keeping with Jesus asking us the question, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Mt 7:3 AV) We have adopted a set us principles that guide us – honesty, hard work, personal responsibility to name a few. By association with other like-minded individuals, we come to expect this same standard from the people around us.
Yet, the Scriptures themselves testify about what is in man. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9 AV) “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Mt 15:19 AV) The Bible clearly teaches (though it may be denied by many today) that man tends naturally toward evil rather than good.
Are we the perfect sucker who accepts every pitch man that comes along? Is naiveté synonymous with belief in Christ? Is it better for us to become disillusioned cynics?
The balance between the extremes of easy mark and hardened cynic is marvelously laid before us by Jesus. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Mt 10:16 AV) As sheep in the hands of the Good Shepherd, we are to be gentle, kind, hospitable, meek and generous. Even so, the Good Shepherd doesn’t send his flock among the wolves to make sure the wolves are well fed. Quite to the contrary, the Good Shepherd wants his sheep to thrive while retaining those qualities that make them sheep. Jesus wants us to be harmless as doves. This analogy is easy to understand with the gentle dove. In fact, the symbol of a dove for peace and gentleness is still used throughout the world today.
The meaning of “wise as serpents” is a little harder to come by. While doves are harmless, snakes are not particularly noted for their wisdom. Our minds are immediately taken by the word “serpent” back to the Garden of Eden where we are told that the serpent was “more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” There are a few problems with looking to the serpent in the Garden for the answer to our riddle. The first is that there does not appear to be anything redeemable about the craftiness of the serpent. The second problem is that Jesus does not say “be as wise as THE serpent”, he says “be as wise as SERPENTS.” Note the plural.
The answer probably lies in the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15) rather than the serpent himself. More specifically, Jesus is probably referring to the worldly wisdom of a specific group of people – the Pharisees and Sadducees. “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Mt 23:33 AV)” O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Mt 12:34 AV) ” But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Mt 3:7 AV) It was, in fact, the Pharisees who were the original wolfish Judaizers (Acts. 15:5) who ravaged the first century ecclesia destroying many in the flock with their evil doctrine.
The lesson for us is to maintain our sheep-like qualities, but by no means be naive to the ways of the wolves. It is a careful but very important balance to strike as truly there are (and always have been) wolves among the flock. Unfortunately for the naive, seldom do they trumpet their arrival.
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31 AV)
Have a great week!
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