We like to think of Jesus’ words as comforting, and they are (“Low I am with you always”). But he also does not pull any punches when he talks about life as a Christian. “Behold, I send you as sheep in the middle of wolves” (Mathew 10:16). No one wants to hear they are surrounded by those who wish to eat them alive.
But Jesus tells us how to respond to the wolves, “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Mathew 10:16). How is a serpent wise? A serpent bides its time. The snake catches a bird by mesmerizing it. The bird sees the snake and begins to squawk loudly, chirping with all its might. The snake does not move. It simply waits and stares at the bird. Eventually the chirping subsides and the battle is essentially over. The snakes moves forward and claims his prize.
Unlike the snake, we offer life. But we are nonetheless to be like the wise snake and wait patiently for all the squawking and positioning to stop. We don’t fight with the unbeliever. We don’t argue over foolish speculations (2 Timothy 2:23). We wait until the Holy Spirit prepares the way to speak a word in the perfect time so that the listener is ready to receive it.
In this way, we are gentle as doves.
