If we read the Synoptic Gospels carefully, we find that Jesus’ ministry always brought opposition. Ironically, that opposition came from moralistic religious leaders—scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were experts in Mosaic law, while the Pharisees strictly guarded Jewish tradition. What Jesus said and did almost always met with opposition, resistance, and ultimately a conspiracy to kill Him. In psychology, people discuss logical fallacies, one of which is argumentum ad hominem—when someone does not address an argument’s content but attacks the person who makes it. They do not explain what is wrong with a statement; they attack the speaker personally.
Jesus said in Matthew 23:2–4, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. They preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with their finger.” Because of that statement, the scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus. The simple logic is this: if a statement does not match reality, it should be explained, not met with personal attacks against the one who made it. Fallacious thinking can lead to equally erroneous actions.
In John 11:53, it is written, “From that day on they planned to put Him to death.” The background of that conspiracy was that the chief priests and the Pharisees saw many Jews believing in Jesus after He raised Lazarus. Jesus did not force those Jews to believe in Him; they believed of their own accord after witnessing the miracle of a resurrection. Why then did the chief priests and Pharisees hate Jesus and plot to kill Him? It was truly irrational. We must be careful when reasoning goes astray, because such errors lead to equally wrong actions.
So, when Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves,” He had already experienced this. He was not merely advising about something he had never faced; he had lived through it. Jesus did not send His disciples as wolves among wolves, but as lambs (Luke 10:3) — not even mature sheep but lambs — into the midst of wolves.
Even an adult sheep has little defence against a wolf, much less a lamb. Sheep have no fangs to bite, and they cannot run as quickly as wolves. They would truly be at wolves’ mercy. Jesus’ command does not mean He sent the disciples to die pointlessly; rather, He wanted to remind them that when He proclaimed the Gospel of Truth, falsehood would arise and fiercely resist it.
Yet Jesus gave a clue for dealing with those wolves: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” The serpent represents watchfulness or shrewdness, while the dove points to sincerity, wisdom, and humility. Shrewdness without sincerity breeds manipulation. Conversely, sincerity without prudence breeds naivety or shallowness, leading good people to be repeatedly exploited or to harm themselves and others unintentionally through a lack of wisdom.
Consistent with Jesus’ Words, believers today will also face the wolves of the world ready to threaten, devour, and destroy. We live amid an evil world, but we must not become evil or follow its ways. When certain people practice corruption and pressure us to do the same, be shrewd and be sincere. God will help us resist the pressure to sin.