Lord’s Library editors offer a Matthew 10:16 meaning with commentary and supporting Scriptures for your edification.
Matthew 10:16 says: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples here to prepare them for the challenges they will face in their mission to spread the Gospel. The image of “sheep in the midst of wolves” portrays the vulnerability of believers in a world that is often hostile to the truth of the Gospel.
As defenseless creatures, sheep are reliant on their shepherd (Christ), which symbolizes the disciples’ dependence on Him for both protection and guidance. See John 10:11-14: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
Matthew 10:16 Meaning
The instruction to be “wise as serpents” reflects the need for discernment and in navigating the dangers of the world. The serpent, though often associated with deception, here represents awareness. See Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Jesus is not calling His disciples to be deceitful, but to be perceptive in their dealings, understanding the schemes of those who oppose the Gospel. See Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
“Harmless as doves” highlights the Christian’s call to remain innocent and avoid retaliation. Doves symbolize purity throughout Scripture, such as during the baptism of Jesus when the Holy Spirit descended “like a dove.” See Matthew 3:16: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”
The combination of wisdom and innocence reflects the balance Christ desires His followers to maintain: shrewdness without compromising integrity and peacefulness without naivety.
This balance is further emphasized in passages like Romans 12:18, where Paul exhorts: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Believers are called to be both wise in protecting themselves and others, while also trusting in God to defend them from danger. The harmlessness instructed by Christ allows Christians to stand firm in their faith, acting with righteousness even when surrounded by opposition. See 1 Peter 3:16: “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”
In sum: Matthew 10:16 encapsulates the approach Christians are called take in a fallen world: relying on Biblical wisdom to navigate the dangers of persecution while maintaining a Christ-like demeanor of peace in a wicked world.
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