Sheep, Serpents, Doves, and Sparrows: Matthew 10:16-33 (Sermon)
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INTRODUCTION
Thank you, worship team. Last week pastor Mike shared with us about Matthew chapter 10, verses 1 through 15. He said the main idea was:
Do God’s Work
By God’s Power
Through God’s Ways
In chapter 10, Jesus commissioned his disciples to do the work he was doing. “Going and proclaiming the kingdom of heaven.” He gave them his authority to cast out demons, heal every disease and affliction, and even raise the dead! Can you imagine that? They saw Jesus calm a storm with a word, heal by touch, and the masses followed. Now, they would receive his power to do things like him. How do you think that felt? How would you feel?
BASEBALL SEASON - Batting
We are in baseball season. I grew up watching Nolan Ryan throwing 100-mile-an-hour fastballs.
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If you ever had a car wiz by you at 50 miles an hour, think of a ball flying twice that speed by your face. What if the coach put you at the plate as the designated hitter? What if it was two outs, two strikes, and the go-ahead run was on third? You are up to bat. No pressure. The weight of the game weighs on your shoulders. How would you feel?
Pitching
Or, what if you were a pitcher and the superstar was pulled? You had to close the game. The pressure is on. There are two outs, three balls, two strikes (full count), and the tying run on third. One pitch is all you need to get the win and finish the game. That is all your fans and team want. Everyone is standing. The coach says, “You got this.” You have a job to do. You have the ability. You have a commission and calling. This is your work. But what if it wasn’t any old batter you faced in the lineup but the Great Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, the Caliph of Clout, none other than Babe Ruth?
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How would you feel? Perhaps you would be anxious to face such an adversary. A little fear is normal.
COMMISSION
These feelings parallel the disciples’ emotions. Jesus told them that they would face opposition unlike they had ever seen. How should they respond? How should we respond when we are doing God’s work, by God’s power, through God’s ways, and facing opposition? Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 10, verses 16 to 33, if you have one near you. I am going to have L.T. and T.T. read for us. In honor of God’s Word, please stand with me.
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:16–33, ESV)
PRAYER
Thank you. Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for your Word. It is a light to guide our way. Open our eyes to see you anew this morning. Open our hearts to love you more. Open our minds to understand you better. We need you. Please help us as we seek you, amen. You may be seated.
REVIEW
Matthew tells us that Jesus is the King God promised long ago. He came to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:23). After an obscure thirty years of life, Jesus appeared at the river Jordan. His relative, John, baptized him. The Holy Spirit descended upon him, and God the Father called from heaven, blessing him. The Spirit then led him into no man’s land. There, he fasted forty days. In the end, the devil tempted him. Jesus survived this attack and called fishermen, tax collector, and zealots to follow him. They obeyed and watched and heard him teaching and performing miracles. The kingdom of God was on the move. In chapters 8 through 9, we read Jesus’s miracles and instructions to his followers. In chapter 10, we read of a commission to his twelve disciples to go and proclaim in Israel what Jesus proclaimed and do the works he did. They were to spread the word that the king was here and the kingdom was close at hand. The overall message of Matthew is to follow the promised king into his kingdom.
STRUCTURE AND MAIN IDEA AND INTENDED RESPONSE
In our passage this morning, there are two parts and four images:
Verses 16 through 25 - Jesus cautioned his sheep to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves amidst hostility.
Verses 26 through 33 - Jesus encouraged these same sheep to fear God who cares for sparrows.
What was the point? Jesus was sending his disciples into a dangerous world with a mission. He told them: As they go out and witness what they have seen and heard, be wise, innocent, and trust God. Matthew included these words because they inform and encourage. Here is the point:
When as sheep you witness,
Be wise as serpents,
Innocent as doves,
And fear God who cares for sparrows.
Let us go back through the Scriptures to see this.
SHEEP
Point number 1:
When as sheep you witness,
Take a look at Matthew chapter 10, verse 16. What does it say?
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16, ESV).
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Why did Jesus send sheep when wolves were out and about? Think of a fluffy white sheep. They are cute. The Wisners have some. They keep them in a pen. They would not put them to pasture with wolves prowling, let alone coyotes. Why would Jesus subject his friends to peril? He was not a sadist, fool, or crazy. Instead, he sought to communicate the truth of the good news of the kingdom far and wide, and there were inherent risks in a world of sin. He had told them that Israel’s lost sheep were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus was and is the good shepherd. Unlike the religious leaders of the day, he cares for his sheep, who care more about themselves than their followers. They were the wolves in sheep’s clothing. They were hypocrites taking advantage of people and seeking Jesus’s demise. Jesus knew that the other sheep not of his fold would not see the truth unless someone went and told them about him. Therefore he sent out his followers. They were to be salt and light in a dark and bland world. These wolves would not like that. They didn’t like Jesus. They would like his followers. Thus, Jesus was warning his sheep that he was sending them amid people who would seek to harm them.
BOLDNESS
He went on to say:
“So be wise as serpents” (Matthew 10:16, ESV).
Point number 2:
When as sheep you witness,
Be wise as serpents,
Jesus wanted his people to be like snakes. Why?
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The snake doesn’t have good connotations. If someone called you a snake, that would be bad. It would be on the level of calling you a liar. The Bible doesn’t speak well of snakes. Genesis tells us that the serpent was more crafty than any other animal (Genesis 3:1). Then, it details how the snake deceived Eve. Yet, Jesus wanted his followers to be like snakes. In what way? In their wisdom. Serpents are smart. Jesus was sending his disciples out to share their faith, and they would need wits. Matthew’s readers knew the rest of the story and likely experienced the persecution Jesus predicted. By the end of the book, the leadership of Israel killed Jesus. They certainly would treat his followers no differently.
AMERICA
In our country, we enjoy freedom. If you doubt what I am saying, travel internationally and compare. At the same time, the freedoms we enjoy today won’t necessarily continue. Down the road, you might lose standing, jobs, or friends for your faith. We should not be surprised. Jesus’s warning here is not a call to arms. This was not a manifesto for violence or political upheaval. Instead, he wanted them to be wise, not foolish.
INNOCENTLY
This brings us to point number 3:
When as sheep you witness,
Be wise as serpents,
Innocent as doves,
The following image Jesus used was a dove. He said they should be wise as serpents,
“And innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, ESV).