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16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. ~ Matthew 10:16-20
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 10 where the Lord Jesus was preparing His twelve disciples for their first missionary venture. The Lord Jesus explained to them how they were to present the Gospel to their hearers. He also explained to them how to respond when they rejected their message. The best words we can ever give to others are the very words of God. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, "For whatever God says to us is full of living power: it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are." Today's passage underscores what has always been most important to the Triune God which is relationship with Him and others.
In v.16-18 of today's passage we read, "16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."
Today's passage begins with the word "Behold" which is always used of the Lord to let His hearers know that what He is about to say is worthy of their greatest attention. The important message was that He was sending out the twelve as if they were sheep among wolves. The Lord likened His disciples to sheep which are perhaps the most clueless animals of all. As a result, sheep are utterly helpless and they cannot defend themselves at all. The only defense they have is to run and sheep are not built for speed.
Now, wolves are the greatest enemy of the sheep. As a result, the number one task of the shepherd is to defend his sheep. The danger to the sheep at the hands of the wolf was very common in biblical days. And the Lord sent the disciples out as sheep in the midst of wolves. This, I am sure, was not the most thrilling call to the ministry for the disciples. Yes, they would have great and awesome powers but the Lord Jesus reminded them that they were going to be in the greatest of danger.
The danger that awaits any believer is a very useful tool to remind us all that our paramount pursuit is intimacy with the Lord. And, there is nothing more useful at pushing us most closely to the Lord than trials. If we let them, trials will convince us to be more and more dependent upon the Lord. And, as we seek Him more ardently, we will grow in great intimacy with the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.
When we think about the stories from the Bible of people God used most, we think of them because they endured such hardship. God entrusted Job, Joseph, Daniel, Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, and many others with major trials. We remember them because they faced the most horrific of trials. Had they never faced a major trial, we probably would not know their names.
The wolves, on the other hand, are those who look to persecute the believer. This warning from the Lord wasn't immediately realized by the disciples because they didn’t experience any persecution till after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. After His resurrection, the disciples were called before Governors and Kings and were treated most poorly for the sake of the Lord Jesus. When we remember that anything we do for the glory of the Lord will last on into eternity, we will be poised to endure hardships while on this earth.
In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."
The Lord Jesus guarantees all who are serious about sharing the Gospel with others that we will be treated badly by some of them. And, if God can control the vast complexities of the universe, we can trust Him with whatever happens in our lives. There are days that we have been known to worry that God isn’t good. By worrying, our actions say to God and everyone around us that He doesn’t have our best in mind. This has been the malady of everyone who has ever believed in the God of the Bible. Then add in the fact that He just guaranteed persecution, it is natural for us to struggle with the whole idea of trusting Him.
In the final analysis, the Lord reminded the disciples to not worry about what to say to their persecutors because He would give them the message they would need at that time. It is most difficult when we are desiring to be used of the Lord to help others see the truth of the Gospel. Sometimes we speak too quickly and sometimes we must be patient before we speak.
Recently, I was in a Bible Study with a man who said, "All religions lead us to the same God." I wanted to come out of my shoes but I modulated my emotions. I quickly asked the Lord to give me the words to speak to this man who has yet to see the light of the Gospel. At that point the Lord gave me the words. I then said to the man, "What is love?" He stumbled for a few words. I then reminded him that the greatest definition of love was uttered through the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ when He said, "There is no greater love than that you lay down your life for your friends." The Lord Jesus definitely did that when He bridged the gap created by our sin between us and God. He did that on the cross of Calvary. Then I reminded that no religious leader has ever laid down his life for his friends. The Lord Jesus is the only one to ever to lay down His life for His friends. That must make a difference in our understanding regarding who is the author of love. The Lord Jesus is the only one to lay down His life for His friends. He did it because had He not we would be damned forever.
