Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
Jesus did not send his disciples on a path of safety, nor did he equip them to confront those who would be their adversaries on their own terms. They would meet oppression and violence but were not to respond in kind. Yet they weren't supposed to run headlong toward such hostility.
The disciples were called to be shrewd as serpents, evasive when possible. Aquinas points out that a serpent would always give priority to its head, just as the Christian gives priority to Christ who who is the head of his Body the Church. Aquinas also mentioned that serpents shed their skin, which can be on image of "Putting off the old man with its practices" (see Colossians 3:9). These are essential aspects of Christian resistance against evil in that they focus on the essence of our identity while maintaining a willingness to leave behind those aspects which are less important or even harmful.
A risk of trying to imitate the reputed prudence of serpents would be the possibility of letting practical demands outweigh the need for integrity. The needs of a moment might easily seem to outweigh the stated purpose and direction of one's life if that moment is life threatening. To counter this tendency Jesus commended the simplicity of doves. The disciples weren't to evade evil by being something other than they were, or by wearing different masks in different circumstances. The purpose of putting off the old self was not so that they could blend in no matter the circumstances. It was so that they could become more truly what they were meant to be. The dove was known to have patience and a lack of anger that allowed them to act true to themselves where others might lose themselves, and become unrecognizable to themselves, due to anger or fear. This is a quality worth emulating.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
Jesus assumed his disciples would already be well versed in the Gospel he taught them. The point was not that they would be ignorant of the teachings of the Kingdom but rather that they wouldn't need to worry specifically about defending themselves. It was against this defensiveness that Jesus cautioned them. Worrying about self-preservation, or a need to use only perfect arguments, could have the effect of making one unable to say much of anything at all. Rather, they were meant to be open to the guidance of the Spirit who would give them a wisdom in speaking and even words to say. The Spirit knows better than ourselves what others need to hear. Since it isn't always what they want to hear we are sometimes afraid to say it. At other times is seems too insubstantial or insignificant to make a difference. Yet it can be a lever long enough to move hearts of stone. The point is that the words that will produce the best results in life or death circumstances, or even in heated arguments, are not always the ones we carefully reason out in advance. We must allow ourselves to be led, must allow our serpent-like prudence and our dove-like peace to be directed by a higher power toward a greater goal.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
There is something that is good for us about the willingness to endure trials for the sake of the Gospel (see James 1:2-4). Jesus said that as the Father sent him so too did he send his disciples (see John 20:21). Endurance is a part of that, making us more like Jesus, who endured so much for our sakes. Obviously we would not prefer persecution if we could help it. But we can take comfort in knowing that divine assistance is always close at hand.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.
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