{"id":44241,"date":"2019-01-02T07:08:36","date_gmt":"2019-01-02T04:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44241"},"modified":"2025-05-06T01:01:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T22:01:03","slug":"why-should-we-be-as-wise-as-serpents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/01\/02\/why-should-we-be-as-wise-as-serpents\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Should We Be as Wise as Serpents?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)<\/strong> \u2013 <\/span>\u201cBehold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This verse from the Gospel of Matthew has puzzled many believers. Why did Jesus, the Son of God, instruct His disciples to emulate the wisdom of serpents? Why not choose a nobler animal like a lion, eagle, or ox? After all, throughout Scripture, the serpent is commonly associated with Satan and deception\u00a0 particularly in the Garden of Eden. So what did Jesus mean by this unusual comparison?<\/p>\n

1. The Context of the Instruction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus spoke these words while commissioning His twelve apostles. Matthew 10:1-15<\/strong> lays the foundation: He was sending them to preach the message of the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. But He also warned them: persecution, rejection, and opposition would come.<\/p>\n

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Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)<\/strong> is part of that warning:
\u201cBehold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This imagery is deliberate. Sheep are innocent and vulnerable; wolves are dangerous and aggressive. Jesus knew His disciples would face spiritual and physical threats. Yet instead of instructing them to be like lions or warriors, He advised them to be wise like serpents<\/em> and gentle like doves<\/em>.<\/p>\n

2. Understanding the Wisdom of the Serpent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The serpent, in biblical terms, is first introduced in<\/p>\n

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Genesis 3:1 (NKJV)<\/strong>:
\u201cNow the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Hebrew word translated \u201ccunning\u201d is \u2018\u02bf\u0101r\u00fbm\u2019<\/strong>, which can mean prudent, crafty, or shrewd. In Eden, Satan used the serpent not through brute force, but through subtle persuasion and deceptive wisdom. While his goal was evil, the method was undeniably strategic.<\/p>\n

Think about it: Adam and Eve, who had direct fellowship with God, were convinced to disobey a clear command and that wasn\u2019t accomplished with threats or physical force, but through careful, targeted conversation. That level of persuasion required a kind of wisdom Jesus wants His followers to adopt\u00a0 not for evil, but for the strategic presentation of truth.<\/p>\n

Just as the serpent identified Eve as the more vulnerable target and used questions instead of accusations (\u201cHas God indeed said…?\u201d Genesis 3:1<\/strong>), so must evangelists today learn to discern their audience, be patient, and choose their words wisely.<\/p>\n

3. The Serpent’s Approach: Discernment, Patience, and Strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even after the Fall, serpents embody certain traits that illustrate wisdom in action:<\/p>\n