13 - Wise As Serpents & Harmless As Doves.
I picture the current political cultural climate in the U.S. like a mix between a cold plunge and a steamy sauna.
Two ‘polarizingly’ opposite experiences. So when I say mix, I am indicating that there is a spectrum to the temperature. There are the extreme ends of the spectrum, but there is a whole heck of a lot of variation and nuance in between.
I think it’s easy to make a lot of assumptions about where people stand these days. If you don’t know, for a period of time I worked in construction, and they had a fun saying about the word “assume”. IYNYK!
The verse in Matthew 10:16 came to mind to me today as I was trying to figure out how to articulate my thoughts.
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
I think it’s easy to look at this scripture and focus on one part of it over the other. I would, in fact, contend that we have been conditioned by society to lean into the innocent as doves part of this scripture and ignore or minimize the shrewd as snakes portion. Shrewd, by the way, as it’s used in this scripture, means “prudent, wise, mindful of one’s interests”.
I think we’ve seen so many Christians, especially since 2020, kowtowed into fear of being seen as intolerant, unloving, and unChristlike so they keep silent and hide back in the shadows of the very spaces where they are called to have influence and impact and be salt and light.
There are nuances here. I am not saying we are then called to shout into the air for the sake of being right with no regard for the tone in which we speak or wisdom to know how to deliver our message in a way that opens hearts rather than closes them. Humility and purity of heart go along way!
Christ modeled this perfectly. He spoke truth. He was not afraid of it. He also used His words wisely and He knew the audience He was speaking to.
The first side to the scripture, “shrewd as snakes” gets a bad rap IMHO!
Using wisdom and prudence is exactly what we are called to do. When Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 10:16, He was sending out His disciples to go into all the earth and preach the gospel. He knew the opposition they would encounter.
We face opposition today as Christians. There are people we interact with daily as well as those we see all over media who spew lies, celebrate evil, and actively push harmful agendas, some unknowingly, and some intentionally,
We don’t have to choose between being innocent, harmless, or gentle - and being shrewd, wise, and prudent. In fact, I think it is irresponsible to not hold both in our hands simultaneously.
We “musn’t”, and yes I use this word intentionally, get lost in fear of man in our quest to be harmless, and by the same token, having hardened hearts while speaking truth, that we are harmful in how we’re doing it.
The inspiration for this entire post comes from the recent interview with Van Jones and Anderson Cooper and the Jimmy Kimmel cancellation and then uncancellation.
When you listen to what each of them said in their entirety, it’s easy to think that these men are truly sorry for the friction their words caused. But it is not just what they said when they went out to clarify what they meant, but it is in what is not addressed that I believe you see the heart of where they truly stand.
There wasn’t an apology, or walk back, or turning back from the statements they made about Charlie Kirk and the man who murdered him, but there was enough in there to give the appearance of it. In fact, they both doubled down in many ways, especially Kimmel, on the vitriol and defamation of an entire group of people.
Scripture says, out of the heart the mouth speaks and true repentance means turning around to go a different direction. I frankly didn’t see that when I heard what they said.
It’s their right not to walk any of it back, but I think that’s where we need to make sure we are not reading more into what they said that’s not really there. Being sorry that a man has died and shouldn’t have died for having conversation is not the same as ‘I was wrong in what I’ve said about him and I apologize for that.”
Now you might argue that they aren’t Christians and therefore won’t view repentance the same way. I don’t know if they are or are not.
But apologizing isn’t about being Christian or not, it’s about being human. There are plenty of people who aren’t Christians who had a measured, thoughtful, and decent responses to Charlie Kirk and the values he stood for in reaction to his death.
I don’t know Van Jones or Jimmy Kimmel personally, and despite how I might vehemently disagree with probably the majority of their view points, I think we likely hold much commonality in the fact that we love our families, want the best for the world around us, and are staunch advocates for the values by which we live our lives. I am sure they have lives marked by many instances of good and kindness.
We should be intentional, innocent, wise, and spirit led when listening to public figures as well as those we interact with in everyday life.