Those who are familiar with me know that Jesus’ teaching to “be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16) holds a special place in my heart – so much so that it’s been tattooed on my body twice. Its resonance began during my teenage years, and today, its depth and significance have only become clearer.
Delving into the etymology reveals intriguing nuances. While the NASB uses “wary,” the KJV goes with “wise” to translate this word. The Greek word is phronimos, the same word used in the parable of the Shrewd Servant in Luke 16 (one of my favorite parables for pretty much the same reasons). Phronimos’ root word is phrēn, specifically referring to the part of a human that perceives and makes judgments. The only time phrēn is used in the New Testament is in 1 Corinthians 14:20 – “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking, be mature.” The second part of phronimos’ etymology is synetos, meaning to be prudent and mentally put together (cf. Acts 13:7). Thus, phronimos conveys the idea of being intentional and thoughtful with our thinking and actions. The difference between someone smart, perhaps even wise, and someone being aware, controlled, and intentional is the difference between phrēn and phronimos.
In Matthew 10, Jesus provided instructions for his twelve apostles on the trips he was sending them on (cf. Matthew 11:1). Generally speaking, Jesus’ directions were for his apostles to be sagacious and not naive when they faced opposition, just as Jesus was facing opposition. He uses numerous Old Testament references and allusions throughout, as he always did. We’ll focus on verse 16, but it’s important to remember that there’s more going on here.
In Matthew 10:16, he first said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (ESV). Notice the structure: sheep – wolves/serpents – doves. It’s chiastic in structure, and the last half teaches how to be a sheep among wolves. Yet, his answer for how to be sheep (a common metaphor for God’s people in the Bible) is to be a wise serpent.
Straight away, Jesus’ words should strike us as bordering on controversial. There is only one place, just one, where a “shrewd” serpent appears in all of the Jewish scriptures, and it is in Genesis 3 when the serpent talked Eve into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:1 introduces this talking snake as “more crafty than any other beast of the field.” The word “crafty” shares a very similar etymology with the word “naked,” which was used in the immediately preceding verse to describe the state of humans before this story: “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25).
Nakedness is a central theme from Genesis 2:25 through 3:21 when God covers Adam & Eve’s nakedness. The idea of this theme is about how we perceive and interact with the “nakedness” (think vulnerability) of ourselves and others. When Jesus taught to be “shrewd as serpents,” he was unashamedly referring to Genesis 3:1, teaching that we ought to be like that serpent: aware, intentional, engaging phronimos. Jesus was, in essence, teaching his apostles to be like “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). The catch is that we have to be that while being “innocent as doves.”
The word for “innocent” is akeraios, which means to be unmixed and pure. The idea is the same as that of “sincere” or “without wax.” It was a Latin word that meant your clay pots weren’t patched up with wax to make a sale. Jesus using a dove as the metaphor is also a rich one, perhaps specifically alluding to the contrast between the raven and dove in the Flood narrative. Even if not that specific story, the use of dove in contrast to the Genesis 3 serpent is meant to convey a similar idea to what “naked” conveyed in Genesis 2:25. The serpent used its own nakedness against Eve’s nakedness. This sets the stage for Cain and Abel, and the rest of the downfall of humanity in the Biblical narrative. It is, in many ways, what the Bible teaches as the central issue with us humans and how we mess it up.
Instead, Jesus teaches us to be “unmixed,” that we are who we present ourselves as, that we are what we say and do, rather than hiding behind our craftiness to manipulate the world and people around us for our protection and gain. We all do this. We protect ourselves from others, we play with others, we say little things or don’t say things to have an intended effect on someone, we avoid, dodge, ghost, gossip, hint, exaggerate, deceive, and so on. We justify our own beliefs and behaviors while we discredit other people (this is what we took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the ability to make judgments about what is good and evil for ourselves). This isn’t “unmixed” but rather a messy dynamic. It’s why we don’t trust people: we don’t know what we are getting from them because it’s all mixed up.
I struggled with Imposter Syndrome for as long as I could recall. It wasn’t until really last year that I realized it was going. It was quite literally in the middle of a conversation with a friend about it that I realized I didn’t have it anymore. Looking back, I realize why Jesus’ teaching has resonated with me all along. I wanted to be safe from others and I wanted to be understood, known, and accepted. In a world full of humans (wolves and snakes), it is difficult to trust a different meta-narrative and posture than what is typical. Even spouses, children, and parents can and have and will again hurt us. Our inability to apologize for what we know was wrong on our part is probably a global pandemic. Our knack for drawing lines, picking sides, and victimizing ourselves, while villainizing the other is impressive.
Both Innocence (Sincerity and Vulnerability) and Shrewdness (Intentional Mental Awareness) were going to be the key for Jesus’ apostles’ mission trips if they were going to accomplish what Jesus wanted them to accomplish and what Jesus was attempting to accomplish on this and what he wanted his future followers to understand. Be aware, even cautious, but not to protect yourself or to advance yourself over others. Believe something different than what we often choose to trust instead. There are countless excuses why you shouldn’t go with Jesus’ words here, but I also think we all understand why it’s better: because we wish others would treat us this way.
Kant’s Categorical Imperative works as a great logical trap for us to at least give Jesus’ words a chance here. We expect this from others, that they would be controlled and aware while not being snakes and wolves. Therefore, we also ought to act as such…even if, and probably especially when others are not acting that way. In fact, in the context of Matthew 10, that is exactly Jesus’ point. People will reject, refuse, and even abuse and kill. Be aware of them and wise but do not fall prey to becoming predators. That is what’s wrong with the world and more of it only perpetuates the problem. It never actually solves anything.
