Shrewd as Snakes, Innocent as Doves
This morning I was reading through Matthew 10 in my Bible reading. In verse 16, Jesus delivers one of his premier mixed metaphors:
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
I found the “sheep among wolves” bit fairly easy to wrap my mind around. We are like sheep following our shepherd, Jesus. There are people out there who will oppose the gospel message we’ve been sent by Jesus to preach. These are the wolves.
But what about the snakes and doves? I had to pause and think about that.
First of all, the shrewd snake (Greek: φρόνιμος). According to my Greek dictionary (BDAG),[1] this word is associated with a kind of understanding that involves insight and wisdom. Think sensible, thoughtful, prudent, wise.
It’s the opposite of:
μωρός – foolish (e.g., Matthew 7:24, the wise vs. foolish builders; Matthew 25:2, wise vs. foolish virgins)
ἄφρων – without sense, reckless (2 Corinthians 11:19)
BDAG also references Genesis 3:1, where the serpent is called “more crafty (Hebrew: ʿārûm) than any of the wild animals”. Interestingly, the same word ʿārûm also means prudent or sensible (Proverbs 12:16, 22:3). So the serpent in Eden isn’t just deceptive. He’s also clever, calculating, and aware of power dynamics.
It would make sense that when Jesus refers to snakes as shrewd, he (at least partly) has in mind this particular snake.
The doves bit is easier to understand. Doves are innocent. We’re called to be innocent, pure and well-behaved.
Combining the two metaphors, Jesus calls his followers to wisdom (not naivety) and purity (not cunning or manipulation). He’s saying, in ministry and evangelism:
Be strategic but never sinful;
Be smart without being suspicious;
Be careful without being cowardly.
These principles are pretty helpful in leadership and conflict more broadly, and gives a fair bit of insight into how Jesus behaved. Never deceived, never deceitful.
Notes
[1] Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. s.v. “φρόνιμος.”
Disclaimer: I use Grammarly and ChatGPT to catch my typos. Let me know if they missed any.
