Sometimes life can be comparatively plain sailing. At other times there are challenging and difficult days.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus anticipates the latter for his followers when he sends them out into the world "as sheep among wolves". He then instructs them: "so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). This pithy saying of Jesus is about how to live in challenging days.
We might think of the serpent in purely negative terms, especially since the serpent is the character who causes trouble in the story of Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis 3.
However, serpents in the Ancient Near East embodied and represented practical wisdom. Even in the well-known Genesis story the serpent is introduced as "more crafty than any other wild animal" (Genesis 3:1).
Snakes probably traditionally represented wisdom because of the way they would wait patiently for their prey, until just the right moment to strike. They were seen as cautious, keenly aware of their surroundings and taking potential threats into account.
So, the advice to be "wise as serpents" is about displaying practical wisdom or prudence, being astute and perceptive. We might think here of tactical thinking, exercising good judgement or strategic planning. Of making wise decisions based on careful observation and an accurate understanding of what is going on. In the face of opposition, or in difficult days, this speaks of practical discernment, of anticipating danger and seeing how to avoid it or how best to face it head on.
We tend to use the word "crafty" in a negative sense and so perhaps the better term to use here would be the Scottish word "canny". As "canny as a serpent".
The other half of Jesus’ maxim is being "innocent as doves". Here the Greek word translated as "innocent" is literally "unmixed". It speaks of integrity or purity of heart, of single-minded goodness.
If a person’s integrity is totally consistent, if they always act out of pure motives, then this leads to them being "unmixed", exhibiting a consistency between what they say and how they act. Innocence and integrity in the face of opposition means being prepared to suffer rather than compromise, but also acting in ways that are beyond fault. It’s the combination in this pithy proverb that makes it important.
People can be crafty, that is canny, and this can lead to dishonesty and being devious. They can be "innocent" and have pure motives but end up being naive. Neither is a good approach to how we should live.
Instead, Jesus advocates a combination of prudence and integrity, of being canny and innocent. To practice tactical thinking that displays true wisdom and integrity.
While Jesus gave this wise advice to his followers, he also lived it out. Jesus’ parables are perhaps the best examples of wisdom and prudence.
Faced with opposition, he told these wise stories that challenged people to reconsider their lives. His parables bypassed people’s objections and blindness and helped them see themselves and the world anew.
They were truly "canny". Jesus was also totally "unmixed", full of integrity, in all he did and said. He displayed purity of heart, consistency, single-minded goodness — all the time.
He maintained his integrity even when this resulted in a trial on false charges and his execution on a Roman cross. We can see the juxtaposition of prudence and innocence in some of Jesus’ actions.
A week before he died, he entered Jerusalem on a donkey. This was a "canny" way of announcing that he was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, fulfilling prophecy from the Hebrew Bible, but also that he was a very particular sort of Messianic King.
He rode into Jerusalem not on a war-stallion, prepared for conquest, but rather on a simple, humble donkey, as one who brought peace. Wisdom and prudence in announcing through his actions who he was "to those with ears to hear", and integrity and purity of heart as a bringer of peace, who with single-minded goodness would, in the end, die to bring about that peace and reconciliation.
Does this remain good advice today? Absolutely. We all need astute wisdom and tactical thinking to navigate the complexities of our world, alongside integrity and purity in conduct and character. Serpents and doves together have a lot to teach us.
■Prof Paul Trebilco teaches New Testament studies at the University of Otago.
