Hi guys,
The next artwork/theology study write up this week is Matthew 10:16.
"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be ye therefore as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.”
Some questions to generate discussion:
Who are the wolves, who are the sheep?
How does one identify a wolf without turning into a wolf?
Can a wolf think it is a sheep?
Why do you think Christ uses the image of wolves and sheep? (Any references to OT)
What is the cultural context of this verse?
(open to other questions)
To get an understanding of the verse, you have to read the whole of Matthew 10. It seems to me that Jesus is giving instructions to His disciples when He is preparing to send them out to preach the good news on His behalf. But when we examine the instructions closely we see that there will be things happening to the disciples which seem more widespread than just the limited ministry the disciples were going to perform at that time. There seems to be something prophetic in what Jesus is saying to them that will happen when they go out to spread the good news of the gospel in the future. As we see in the book of Acts, and subsequent church history, we see that His prophetic word has come true and still is coming through to this day.
The "wolves" in Jesus time were the unbelieving Jews who had Him crucified. The ones in Acts were the unbelieving Jews who persecuted Stephen, Peter, Paul, Barnabas and Silas, among others. Later, the emperor-worshiping Romans were the "wolves". These days we have "wolves" who seek to destroy Christianity in our schools and societies in favour of the occult and other religions. Paul talked about grievous wolves invading the church with false teaching and deception, turning people away from Christ to selfism, occult practices masquerading as Holy Spirit manifestations, etc.
Those who are people of the Word and of prayer will recognise the wolves when they encounter them, because the witness in their spirit from the Holy Spirit will alert them.
I don't think that a wolf will think it is a sheep. It can and will pass itself off as a sheep to deceive others. A sheep can be brainwashed and deceived, but that doesn't make it a wolf. A wolf is a predator, working alongside the devil who goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
I think I answered the next question in my last comment.
From what I am reading, what Jesus is saying in Matthew 10 is mainly transcultural, in that the principles He is outlining can apply in any culture - First, or 21st Century. Although, verse 5 and 6 is limited to that environment and therefore is culture-limited to those particular disciples in the time of Jesus' earthly ministry. Verse 5 and 6 have now been replaced by, "Go into all the nations and make disciples of everyone".
Verse 9 has to be seen as First Century, and not to be taken literally in the 21st Century. We have paper money, credit and eftpos card these days. Also, going around with no travel bag or extra clothing, and expecting individuals to open their homes, may be appropriate in First Century Jewish culture, but could be quite foreign to our 21st Century culture, but I have heard of outreach teams being billeted in the homes of local believers who are supportive of the ministry.
So, when we do an exegesis of a passage like Matthew 10, we have to know the culture and mind-set of the people in the society of the time and to see, as in Matthew 10, there are things said that are culture-limited to the time, and other things that are transcultural; statements made that are for that present time, and others that a prophetic for the future.
