This was our pastor Ken's message a few weeks ago. The lead in was about his recent Elk hunt and finding that there weren't any Elk because a pack of wolves had moved into the area. The point is that no matter who won the election, we still live in wolf country; in both parties and our response should still be the same. "Jesus didn’t command or prophecy this in a vacuum. He lived it all Himself. When He was cruelly treated, He never spoke a single harsh word in return, but took the viciousness of others with the meekness of a lamb, even though He had the power and authority to annihilate His attackers. In 1 Peter 2:21-23, we read, 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in h"is steps.
22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23.”
Jesus told His disciples the day that he commissioned them to go out by twos and preach the Gospel, that they were being sent out as sheep among wolves and that they were to behave in a particular way when the ravenous beasts fell upon them. His message is not only to them, but to us as well.
Let’s look at it a bit more closely.
To get an idea of what this word picture really means, I want to use some things I learned about sheep and wolves from a book by Phillip Keller, titled, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Jesus refers to us as sheep on several occasions, and Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd.
Sheep need to be protected from predators, poisonous weeds, weather, parasites, and all kinds of diseases.
The most severe enemy of sheep is the predator – the carnivorous wild animals such as wolves, coyotes, and cougars. Mr. Keller wrote. “Ewes, heavy in lamb, when chased by predators will slip their unborn lambs and lose them in abortions. A shepherd’s loss from such forays can be appalling” (p. 37).
Keller continues…"Predators circle the sheep at night working terrible havoc in the flock. Some ewes are killed outright, their blood drained and livers eaten. Others torn open and badly clawed.... Some had huge patches of wool torn from their fleeces. In their frightened stampede some had stumbled and broken bones or rushed over rough ground injuring legs and body. So cunning and so skillful were the raids of the wolf they defy description" (pp. 108-9).
Why would a loving Savior willingly and intentionally expose those He loves to such great danger?
Many people have a difficult time with this, but when you understand that Jesus is wiser than we are, a true Disciple accepts it.
Jesus warned His disciples and all of us who would be His, that they and we are to be as innocent and unthreatening as sheep, yet He will allow us to be set upon at times by those who would seek to torment and destroy us in cruel and vicious ways.
What matters is how we respond. Remember that we are not our own, but that we have been bought for a price, so we are to glorify God in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). Romans 12:1 takes on a clearer and more impactful meaning To “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship,”
Sheep are meek and humble and harmless. Wolves are ravenous and fierce, totally without regard for those they seek to destroy.
When speaking of wolves, Jesus is actually talking about people who are wicked by nature,
We are to be tender and unthreatening like sheep and like doves, yet we are to have the shrewdness of serpents. Quite a contrast, don’t you think?
Doves have long been a symbol of purity, innocence and peace – nothing threatening about them. Serpents, on the other hand, have the most uncanny ability to avoid conflict and escape threatening situations whenever possible. Just as a snake will usually not attack but seek to escape, we are to do likewise. Snakes do nothing to attract attention to themselves or to be offensive to anyone and are skilled at eluding conflict.
Can you picture anyone like that in your own mind? Sad to say, we probably don’t think of many people close to us right away, do we?
Jesus is demanding that we be careful and cautious in our dealings with others. Jesus asks that we do nothing that would appear threatening or offensive. If attacked, we are to be as harmless as doves, not attacking back. And, we are to do so, knowing ahead of time that people will seek to do us harm in any number of ways. They will be unfair, they will be mean, they will be greedy - and selfish - and self-centered - and self-seeking - and liars - and thieves - and murderers. They may seek to be cruel and to destroy us. Our response is to be that of sheep, that of doves: meek, humble, innocent, inoffensive, unthreatening, gentle and kind.
Jesus didn’t command or prophecy this in a vacuum. He lived it all Himself. When He was cruelly treated, He never spoke a single harsh word in return, but took the viciousness of others with the meekness of a lamb, even though He had the power and authority to annihilate His attackers. In 1 Peter 2:21-23, we read, 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23.”
How many of us would do likewise?
Jesus goes on to tell His disciples that a time would come when there would be situations that could potentially involve people who would bring them danger and punishment just because they were ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles (10:17-18).” These things didn’t happen on this first training mission, nor on the time that came later when Jesus sent out the seventy by twos to fulfill the same kind of mission as we are studying today.
These things He is speaking of here are the things we read about happening in the book of Acts to the apostles after Jesus rose and ascended back into heaven… In the book of Acts and in history we see countless examples of these cruelties and more.
Jesus does something here that is quite common with all of God’s prophets throughout the Old and New Testaments, The prophets many times spoke of truth revealed to them that gave no definite time frame – they just promised that something was going to happen at some point in the future. And, like all true prophecies, this one, too, came to pass – many times over and still does today.
The men to whom Jesus was speaking that day, and others who would follow, would actually speak before the rulers of the world in defense of the faith. These disciples spoke before the religious leaders of Israel. They spoke to the local authorities, to the rulers of the surrounding nations, even to the ultimate earthly ruler of the day, Caesar himself. You can imagine that many who followed after them all down through the ages would become witnesses of the grace of God through Jesus.
Most often, these witnesses would not stand in judgment for murder or theft or sedition or vandalism or any other crime. They were innocent of any wrong, yet they would be brought up on phony charges by men who hated what the Gospel did to unsettle their world. Jesus allowed this just so that He could get His personal message to be spoken by His personal messengers into the ears of the most powerful men in the world. Jesus also wanted common people to hear and respond to the message.
The whole point is for the message of the Gospel to get out and for the reality of the risen, living Savior to be manifested to the world. That’s what Jesus came to do Himself – to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God and to preach the good news that God Himself came to be one of us, to pay the price for the sins that doomed us to eternal damnation and torture, that He defeated death and sin, and that by faith in Him and Him alone we could receive eternal life and be with Him in His very own home for eternity.
He sacrificed Himself for the message, and He is willing to sacrifice us for the message as well – it’s that important.
The question is: Is the message that important to us?
Clear back in the Beatitudes during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).”
Published with the permission of Ken Comfort
