What was Jesus Saying when he Instructed us to be “Shrewd as Snakes”?

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16-17

The world is quick to accuse the Bible of being contradictory.

While I am confident the Bible is the inspired word of God and perfect in every way, some passages seem to need a little extra explanation.

These verses from Matthew initially left me scratching my head. How do shrewd snakes and innocent doves go together? The image of a white dove brings to mind words like purity, peace, innocence, and hope. But a snake? The snake was the creature who tricked Eve in the Garden. My mental word picture for snakes includes evil, crafty, deceiver, and undesirable. Why would Jesus want us to be any of these things?

The truth is he doesn’t.

Yet, he very plainly said to be “shrewd as snakes.” So what was Jesus saying?

“Shrewd” to me has always had a negative connotation. However, when I looked for related words I found “astute, canny, clear-sighted, and savvy.” This was not at all what I expected. Why would words like this be associated with a snake, the image of the enemy of God? 

If we look back to Genesis 3 and examine the exchange between Eve and the serpent we see he was indeed astute, clear-sighted, and savvy.

 He knew what God had instructed Adam and Eve about the trees in the Garden. He knew the relationship between Adam, Eve, and God was based on trust. The serpent did not outright instruct Eve to defy God. Instead, he opened the door for her to question her trust in Him. 

Anything the enemy can do, God can do better.

If the enemy can be astute, clear-sighted, and savvy, why can’t God use those same attributes to draw people to Him? This is exactly what Jesus was instructing his apostles to do. These verses from Matthew 10 tell us of a time when Jesus sent out his apostles to be and share his good news in various communities in Israel. He wanted his apostles to be aware as they went out, even among their fellow Jews, they would experience persecution. They would need to be alert, aware, and creative in the way they shared Christ with others.

At the same time, Jesus also instructed the apostles to be innocent as doves.

Yes, the apostles were to be savvy and shrewd, but they were not to compromise their innocence in the process. The ultimate goal of the apostles was to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37). Jesus was challenging them to not limit themselves in how they went about both of these responsibilities.

These instructions apply to us as well.

 We are to be shrewd in our efforts to share the Gospel today. I think the Church applies this concept well when reaching those in the “10-40 window”—the area of the world that is closed to the message of Christ. We are creative because we have to be. 

In parts of the world where food, clean water, and shelter are not a guarantee, providing access to these resources has become a great way of developing an opening for sharing the Gospel. This too is an example of how the Church has leveraged the call to shrewdness. 

Ironically, the greater challenge is, how we develop a shrewd and savvy methodology in our communities.

Direct evangelism has been practiced by the modern Church for a long time. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, I feel it often lacks that creative and astute element. How can we, as the modern Church, begin to operate in this call to shrewdness?

To make it even more personal, how can I become more astute, clear-sighted, and savvy in how I reach those in my community? How can I incorporate popular elements from today’s culture in the way I share the Gospel, without compromising its message of it? What have I not considered that might be outside of my current habits that I could start, join, or facilitate that would open the opportunity for me to be and share the Gospel with others? How about you? What could you do?