Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Emmanuel de Leon SVD – SVD Retreat House, Baguio City
Friday 14th Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus warns His disciples: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). This image is striking. Sheep are vulnerable, exposed to danger, and easily preyed upon. Yet Jesus does not promise to remove the wolves—He equips His followers with virtues to face them.
In the Old Testament, wisdom often draws lessons from animals. The serpent is known for its prudence and perception. To be “wise as serpents” means to act with discernment, to know when to advance and when to withdraw, to avoid unnecessary risks, and to remain alert to danger. As Proverbs reminds us: “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (Proverbs 22:3).
Yet shrewdness must be balanced by the dove’s innocence and purity of heart. The dove symbolizes peace, sincerity, and the absence of malice. Jesus warns that cleverness must never turn into craftiness or manipulation. The disciple’s wisdom must be exercised with transparency and love. As St. Paul exhorts: “I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil” (Romans 16:19).
William Barclay insightfully remarked: “Courage is not recklessness. There is no virtue in running risks. God’s grace is not meant to protect the foolish but the prudent.” This echoes Jesus’ teaching: disciples are not to make themselves sacrificial lambs by rashness, but to combine courage with prudence, and zeal with humility.
So the question is not only whether we are courageous, but whether we are both prudent and simple—wise enough to avoid danger, yet pure enough to remain faithful witnesses. To live as sheep among wolves is to trust that Christ Himself is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), guiding and protecting us as we carry His message into a hostile world.
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