Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10:16

When Jesus sent His followers out into the world to spread the good news of the Gospel, He told them that He was sending them out “like sheep among the wolves” (Matthew 10-16). He wants His followers to be shrewd about how to act in a world full of pitfalls and devious people. He wants us to be as clever as the devious serpent who tricked Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. In the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-18), Jesus challenges His followers to be just as shrewd in the Lord’s service as the manager was in the pursuit of selfish goals.

The Lord is asking us not to be naïve; not to underestimate the evil we are dealing with in the world. He is asking us to be “in the world, but not of the world” (John 15:19). We need to be aware of the reality of temptation we are facing in society; not to be taken in by all the empty gloss and glitter of the world but to keep our distance from it. This is the kind of shrewd wisdom the Lord wants us to have.

The second part of the Lord’s statement is that we “be as innocent as doves.” Innocence is not the same as ignorance, which is lack of knowledge; nor is it the same as naiveté, which is inexperience or unawareness. An innocent person can be very wise about the pitfalls of life and the blessings of grace which can help us to withstand those pitfalls. The story of the Prodigal son (Luke 15) who squandered his inheritance on loose living without knowing how to deal with the evils that lurk in the world, can also be viewed as a story about naiveté. How often we hear and read similar stories about some poor soul who goes off to the big city, unaware of what’s out there, and falls prey to it’s evil realities!

It is not easy to be shrewd about what you are up against today, and to remain innocent through it all. The tendency is to hit back at someone who is doing you harm; to adopt the same mean tactics against your opponent as were used against you. But the Lord is telling us in today’s scripture not to stoop to the level of our persecutors, not to respond in kind to those who are doing evil. The smart way is to meet evil with good; vengeance with forgiveness; and hatred with love.

In today’s scripture, Jesus asks us to be shrewd about the reality we are facing; to be aware of the dangers involved; to understand, if possible, the motives of your enemies; and to remain innocent through it all.

Fr. Hugh Duffy