There Will Be Wolves
6th MAY 2024
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” [Matthew 10:16 NASB]
Having all once been children, there is an assurance that we received “the talk” from a parent or guardian cautioning us when about to embark on a new phase of our lives. Well, Matthew 10 serves as Jesus’ “talk” to His disciples whilst sending them out, both then and now. Then, these men who were being sent out had followed Jesus closely since being called out of their previously normal and ordinary lives. The disciples had followed closely enough to the point where Jesus could now entrust His work to them to propagate. He trusted they were ready to take on the world because they followed Him closely and had learned so much from Him, such that if the worst happened, they would know what He would do in that situation. They would be able to rely on what they had learned from following closely. That model is no different now!
Discipleship is the safety of the sheep. A disciple is a follower, one who follows closely. A disciple is a student, one who studies intently. A disciple is a sent one, one who takes what they have learned and are still progressively learning, into the world with them even as they operate amongst ravenous wolves. In Jesus describing the world we are being sent into as “wolves”, He was metaphorically saying the work of a labourer will be met with stiff opposition from cruel, greedy and destructive men.
How safe you will be among wolves depends on your knowledge of what your Master would do. This is what discipleship does; it arms you with the survival skills necessary to rise to the occasion. If you would go on to do exploits in a world where it is either eat or be eaten, you must know your God.
Discipleship is a system which promotes the knowledge of your God and the understanding of His ways.
You are a sent one, we all are. We have been sent into the harvest. However, even as we are labouring in the field, there will be wolves. There will be individuals, organisations and systems who will rise against you and the work you are doing. A lifelong commitment to following in the stead of your Master will be what sets you apart.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we desire to be committed followers, so help us and take away anything which makes us otherwise. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Further Reading: John 15:18–19
Bible In One Year: 2 Chronicles [26–29]
