Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 10:16-18

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in theirs synagogues they will scourge you; yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." — Matthew 10:16-18 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Having removed all care and anxiety from the Apostles and armed them with miraculous powers, He proceeds to foretell the evils that would befall them. He did this, first, so that they might know His knowledge of the future; second, so they would not think these things happened to them because of a lack of power in their Master; third, so they might not be amazed if these things came upon them unexpectedly; fourth, so that after hearing these things, they might not be dismayed at the time of His cross; and lastly, so that they might learn a new method of warfare.¹

He sends them unprovided, bidding them look to those who would receive them for support. But He does not stop there; He shows His power still further: Lo, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Observe that He does not say merely "to wolves," but in the midst of wolves, to show His excellent might in this: that the sheep would overcome the wolves even while in their midst. Though they received many bites from them, they were not destroyed but instead converted them. And it is a much greater and more wonderful power that can change their hearts than that which can kill them. Among wolves, He teaches them to show the meekness of sheep.

St. Gregory the Great: For one who undertakes the office of a preacher ought not to do evil but to suffer it, and by his meekness to soften the wrath of the angry, and by his wounds to heal the wounds of sinners in their affliction. And even if the zeal for right-doing should ever require that the preacher be severe to those placed under him, his very severity will be of love and not of cruelty, outwardly maintaining the rights of discipline while inwardly loving those whom he corrects.

Too many, when entrusted with the reins of government, burn to make their subjects feel their power. They display the terrors of authority and, forgetting that they are fathers, desire instead to be thought of as lords, changing a station of lowliness into one of lofty dominion. If they ever seem to fawn on anyone outwardly, they inwardly hate them. It was of such people that He spoke above: They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15). To prevent this, we ought to consider that we are sent as sheep among wolves. We must preserve their innocence, not having the tooth of malice.²

St. Jerome: He calls the Scribes and Pharisees, who are the clergy of the Jews, "wolves."

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The wolves are indeed all who would pursue the Apostles with mad fury.

St. John Chrysostom: Their consolation in their hardships was the excellent power of Him who sent them, which is why He puts that first: Lo, I send you. Do not be dismayed, though you are sent into the midst of wolves, for I am able to bring it about that you suffer no hurt. You will not only prevail over the wolves but will also be made more terrible than lions. But it is good that it should be this way; by this, your virtue is made brighter, and My power is more manifested. Also, something should proceed from them, so that they would not think themselves to be crowned without reason. He adds, Be you therefore wise as serpents, simple as doves.

St. Jerome: Be "wise" to escape snares; be "simple" to do no evil to others. The craft of the serpent is set before them as an example, for it protects its head with the rest of its body to guard the part in which its life is. So we ought to expose our whole body to guard our head, which is Christ; that is, we must strive to keep the faith whole and uncorrupted.

Rabanus Maurus: Moreover, the serpent seeks out narrow crevices through which it crawls to shed its old skin; so the preacher, by passing through the narrow way, lays aside the old man.

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord beautifully bids the preacher have the wisdom of the serpent, because the first man was beguiled by a serpent. It is as though He had said, "The foe is subtle in deceiving; you, therefore, must be wise in rescuing. He commended the tree of knowledge; you must also commend the tree of the Cross."

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The serpent first tempted the softer sex, allured her with hope, and promised a share of immortality. In the same way, you should seize every opportunity, look carefully into each person's nature and inclination, use wisdom in your speech, and reveal the hope of good things to come. In this way, what the serpent promised falsely, we may preach truly according to God's promise: that those who believe shall be like the Angels.

St. John Chrysostom: But just as we ought to have the wisdom of the serpent, so that we are not hurt in any vital part, we should also have the simplicity of the dove, not retaliating when we are hurt or avenging ourselves on those who have designed anything against us.

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord unites these two things because simplicity without wisdom could be easily deceived, and wisdom is dangerous unless it is tempered with a simplicity that does no one harm.

St. Jerome: The harmlessness of doves is shown by the Holy Spirit's assumption of that form, as the Apostle says, In malice be you children.

St. John Chrysostom: What is harder than these commands? It is not enough that we suffer evil, but we must not be angry about it—as is the dove's nature—for anger is extinguished not by anger, but by meekness.

Rabanus Maurus: He shows that by "wolves" He meant men when He adds, Take heed of men.

Glossa Ordinaria: You will indeed need to be wise as serpents, for, as they are accustomed to do, they will deliver you to councils, forbidding you to preach in My name. Then, if you are not corrected, they will scourge you, and at length you shall be brought before kings and governors.³

St. Hilary of Poitiers: They will try to force you either to be silent or to compromise.

St. John Chrysostom: How wonderful it is that men who had never been beyond the lake where they fished did not immediately depart from Him on hearing these things! This was due not only to their own goodness but also to the wisdom of their Teacher. For to each evil He attaches some alleviation. For instance, He adds, for my sake, because it is no small consolation to suffer for Christ's sake, since they did not suffer as evildoers or wrongdoers. Again, He adds, for a testimony against them.

St. Gregory the Great: This serves as a testimony against them, whether they persecuted the saints to the death or whether they witnessed their faith and remained unchanged. For the death of the saints is an aid to the good and a testimony to the bad. Thus, the wicked may perish without excuse from the very thing from which the elect take example and live.⁴

St. John Chrysostom: This was a matter of consolation to them, not because they sought the punishment of others, but because they were confident that in all things they had One with them who was present and all-knowing.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: And by their testimony, not only was every excuse of ignorance about His divinity taken away from their persecutors, but the way was also opened for the Gentiles to believe in Christ. He was thus devotedly preached by the voices of the confessors amid the flames of persecution, and this is what He adds: and the Gentiles.

1. Hom. 33
2. Hom. in Ev., xvii. 4
3. ap. Anselm
4. Hom. in Ev., xxxv, 2