Context No. 2679 of 4322 · Matthew
Context · Reflection
Matthew 10:16-20: in context
16“Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you. 18Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. 19But when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Jesus is sending the Twelve out on their first mission, and he does not sweeten the assignment. "I send you out as sheep among wolves." Be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Expect councils, floggings, trials before governors and kings.
Yet in the middle of the warning comes a strange calm. When they hand you over, do not fret about what to say. In that hour the words will be given, because it will not be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you. The promise is not that they will be spared the wolves. It is that they will not stand before them alone or empty. The defense they need arrives when it is needed, not stockpiled in advance.
When I fear speaking for Christ, am I trusting my own preparation more than the Spirit promised for the very hour I dread?
Sources
- Exodus 4:12: "Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."
- Luke 12:12: "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say."
- Acts 4:13: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled."