by C.H. Spurgeon
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16
These disciples had been with Him and had been taught by Him that they might teach in His name. They had for some little time been His disciples or learners and now He calls them apart from the rest, and says, “I send you forth to teach and to make disciples.” The mode of operation in the kingdom of God is, first make disciples, baptize them, teach them whatsoever the Lord has commanded and then let them go forth and do the same with others. When one light is kindled, other candles are lit from it. Do not try to teach till the Lord Jesus has first taught you. Do not pretend to instruct till you have been instructed. Sit at Christ’s feet before you speak in Christ’s name, but when once you are instructed, do not fail to become teachers. First be taught, but afterwards fail not to teach.
Hoard not up the treasure of divine knowledge, for there is no shortage therein—eat not alone the honey of redeeming love, for there is enough and to spare. Feed not upon the bread of heaven with selfish greed, as though there were a famine in the land and you had need to save each crumb for yourself, but break your bread among the hungry crowd about you and it shall multiply in your hands. Christ has called you that you may afterwards go forth and call others to His sacred feast of grace
“I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.” That is to say, the task is one of great danger and difficulty. Our divine enterprise is no child’s play. You are to go forth as sheep among wolves, that is to say, you have to go among those who will not in any way sympathize with your efforts. Sometimes we go among amiable, quiet, almost-persuaded people, and it is somewhat pleasant work, though even there it is very discouraging, for those who are not far from the kingdom are often the hardest to be won.
The bleating sheep finds no harmony in the bark or howl of the wolf. The two are very different animals and by no means agree. You do not suppose that you are going to be received with open arms by everybody, do you? And if you become a preacher of the gospel you do not imagine that you are going to please people, do you? The time may come when perhaps the wolves will find it most for their own comfort not to howl quite so loudly, but my own experience goes to show that they howl pretty loudly when you first come among them, and they keep up the hideous concert year after year until at last they somewhat weary of their useless noise.
The world does rave as a wolf if any man is in double earnest for the kingdom of Christ. Well, you must bear with it. What sort of sympathy can a lamb expect from wolves? If he expected any, would he be not disappointed? Be not disappointed, for you know your surroundings and you know your mission. When our Saviour used similar words to the seventy, He did not call them sheep, but lambs (see Luke 10:3), for they were not so far advanced as the twelve, yet did He send them into the same trying circumstances and they returned in peace. Even the weak ones among us should therefore be of good courage and be ready to face opposition and ridicule.
Hoard not up the treasure of divine knowledge, for there is no shortage therein—eat not alone the honey of redeeming love, for there is enough and to spare. Feed not upon the bread of heaven with selfish greed, as though there were a famine in the land and you had need to save each crumb for yourself, but break your bread among the hungry crowd about you and it shall multiply in your hands. Christ has called you that you may afterwards go forth and call others to His sacred feast of grace
“I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.” That is to say, the task is one of great danger and difficulty. Our divine enterprise is no child’s play. You are to go forth as sheep among wolves, that is to say, you have to go among those who will not in any way sympathize with your efforts. Sometimes we go among amiable, quiet, almost-persuaded people, and it is somewhat pleasant work, though even there it is very discouraging, for those who are not far from the kingdom are often the hardest to be won.
The bleating sheep finds no harmony in the bark or howl of the wolf. The two are very different animals and by no means agree. You do not suppose that you are going to be received with open arms by everybody, do you? And if you become a preacher of the gospel you do not imagine that you are going to please people, do you? The time may come when perhaps the wolves will find it most for their own comfort not to howl quite so loudly, but my own experience goes to show that they howl pretty loudly when you first come among them, and they keep up the hideous concert year after year until at last they somewhat weary of their useless noise.
The world does rave as a wolf if any man is in double earnest for the kingdom of Christ. Well, you must bear with it. What sort of sympathy can a lamb expect from wolves? If he expected any, would he be not disappointed? Be not disappointed, for you know your surroundings and you know your mission. When our Saviour used similar words to the seventy, He did not call them sheep, but lambs (see Luke 10:3), for they were not so far advanced as the twelve, yet did He send them into the same trying circumstances and they returned in peace. Even the weak ones among us should therefore be of good courage and be ready to face opposition and ridicule.
Pt.3, Continued next week ...
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