Marching Orders
Sheep Among Wolves
Matthew 10:16-26
There may be no one more qualified to speak on cultural and social conditions and the church's place in society than Wallace Henley.
He is Senior Associate Pastor of Houston's 69,000-member Second Baptist Church where he serves alongside Dr. Ed Young. From 1983-1985 he was President of the million-member Alabama Baptist Convention.
But beyond that, Henley was a White House aide from 1970-1973. He assisted in presidential correspondence and statements, and served as a surrogate speaker for the President throughout the nation, explaining White House policy, and coordinating with public organizations.
He was also Director of Public Relations at the University of Mobile, 1966-1968. He is now an adjunct professor of worldview studies at Belhaven University. He is a member of the Board for the Center for Christianity in Business at Houston Baptist University. He has spoken at several major universities, including Baylor, Samford, the University of Utah, and Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Plus, he is a columnist for The Christian Post. His column is read by more than 400,000 people. He has been cited in or written for Christianity Today, The Wall Street Journal, Leadership Journal, and numerous other publications.
There may be no more authoritative voice in America when it comes to both government and religion than Wallace Henley.
Shortly before the Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage was rendered, he wrote an article called “Dear Churches in America: Prepare to Be Treated Like 1st Century Christians in Rome.” Here is how he frames the issue:
"Churches that hold to a strict and conservative interpretation of the Bible's teaching about gender and marriage may find themselves "Romanized".
In our time this means local churches that do not embrace same-sex marriage would find their legal status shaky or non-existent, as well as parachurch groups, conservative Christian colleges, church-based humanitarian agencies, and all other religious institutions – Christian and otherwise – supporting the traditional view of marriage.
He then goes on to talk about the five steps by which voices are silenced in a culture: Marginalization, caricaturization, vilification, criminalization, elimination. Here is his conclusion:
"We have reached the stage of vilification – conservative Christians are now regarded by the consensus establishments as the villains in "transformed" America. The Supreme Court may well take us to the criminalization stage. The biblical church therefore must learn to live as the first century Christians did in Rome."
Comments like that always throw an eerie quiet on the room. We've read about persecution and heard about it in faraway lands, and to think that it could happen here in America is a chilling thought. And yet, the attitudes and conduct that we see brewing already lead us to conclude that that climate is inevitable.
Just a casual glance at the behavior of the left surrounding the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh offers undeniable proof that Wallace Henley is right when he says that we now live in perilous times.
And please understand, I'm not commenting on his guilt or innocence or the truthfulness of his statements. I'm simply observing the hatred and violence that is being advanced in response to his appointment. Senators are shouted down in hallways and elevators and at restaurants with their families. The somberness of the Senate chamber is violated with shouting and disrespect.
Ariel Dumas, who is a writer for CBS, said, "Whatever happens, I'm just glad we ruined Brett Kavanaugh's life."
And regarding jokes she wrote for Stephen Colbert to use on his program, she said, "The Kavanaugh sexual assault stuff has been very stressful for me and writing jokes about it for the show has been very cathartic and helpful."
I could go on all day with examples of the disrespect and vulgarity that now fill the airways and TV channels and most of it is aimed at Christianity and that which is wholesome and moral.
But suffice it to say, hard times are coming, and we’d better get ready. Just yesterday America welcomed home American pastor Andrew Brunson who had been held for two years in a Turkish prison and house arrest.
He was raised by missionary parents and has served as a missionary and pastor in Turkey for 20 years. He was arrested for alleged terrorist ties, and eventually, brought to trial. In his defense, he told the court.
“I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey.”
He was released and returned to America this weekend.
With that in mind, let's take a look at what we read in Matthew 10. Notice,
verse 16
I’ve never met anyone who chose this as their life verse. It’s certainly not the most inspiring word picture in the Bible. After all, who wants to be a sheep among the wolves? I sure don't!
And note, in particular, how Jesus phrases it. He says, "I’m sending you out.” He did not say, “I'm looking for volunteers, or I hope you'll choose to go out." He doesn't even say, "You are going out on your own.”
He's says, "I'm sending your out." It carries the feel of a divine command. No one is excluded when Jesus says, “I am intentionally sending you out as sheep among wolves.”
To put that in modern vernacular, it means something like this: “If you wake up some morning and find yourselves surrounded by wolves, don’t be surprised. They aren’t there by accident. I intended for you to be there. In fact, you are there in the midst of the wolves by divine design and command."
Now, just speaking as one of the sheep, I have a few questions for the Lord. For instance, “Lord, why? Why would you do that to folks who love you and serve you? Why would you do this? By the way, you do know that wolves eat sheep, don't you? After all, you created them! It’s not safe out there.
So if it’s all the same to you, Lord, I’d rather stay here in the pen where the wolves can’t get to me so easily. And while we're talking, just what are we supposed to do when the wolves come after us?”
Those are fair questions. It’s not a fair fight. And that those who serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would be treated that way, and apparently, intentionally so, makes no sense.
The wolves are undefeated against the sheep. In fact, when they think about the sheep, they lick their chops. Anytime sheep are sent out among the wolves, you can be sure the wolves will be having lamb chops for dinner!
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just so we're clear, let's restate the obvious. Jesus is saying, “You are the sheep, and I am your shepherd. All around you are ravenous wolves. I see them, I know where they are, I know they want to kill you, and I am sending you out among them anyway.”
That is hard to understand on one level. It seems like a death sentence, given to us by our shepherd. And Jesus is not just sending his sheep out with a general warning. He's not saying, “Be careful out there. This is wolf country.”
What He's saying is, “We are here in very dangerous territory, and all around us are the wolves and I am intentionally sending you out into the middle of them." It sounds like a suicide mission!
Nothing could be more frightening to a sheep than to be told, “I am sending you among the wolves.” But that’s precisely what Jesus says here.
He is warning us about the danger of our calling. This is the Good Shepherd who will soon give his life for the sheep sending His followers out among the wolves, and it doesn't happen by accident.
In fact, I'll go a step further. This is also not Jesus saying, “I am sending you into a dangerous place, but don’t worry. Nobody's going to harm you! I will be right there with you to see that nothing bad happens."
He can do that and He might do that, but we have no guarantees He will do that. In fact, there is no promise of deliverance connected to this verse in any way.
This is more like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing before King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3 with the fiery furnace a few feet away as they say, “Our God is able to deliver us, and we think he will, but even if he doesn’t deliver us, we still won’t bow down to the golden image.”
Our God is a powerful and omnipotent God and He can deliver, but He doesn't always do that. But while God's intervention is unpredictable, the actions of wolves isn't! After all, wolves will be wolves! They kill sheep.
And knowing that, Jesus adds a crucial bit of instruction:
verse 16b
What does that mean? There is a lot of discussion about what Jesus means by this statement, so let me take a stab at it.
It seems to me the primary point of comparison is that snakes know how to disguise themselves by camouflage. They know how to hide under a rock or slither into the shadows. In other words, snakes know how to stay out of the way of their enemies.
So applied to us, Jesus means, “I’m sending you out into a very dangerous situation and you've got to be shrewd. Stay on your toes! Be alert! Use your head! Pay attention. Don’t be naïve.”
Or to put it in the vernacular that most of us would understand, "Don’t be stupid! Don’t go up and start taunting the wolves. That's how sheep get killed!"
By the way, speaking of stupid, the annual Darwin Awards were recently announced:
From Malaysia comes the following: Zaim Kosnan spotted a twelve-foot reticulated python dozing on the side of the road.
Thinking the snake was worth a lot of money, and being the snake handler that he was, he stopped to capture it. He loaded it on the motorbike he was riding, holding its head in one hand and steering with the other.
At some point, the snake began constricting itself in self-defense. Zaim swerved off the road where passers-by found him the next morning when they killed the 3.5 meter snake and freed his body. A post-mortem examination confirmed his death by strangulation.
And while we're talking about stupid, consider the man who suffered a fatal heart attack after getting his head stuck beneath an electric footrest at the movie theatre while retrieving his cell phone from the floor.
And it's not just young people that are stupid:
A 71-year-old woman in Germany who was smoking outside a hospital died from third-degree burns after her oxygen ventilator ignited, setting fire to the plastic upholstery of her wheelchair.
And in March of this year, a 50-year-old Romanian man was hospitalized after taking home a projectile he found on the field outside his village, and pounding it with a hammer, causing an explosion.
No wonder Jesus says, "Be wise as serpents!" Humans need that advice because very often, we aren't.
The second part, the part about doves, speaks to our integrity. While we are being shrewd and discerning and careful, at the same time we are to be honest and truthful. If there’s trouble out there, let it be because the wolves decided to attack you, not because you did something foolish.
So all that brings us back to our original question:
“Lord Jesus, we know you are the Good Shepherd. We know you love us. But why would you put us in this position? Why are we sent out as sheep among wolves?”
The rest of the passage gives us three answers to that question.
Answer # 1: To Witness to the Nations
verses 17-20
Notice what Jesus says will happen:
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They will deliver you up. That’s bad.
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They will scourge you. That means to beat.
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You will be brought before government authorities. That doesn’t sound good.
However,
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You will bear witness for me to the nations. That’s good.
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You don’t have to worry about what to say. That’s better yet.
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You will be given what to say in that hour. That’s the best.
Jesus sends us out into these dangerous situations, not with a promise of deliverance, but with a promise of power to speak for Christ.
The whole point is very clear. Jesus is in charge of everything that happens to us—the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the positive, the negative—all of it. He knows all about the wolves, and he sends us out among them anyway. And He has purpose in doing it and that is to bear witness to Him.
Back in 2014, Meriam Ibrahim made headlines when a prosecutor in Sudan tried to get her to renounce her faith. She was a young medical doctor who was arrested, tried, and convicted of apostasy and adultery.
She was accused of converting from Islam to Christianity. The truth was she had been raised as a Christian. She wasn’t an “apostate” because you can’t leave a religion you never joined in the first place. And they accused her of adultery because she had a child with her husband, a Christian from Sudan who emigrated to the United States.
In her accuser's opinion, she had adultery because they didn’t recognize her marriage to a Christian as valid. She was sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy and also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery. She was given a chance on the stand to recant her Christian faith. Time and again the prosecutor badgered her to renounce Jesus. She refused each time.
in fact, she said, “I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian.”
As a result of her faithful witness, she was not only imprisoned at eight months pregnant, but put in shackles and gave birth chained to the floor.
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through it all, she steadfastly refused to renounce the name of Christ. She was eventually released when her case drew global condemnation from human rights campaigners and international politicians.
When Megyn Kelly interviewed her on Fox News, Meriam Ibrahim said her heart breaks for the women of Sudan. She said, "There are many Meriams in Sudan and throughout the world. It’s not just me.”
Then she added, “What I faced, was a test of my faith ... I succeeded because I am convinced of what I do.”
Jesus told His disciples what would happen to those who follow Him: “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
But Christians like us, especially here in the West, just don't like to think about things like that! It challenges our own commitment. We can't even make it back to church on Sunday night, and yet we want to believe that we are committed to Christ. I fear for how the church will respond when faced with that kind of persecution.
We want to believe things like that could never happen here in the good ol' USA, but it's already happening! Besides that, I know of no promise in the Bible that American Christians will somehow be shielded from suffering.
In fact, just the opposite is promised and what we see in Meriam Ibrahim is exactly what the Lord is talking about here in our text. She suffered for the name of Christ. She was given the words to say. And she testified to the nations.
That was always Jesus’ plan. So there’s your first answer to the question, “Why does Jesus send us out as sheep among wolves?” He does it so we might testify of Him to the nations.
There is a second answer in our text, and that is
Answer # 2: That We Might Prove Our Faith is Genuine
verses 21-23
What Jesus shares is a picture of the total breakdown of society. Brother betrays brother. Father betrays child. Children betray parents.
Christians are hated by everyone and they end up fleeing from one city to another. The wolves are still on the prowl
And perhaps the most sobering part of it all is what He says in
verse 23
This is how it will be until Jesus comes again. This is how it was in the first century; this is how it is in the 21st-century. Nothing that matters has changed. The wolves are still on the prowl; the sheep are in danger everywhere. There is trouble on every side.
Many of you remember the 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by ISIS on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Libya back in 2015. They were marched out in orange jumpsuits, each one standing in front of a man dressed in black. One by one their throats were slit, all of it captured on video and shared with the world by the terrorists.
Many of the men died with the name of Jesus on their lips. No one recanted. Some time ago, Tom Doyle, author of Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It’s Not Safe to Believe, visited the Christian villages south of Cairo where most of the men came from. It was not easy to get there and not entirely safe to go there.
He met with the families of the men who had been beheaded. When he was asked what the families had said, he replied they spoke of their deep pride in their men. They repeated the Scripture promises of heaven.
One wife said that her husband "kept the faith, and was martyred in the name of Christ. His faith was very strong. I'm proud of him. He has lifted our heads up and honored us and all the Christians."
Another family member added: "I'm very happy that my brother is in Heaven with Jesus now. I loved my brother when he was alive on the earth, but now I love him more than before. He was martyred in the name of Jesus Christ."
Then they said of the martyred men, “They were like lions. Did you see how brave they were? They walked without fear.”
Yes they were! Like lions who follow the Lamb who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
The Christian life is hard. Sometimes it is very hard indeed. And we ought to pray for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters around the world, especially Christians in the Middle East, that we might have strength to endure whatever comes our way.
Why would Jesus send us out as sheep among wolves? There is a third answer in our text.
Answer # 3: That We Might Be Like Christ
verses 24-25
Notice, to emphasize what He's saying, Jesus uses three different illustrations in rapid fire order. He uses the image of a teacher and his student, a master and his servant, and a head of household and his family.
And His point is, if this is how the most important or influential or powerful entity is treated, why should the lesser expect to be treated any better?
What did they do to the Teacher, Master and Head? They crucified Him. Why should we expect to be treated better than Jesus was treated?
All of us have heard of the Puritans. Out of their rich heritage comes the story of a man named Christopher Love. He lived back in the 1600s. He was a Welsh Protestant preacher who converted to the Presbyterian faith. Accused of treason, he was sentenced to die by beheading in 1651.
While he was awaiting execution, his wife Mary wrote to encourage him to stay strong in his faith. Christopher and Mary had four children. Two had died; two were living. She was pregnant with their fifth child. Here is part of that letter she sent to her husband while imprisoned:
"When the messenger of death comes to you, let him not seem dreadful to you, but look on him as a messenger that brings you tidings of eternal life. When you go up the scaffold, think (as you said to me) that it is but your fiery chariot to carry you up to your Father's house.
And when you lay down your precious head to receive your Father's stroke, remember that you said to me: Though your head was severed from the body, yet in a moment your soul should be united to your Head, the Lord Jesus, in heaven. And though it may seem something bitter, that by the hands of men we are parted a little sooner than otherwise we might have been, yet let us consider that it is the decree and will of our Father, and it will not be long ere we shall enjoy one another in heaven again.
Let us comfort one another with these sayings. Be comforted, my dear heart. It is but a little stroke and you shall be there where the weary shall be at rest and where the wicked shall cease from troubling. Remember that you may eat your dinner with bitter herbs, yet you shall have a sweet supper with Christ that night.
My dear, by what I write unto you, I do not hereby undertake to teach you; for these comforts I have received from the Lord by you.
I will write no more, nor trouble you any further, but commit you into the arms of God with whom 'ere long you and I shall be. Farewell, my dear. I shall never see your face more till we both behold the face of the Lord Jesus at that great day."
On the day of his death, Christopher Love wrote his final letter to his wife. I'll leave you today with an excerpt from the beginning and the ending. He began,
My most gracious Beloved,
I am now going from a prison to a palace: I have finished my work, and am now going to receive my wages. I am going to heaven, where are two of my children, and leaving you on earth, where there are three of my babes. These two above need not my care; but the three below need thine.
It comforts me to think, two of my children are in the bosom of Abraham, and three of them will be in the arms and care of such a tender and godly mother. I know you are a woman of sorrowful spirit, yet be comforted, though your sorrows be great for your husband going out of the world, yet your pains shall be the less in bringing your child into the world; you shall be a joyful mother, though you be a sad widow; God hath many mercies in store for you; the prayer of a dying husband for you will not be lost."
He ended the letter by writing,
"Farewell dear love, and again I say farewell. The Lord Jesus be with your spirit, the Maker of heaven and earth be a husband to you; and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ be a father to your children – so prays your dying, your most affectionate friend till death,
Christopher Love
The day of my glorification
From the Tower of London, August 22, 1651
His first sentence says it all: “I go now from a prison to a palace.” That is the promise that every child of God not only lives with, but dies with. This is what it means to die in the Lord.
Though the sword severs the head from the body, it cannot touch faith like that. That sort of faith will never die because it rests on the eternal promises of God.
Where does all this leave us? We have the words of Jesus. We have the contemporary examples before us. What shall we say about all this?
Some would say only a fool would send sheep out among the wolves. That’s how you get the sheep killed. Sheep have no chance against the wolves.
Only a fool would do that, and yet that is exactly what the Son of God did.
He is telling us we are in danger all day long . . . and he sends us out anyway.
The wolves have us surrounded . . . and he sends us out anyway.
They have killed a lot of sheep . . . and he sends us out anyway.
Jesus is saying, "I'm sedning you out, but never forget, I'm going with you! I am going before you.
I am above you. I am beneath you. You will never be alone. Not even for a second."
He is not promising us we will not be hurt. We may be hurt. He is not promising us we won’t die a gruesome death. We may die in some terrible way. Or we may live to a ripe old age. Who knows?
Here is the main point, the real application, the bottom line of this whole passage. Jesus knows what he is doing! Sheep among wolves! It’s not a mistake or a misprint. That’s the plan!
In the Coast Guard, they have a saying, “You have to go out. You don’t have to come back.” So it is for all of us. So as sheep in the midst of wolves, where is the comfort? Here is God’s answer:
Romans 8:35-39
Brothers and sisters, there are wolves out there. Out we go! And Jesus goes with us. In that confidence we go forth as sheep among wolves, knowing that nothing that happens to us can separate us from the love of God.
Let's pray.
