Serpents and Doves

I had to give a presentation about my company yesterday in class. Wow, talk about a difficult task! I prepared by writing everything out first, but the most difficult part was fielding the many questions while I did the presentation. It's one thing to prepare something beforehand, but it's another thing altogether to answer on-the-spot in the language you are trying to learn! It's always a chore to determine what to say--should I be bold or cautious? Risky or safe?

As I prepared the presentation it brought me to a unique question: In a postmodern country which is increasingly uninterested in spiritual matters, should we become bolder in our witness or smarter in our witness?

Surprisingly, I think Jesus asks us to do both! Check out Matthew 10:16 where Jesus tells his followers to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. I also like how John Calvin explains it:

“You have need of wisdom and of harmlessness, because you will be like sheep in the midst of wolves.” The reason is drawn from the necessity of the case: for if they did not wisely exercise caution, they might be immediately devoured by the wolves; and, on the other hand, if they trembled at the rage of the wolves, or were incautious, they would presently waver, and would at length fail to perform their duty."

John Calvin, Calvin's Commentaries, electronic ed., electronic ed. (Garland, TX: Galaxie Software, 2000), Lk 10:1.