Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. 17 But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. 20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Jesus sends his disciples into a world where the proclamation of the Kingdom will meet resistance. They are sent “like sheep in the midst of wolves,” an image of vulnerability before powerful enemies. Yet Jesus does not send them unprepared. He tells them to be “shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” (v. 16). Christian discipleship requires both prudence and integrity. The disciple should recognize danger and act wisely, but never seek safety or advantage by compromising the truth or abandoning the mission.
Jesus prepares the disciples for opposition from different directions. They will face religious authorities, civil rulers, and even members of their own families. Yet being brought before governors and kings will become an opportunity to bear witness to Christ (vv. 17–18). The very persecution intended to silence the Gospel can become an occasion for its proclamation.
Jesus tells the disciples not to be anxious about what they are to say when they are handed over. At that moment, “the Spirit of your Father” will speak through them (vv. 19–20). This promise concerns those moments when disciples are placed under pressure because of their fidelity to Christ. They are not abandoned. The Father remains with those whom the Son has sent, and the Holy Spirit gives them what they need to bear faithful witness.
The disciples are also warned that the Gospel may bring painful division within families. Jesus’ words recall Micah’s description of a time when relationships within households are broken and “your enemies are members of your household” (Micah 7:6). For the early Christians, following Christ could mean rejection or betrayal by those closest to them. The suffering would be especially painful because it came not from strangers but from family and friends, as Christ himself experienced in the betrayal of Judas.
Jesus then says, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved” (v. 22). Endurance here means more than surviving a difficult moment. It is persistent fidelity to Christ through suffering, opposition, rejection, and the temptation to abandon the faith. The disciple is called to remain faithful over time, continuing to trust Christ and bear witness to him even when doing so brings personal loss or suffering. Christ himself is the supreme example. The Father sent his only Son for our salvation, and Jesus remained faithful to his mission even through rejection, suffering, and death. Having received the gift of salvation in Christ, the disciple is called in turn to follow Christ faithfully, bear witness to him, and accept the cost that fidelity may require. The Christian life therefore requires perseverance—not only when faith is welcomed and supported, but also when faithfulness is costly. Jesus links this perseverance with salvation, showing that discipleship is a lifelong commitment that must endure to the end.
Jesus also tells the disciples, “When they persecute you in one town, flee to another” (v. 23). Endurance does not require seeking persecution or remaining in danger when the mission can continue elsewhere. The disciples are to act prudently and keep moving forward with the work entrusted to them.
The final words of the passage—“you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes”—are difficult to interpret (v. 23). The phrase may refer to Christ’s Resurrection and the establishment of his Kingdom, his coming in judgment upon Jerusalem, or the continuing mission to Israel until his final return. Whatever the precise interpretation, Jesus’ words convey urgency. The mission must continue, and the disciples must remain faithful while they await the fulfillment of God’s plan.
Christ’s words remain true for his disciples in every age. Many Christians still suffer severe persecution, while others encounter rejection, ridicule, pressure, or division because of their faith. The disciple is called neither to fear nor recklessness, but to prudent, sincere, and persevering witness. The same Christ who sends his disciples also promises that they will not face their trials alone.
Lord Jesus, give us the wisdom to act prudently, the simplicity to faithfully follow You, and the courage to bear witness to You. Strengthen us by Your Spirit so that we may endure in faith to the end. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 10:16–23; notes on Matthew 10:16, 10:21–23; Micah 7:6.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 24, note on Matthew 10:23.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 81–82, note on Matthew 10:16–42.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Pages 145–146.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 651, paragraphs 68–69.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 929.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1192–1193.
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