A Lamb’s Nature

Luke 10:1-4

Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. (Luke 10:3)

WHEN JESUS SENT HIS DISCIPLES into the towns he planned to visit, his commission was not entirely reassuring. It was confident and aligned with God’s will, of course, but it did not promise comfort. Neither did the Great Commission that Jesus gave at the end of his earthly ministry, when he sent his followers to the ends of the earth. By following his lead, his disciples would inevitably experience a clash of kingdoms, in one form or another. They were to situate themselves on the front lines of a cosmic battle between God’s purposes and the kingdom of darkness. In other words, Jesus often sent them to places they would not otherwise want to go.

That commission continues today, and we are part of it. While some isolate themselves in Christian communities and do business only in Christian circles, most of us are aware that we live and work in an environment that may at times be hostile to what we believe. There’s no reason for paranoia; it’s simply the reality of our calling. But we have to be extremely careful in that reality to avoid taking on the character of the environment we have entered. As sheep among wolves, we have to guard against becoming wolves ourselves.

Many Christians have not succeeded on this point, and the results have been tragic. Wars and inquisitions are prominent examples, but for most of us the temptations are much subtler—greed in the marketplace, the jealousy and selfishness of a competitive spirit, the reorientation of our values toward decidedly earthly things. The growl and the scowl of a wolf are awfully unbecoming on sheep, even when we remain sheep at heart.

Never forget your sheeply identity. Do not conform to wolfly dispositions. Discern the environment around you, and refuse to honor its allure. Your greatest influence comes when you step into an unhealthy environment without taking on its nature. Remember that this world of wolves really belongs to your shepherd, and he is taking it back for his sheep.

{Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd, and this world does not belong to wolves. It is your inheritance—and mine. Give me grace to live in it without compromise, as a gentle lamb with fearless resolve. May my gentleness tame the wildness around me. Amen.