Matthew 10:16
New International Version (NIV)
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
We see here that the Lord Jesus Christ is warning you about two different kinds of people on this earth. Yes, there are only two kinds of people. If you are not a sheep, you are a wolve. He also tells how you should respond to wolve-like people if you are His sheep whom He has called out of this world. To react to wolves if you are the sheep, you must know about two other kinds of animals- snakes and doves.
Snakes hiss, so must you hiss back at them. Do not be afraid of them if they are snakes. If they hiss at you, you must know how to hiss back at them. If you remain quiet, they would want to strike at you or swallow you up. You must never let this happen. They are meant to be trampled by our feet because the Lord Jesus had already crushed the chief-snake's (serpent's) head. Only those who truly know that the serpent's head already been crushed by the Lord Jesus Christ will trample the present snakes around them especially the real venomous ones. The only thing is that, these days you can't really tell the difference, but if you truly belong to Jesus Christ our Lord and know that the Lord Jesus is more powerful than the chief-serpent which is the Devil, then you would be able to recognise the snakes around you.
The problem is, many live lives as though the chief-serpent is stronger than the Lord Jesus Christ but they still shamelessly claim that they belong to Christ. We take the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When the hypocritical pharisees and saducees hissed at the Lord Jesus Christ, He hissed back at them. I will tell you how He hissed back at them with the verses below. The only difference was when the pharisees and saducess hissed at the Lord Jesus they spewed the poison from the venomous sinful nature of the Devil in them. Whereas, when the Lord Jesus Christ hissed back at them , he spewed from His harmless divine nature at them. He never intended anything bad on them. He was as harmless as a dove. He taught the chief-serpent and the snakes an eternal lesson. Righteousness and holiness of God takes flight gracefully over mankind and rules eternally by defeating the destructive wickedness of the Devil and his minions.
His enemies weren't satisfied with Him, so they resorted to spew the venom to kill Him on the cross at Calvary. But, you know what? The Lord Jesus Christ hissed back at them with His triumphant resurrection from the dead. The chief-serpent hissed at the Lord Jesus through the snakes around Him with the power of death, but He hissed back at the Devil and the snakes with the power of His resurrection. So, should we! This is how He hissed at them and how we should hiss back at the snakes.
Matthew 23:32-34
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
1 Corinthians 15:54-56
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the laws of God concerning sin because there was no sin in Him. Even the grave could not hold him in.
