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 s it true that the Bible is a book that had already been explained? Is it true that it no longer needs to be interpreted by man? Does any one today have the right to explain the Bible? Let us study these things, one by one. Let us read what was written in Mat. 10:14-16—
“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I sent you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one speaking here and he was talking to the 12 Apostles whom He, Himself, elected. What did our Lord Jesus Christ tell His Apostles whom He commissioned to preach? He told them that as they preach, whosoever shall not receive them, nor hear their words, when they depart from that house, they should shake off the dust of their feet. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment, than for that city that rejects them.
If you have noticed, there are several things about these verses that need to be explained for us to understand God’s admonition fully. But the question is, who is going to explain them? We assure you that we do not have to explain them! For instance, the Bible says that, if nobody receives the Apostles, they must shake the dust off their feet. Some of those who have read this interpreted it literally. They really shake the dust off their feet. But the point is, what if you made your visit during the rainy season when there are no dusts on the road? What if the road is flooded? What dusts will you shake off then? For us to understand all these, what we need is the Bible’s own explanation. In Matthew 10:16, Christ said—
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
Let us find out from the Bible. What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean when He said that, He is sending them “as sheep in the midst of wolves?” Wolves are mountain dogs that eat fellow beasts. They are carnivores. A wolf is an epitome of fierceness and cruelty. On the other hand, a sheep can easily be devoured because of its meekness. What now is the significance of the “sheep” which represents the Apostles, or the Church, being sent “in the midst of wolves?” And once they are already in the midst of wolves, they must be as wise as serpents. But while they were advised to be wise as serpents, they must also be as harmless as doves! What does this mean? How must we interpret it? Or, must a preacher, who claims that he has the authority to explain the Bible, explain it? Is that it? Let us find out from the Bible. What is the meaning of this particular pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ? What did He mean when He said, “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves?” Do you
know the Biblical significance of “wolves”. Let us read Mat.7:15—
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
What did our Lord Jesus Christ say? The false prophets that come to people, wearing sheep’s clothing are pastors/preachers whose hearts are filled with pretenses and lies. They pretend to be like sheep, but in reality, they are ravenous wolves. But of course, they are only able to devour because of their pretenses and disguises. They can never devour a prey if they will right away show their fierceness and wild nature. Otherwise, the sheep will readily take caution and run away. In other words, they manage to devour because they pretend to be meek, like a sheep. Their outer appearance is likened to a sheep, but deep inside, they are ravening wolves.
Therefore, as far as the Bible is concerned, the “ravening wolves” refer to false teachers. Beware of them! Some of them even wear coat and tie; others are in Barong Tagalog. They wear the finest apparels to hide their real identities. Many are deceived by their appearances.
Let us resolve through the Bible, the meaning of the Apostles being sent like sheep in the midst of wolves. Thereby, they must be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. What do these things mean? Let us find out by reading Gen. 3:1-4—
“Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had. And he said unto the woman; yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die.”
It is in this particular part that we can read about the cunning serpent. It said that the serpent was more subtle than any other beast in the field, which the Lord God had made. And this serpent spoke with Eve to entice her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. The serpent had convinced Eve that even if she ate the fruit, she would not die. Remember, God told Adam and Eve, not to eat it; if you do, you shall die. But the serpent said, you shall not surely die. Obviously, the serpent that is God’s foe, and the serpent does not really refer to the literal serpent.
Now, let us find out from the Bible the significance of the serpent, who happened to be God’s enemy. What kind of serpent is it? Let us read 2 Corinthians 11:3—
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
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Reading
and Understanding the
Bible
