Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: therefore be as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

This has always been an interesting verse because it is the only place in the New Testament where being like a serpent seems to be a positive. Or is this the positive it appears? Both the serpents and the doves are inacurrately portrayed in our English version.

First "send forth" is the Greek, apostello, which is our source of the word "apostle." It means "to send off," "to send away," or "to dispatch."

The term used for "wise" is phronimos, which means "in one's right mind," "showing presence of mind," and "prudent." What does Christ mean when he attributes this characteristic to a snake?

The answer is not in Greek, but in biblical Hebrew. "Serpent" in Hebrew is nahash. The root of the word are the Hebrew letters Nun, Het and Shin, which means "to guess." The serpent was a tester. Satan's biblical role was not to tempt but to test. The serpent was a deceiver, but only in the sense that he didn't give away the truth. Instead, he tested your knowledge and faith.

When we talk about the "prudence of a snake," we are taking about someone who can keep their own council and someone who tests others. This is the heart of what Christ is explaining in the previous verses about researching what people are worth. Here he is making it clear that many people are "wolves," lukos, that is, cruel and rapacious. Until this point, Christ's followers have been just that, followers, sheep. However, they cannot be so trusting as they leave the fold as they are sent forth on their own. They must test people and be careful of them.

This brings us to the last phrase "harmless as doves," which is another very misleading translation.

"Harmless" is the Greek akeraios, which doesn't mean harmless at all. It means "pure," "unravaged," and "incorruptible." Why is a dove (peristera) pure and incorruptible? It is white and flies away from trouble.

So Christ is telling his followers that they must stop being trusting followers and become suspicious testers, careful of who they encounter and quick to flee from trouble to keep themselves pure.