Matthew 10:16-23 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
Reformation Sunday Sunday, October 25, 2026 “Jesus Sends Sheep Out Among Wolves”
Who would sign up for something like this? Here’s the job description as Jesus outlines it: I am going to send you out. You’ll have to be careful. People will oppose you. They will hand you over to others who will beat you. Kings and governors will be concerned about what you are doing. And all that same sort of trouble will come into your family and your close relationships, too. And through it all, testify about me. Tell people that the kingdom of heaven is near. I realize there’s a little more in that job description than what you heard in our gospel today. The reading in front of us continues on earlier instructions from Jesus about how he would send his disciples, the twelve apostles, to the various cities of Israel. He would equip them with some special signs, some special skills. They would heal the sick, even the lepers. They would raise the dead. They would drive out demons. And, yes, their message would be about Jesus bringing the kingdom of heaven. They were to travel light without money or a staff. They would rely on the generosity of the people to whom they went. And when they were rejected, they were to shake the dust off their feet in that town and head to another. So Jesus had shared some interesting promises to go along with this sending out. Heal the sick and raise the dead? That sounds incredible! But the words of Jesus in our verses brought the harsh reality. This was not all going to be success and excitement. There would be intense opposition, fierce persecution. Or as Jesus described it, he was sending sheep out among wolves. He was sending the pure and innocent, the kind and tender, into a world full of sharp teeth and vicious appetites. While there was a very particular context to these words of Jesus, specific application to his twelve apostles, these words also relate some principles that are worth considering and understanding. These principles have found application at various points in history, in the Old Testament, in Jesus’ time, and throughout history until today. The first principle Jesus describes is that things will not always go well for his spokespeople. He gives them warnings about what they can and even should expect. People who hear the message, people who understand your faith, will not always appreciate it. They will oppose. They will work against you and against your message. These disciples would face it. There would be cities that did not welcome them or their message. They would have to shake the dust off their feet. And there could be times they didn’t even get the chance. They would be arrested and handed over to councils. They would be whipped and brought up to testify about what they were doing. We do hear some scriptural examples of this, times when this happened. Paul was beaten for his missionary work. Peter was called to testify before Jewish authorities. John was exiled for his preaching. Perhaps its also natural as we consider the Reformation to speak about this sort of opposition in the life and work of Martin Luther. He was brought up before the Emperor. He was asked to deny what he had testified about Jesus and the Bible. He was asked to go back on the Gospel, the good news that he was saved by grace alone through faith. He had learned these precious truths from the Bible and wanted to share with others what he had learned. He was relieved and overjoyed to know these truths he wanted everyone else to know them, too. But the leaders and authorities, some who had positions that depended on the false teachings that had clouded these truths for generations, opposed him fiercely. Church leaders in Luther’s day taught that people needed to do certain things and behave in certain ways in order to please God and earn his favor and his love. People needed to respond to the authority of the Church. They needed to act in specific ways in order to deal with their own sins. Luther’s own conscience had been troubled severely by these ideas. Then he read the Bible. He studied the Bible. He learned, God revealed to him in the Word that God did everything. Luther did not need to do anything. Jesus had done it all. All sinners are justified freely by grace in Christ Jesus. This was a relief and a joy to Luther, and he wanted to share it. The kingdom of heaven had come to him. He knew it was near to anyone who would listen to the good news.
So Luther went with the good news, and you and I have benefited from it. And now we have it to share, too. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. We are not exceptions to the principles that Jesus teaches. We are not the Christians in all of history who will never be persecuted or never be opposed. Now, it is true that the opposition we have faced has almost certainly looked different than that which the disciples and apostles and reformers faced. We have been blessed to live in a country that guarantees to us the right to practice our religion. But that does not mean that we are immune from opposition. We remain sheep among wolves. We have a message of innocence and helplessness that relies on a Savior who leads and saves us. But we live in a world and with a spiritual enemy that is eager to devour us, to rip us to shreds. Jesus warns about it. He says he is sending out sheep among dangerous wolves. So he doesn’t want you to stop being a sheep. He doesn’t say that you need to think like a wolf or act like a wolf. He wants you to continue to be his sheep. But he also wants you to go out where the dangers are. You have the message of the kingdom of heaven. You have the power of the Holy Spirit working through what he has given you to say. Do not be worried. These warnings of Jesus even speak about the closest relationships in our lives. Parents and children. Brothers. Hatred from all people. Persecution from city to city, one town to the next. These are serious warnings, but they come with serious promises. We alluded already to Jesus promising the Holy Spirit to his disciples. They did not need to worry because God would speak through them. That doesn’t mean that they would never think about what to say. These were men who knew and studies the Scriptures. They were men who later received from Jesus his body and blood in the sacrament of Holy Communion. The Holy Spirit had built them up in faith and would not abandon them. Here’s Jesus direction to his sheep: be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. We’re not called to be ignorant. We’re not called to be as shrewd as doves and as innocent as snakes. We’re called to trust God and to act shrewdly while maintaining our innocence. That means that we think about the witness that we give. We think about the opportunities that God gives us. We don’t pretend that God’s kingdom depends on us, but we go out with the amazing message of that kingdom. And here’s the ultimate promise Jesus gives: whoever endures to the end will be saved. This lesson from Jesus is about persecution, but even more than that, it’s about endurance. It’s about steadfastness. It’s about seeing the dangers and dealing with them. It’s about trusting the Savior who has forgiven your sins by his own blood to see you through every danger until you reach your heavenly home. And that’s the spirit in which Jesus mentions his return at the end of time. He will indeed come back. The beginning of the end is here. We’ll keep talking about many of the implications of this truth, but here’s the emphasis from this passage and our service today: it is time to stay steadfast. It is time to go out among the wolves as sheep belonging to our Good Shepherd. It is not time to listen to fine-sounding ideas that contradict God’s Word. There are lots of them. Political messages are echoing all over right now. Most politicians are wolves. They are not trying to keep you faithful to God. They are trying to win you to their side of a different argument. Be a sheep. Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Scientists, doctors, teachers, professors—they may have wise things to say in some areas. Nothing they say should convince you to turn away from the truth of God’s Word. Stay steadfast. Yes, that means you might face ridicule. You may face opposition. Even your own family members may turn against you. Jesus sends you, his sheep, out among wolves. Who would sign up for this? Jesus hasn’t actually presented a job description or a help wanted ad. He has sent out his sheep with his message. It is the message of salvation. It is the message of the kingdom of heaven. It is the message of an eternal glorious existence with our heavenly Father. Jesus is coming soon. We are living in the beginning of the end. We want to be and to remain his sheep, no matter what wolves we face. Now is the time to stay steadfast.
The Text: Matthew 10:16–23 (EHV) 16“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as
doves. 17Be on guard against people. They will hand you over to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues. 18You will be brought into the presence of governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19Whenever they hand you over, do not be worried about how you will respond or what you will say, because what you say will be given to you in that hour. 20In fact you will not be the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you. 21“Brother will hand over his brother to death, and a father will do the same with his child. Children
will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22You will be hated by all people because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. 23And when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Amen I tell you: You will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”