Jesus understood
the value of questions.
Asking questions draws people in.
It keeps them engaged.
+ Preston Perry
How to Tell the Truth
On this Sunday in November 2024, my oldest daughter took her pet snake of 5+ years, Moses, and gave him away to someone in the Stoneham area. It's been a bittersweet day, not only for her, but for all of us. We're going to miss smooth, calm, regal Moses.
Due to her increasing studies, work, and all-around life, my daughter didn't think she could care for him / her (it's hard to know what biological sex a snake is until they mate, so we named Moses after the Moses of Exodus and the burning bush in the Bible and "Moses," the name Harriet Tubman was known by in rescue of hundreds of slaves). But in God's kindness, the person she gave Moses to is named "Joy," and by all accounts, Joy is overjoyed to have Moses now be in her home.
Now, I know many reading this aren't fans of snakes, but Jesus actually spoke well of snakes in the Gospel of St. Matthew. In fact, He actually invites all of His followers to be like snakes.
"Be wise as serpents
and innocent as doves."
+ Jesus
Matthew 10:16
I had to smile in being reminded again of this quote when I was finishing How to Tell the Truth: The Story of How God Saved Me to Win Hearts by Preston Perry.
Preston is the husband of Jackie Hill Perry, who also recently was highlighted in this year's blog post: Holier Than Thou? And both were included in the post: Can I Say That? Also, if you would like to hear and see Preston speak on some of the themes in this autobiographical book, check out the video Acts 242 Conference: How to Tell the Truth.
But this post is specifically in honor of Moses and in honor of my daughter, showcasing through Jesus' own words how we need to be more like this snake even as we say goodbye to this treasured member of the Sullivan household.
How to Tell the Truth
Be Patient Like a Serpent
When Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, He told them, "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
A serpent is patient.
It lies and waits, statue-still,
until it's the right time to strike.
It is hard to speed up.
It slithers the earth at its own pace,
minimizing its chances for mistakes.
A serpent is never seen
until it wants to be.
And it spends more time
watching its prey in the shandows
than giving all its energy away
hunting in the sun.
And doves — doves are gentle.
Not only will they not harm you,
but it is not even in their nature
to do so.
Their motives are as pure
as the white feathers
that blanket their bodies.
If you violently handle a dove,
it doesn't even think to fight back
but naturally humbles itself to others,
making itself easy to deal with.
Are we patient like serpents?
Do we spend enough time watching
our community, praying for the right time
to strike with the Gospel?
Or do we hunt more than we watch and pray,
and talk more than we listen?
And are we gentle like doves?
Are any of the bones inside us
still malicious,
or do we engage with people
with a new nature?
And even so, will our motives
remain pure as doves
even if the people we're trying to reach
don't handle us with care?
Lastly, the thing these two creatures have
in common is that they are both quiet.
A serpent is quiet because wisdom tells it
that being heard at the right time will help it
be more successful in life.
It only makes noise when it has to.
A dove is quiet because their very nature
is soft, not hardened
by the cruel world around them.
Unlike these creatures, we often let
the world and social media disciple us loud.
We can spend more time yelling at the world
and shouting with our fingers
in comment sections online
than trying to figure out how to engage
with the world with wisdom.
Jesus was telling His disciples that they
should go into these situations
with their eyes wide open,
discerning the best way to say
what needed to be said.
They needed to be wise to recognize
the opportunities that would be open
to them as they went out.
And because they went as His representatives,
they also needed to be gentle and loving
so they could make Him look like
the good God that He is.
And that's what Jesus' disciples
still need today.
For example,
ask questions like
"What do you think about God?"
or "Who is Jesus to you?"
Questions like this
help give people a chance to be heard.
Every heart has a cry.
Some cries are louder than others,
but every cry wants to be heard.
"There's a reason God gave you
two ears but only one mouth.
It's so you can listen
twice as much as you speak."
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in John 9, when Jesus heals a man that's been blind since birth. But the thing I love about the story the most is how it starts off.
"As (Jesus) passed by,
He saw a man blind from birth"
(John 9:1).
Notice how this story doesn't start off
with Jesus healing a blind man;
it starts off with Jesus seeing a blind man.
In the same way,
our evangelism should start with us
seeing people. Seeing needs. Seeing stories.
Seeing thirsty people who need
a drink of everlasting water.
Jesus was great at empathy.
He wore it like a warm quilt.
He knew what to say.
He knew what not to say.
And He knew when the people
He loved would be best served
by saying nothing at all.
Over the years,
I've learned to be a better listener,
and I don't just mean
listening to respond.
I've become better at
listening to understand.
The truth is,
we will serve people better
if we take the time to listen —
not just to their words
but to their hearts.
"Be mindful of how you act
and what you say;
you may be the only
Bible someone ever reads."
+ Chapter 5: Learning from the Master
pgs. 120-121, 123, 125-126,
145, 147
 |
| Wise as Serpents, Gentle as Doves" + Jesus quoted in How to Tell the Truth Additional Witness Posts: |
Bonus Song:
Jon Batiste
2021 A.D.
He said, tell it like it is,
Live how you live.
When you're doing what you do,
Just tell the truth.
Tell it like it is,
Love how you live.
When you're doing what you do,
Just tell the truth.
Many blessings of peace and presence,
Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan
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