We certainly live in hostile and polarized times. Jesus warned us that this is what it would look like before He returns, and it appears to be unfolding like never before.
- Matthew 24:3-13 …you will be hated by all nations because of My name. (10) “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. (11) “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12) “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
With the recent events surrounding the killing of Charlie Kirk, the fires of national rage are flaring up again. If not careful, God’s people can become more caught up in the problems rather than living/demonstrating the solution of God’s Kingdom.
Leadership among God’s people is crucial in times like these. Jesus prepared His leaders for such times, and His instruction gives leaders today critical direction.
- Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
We live in a time when those words are more relevant than ever. Division, hostility, and rage are everywhere. Our media stirs it up, and whataboutism, which is blaming the other side instead of owning our own faults, has become the spirit of the age. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 that this lawlessness causes “most people’s love will grow cold” and “they will betray and hate one another.”
So, how do leaders guide God’s people in such a climate? Jesus gave us a crucial model: “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Wise as Serpents
Serpents were a picture of shrewdness in the ancient world. They didn’t expose themselves recklessly but moved with awareness. To be “wise as serpents” means:
- Discernment: See beneath surface words and arguments. Recognize traps, motives, and manipulations.
- Strategic wisdom: Know when to speak and when to stay silent. An example of this was Paul using his Roman citizenship at the right time to avoid a flogging (Acts 22:25).
- Kingdom shrewdness: Learn how to navigate a hostile world without compromising God’s truth so that God’s Kingdom advances.
This is not manipulation. It is Spirit-led wisdom that sees clearly and acts with God.
Harmless as Doves
Doves symbolize innocence and purity. To be “harmless as doves” means:
- Clean heart motives: No deceit, no hidden agenda, no retaliation, only God’s love.
- Spirit-filled response: Acting by the Spirit from God’s nature of love, not fleshly anger. The fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, kindness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). This is what motivates Godly leadership.
- Gentleness: Good leaders know Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, while sharp words stir up anger.” We correct without human wrath, speak truth in love, and lead without the motivation of destroying people.
The Balance
If we are only wise as serpents, we risk becoming cynical, vindictive, or manipulative. If we are only innocent as doves, we risk being naïve and destroyed. But when wisdom and innocence are held together, leaders become discerning without cynicism, bold without brashness, gentle without gullibility.
Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8)
A great leadership example from Jesus about being wise as serpents and harmless as doves is the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus faced whataboutism, yet navigated it as wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.
When the scribes and Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery, they weren’t sincerely seeking justice; they were testing Jesus and trying to trap Him and discredit Him (John 8:6). The law of Moses required stoning of both the man and woman when caught in adultery (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22), but Roman law forbade Jewish leaders from carrying out executions without approval. If Jesus said, “Stone her,” they could accuse Him before Rome; if He said, “Don’t stone her,” they could accuse Him before God’s people for rejecting the Law.
Jesus didn’t deflect. He went to the heart of the matter: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
This wasn’t whataboutism because He didn’t say, “What about your sins” as a way of excusing hers. Instead, He exposed the hypocrisy of selective judgment, that they weren’t truly seeking justice, since the law also required that both the man and woman caught in adultery be punished (Deut. 22:22). Where was the man? He was also showing the heart of humility. When we realize that we have all sinned and deserve punishment, it will cause us to be humble and gentle as we enact justice.
Jesus, through wisdom, turned the trap back on them by revealing their own compromised standing. He brought a restoration of true justice by bringing the focus back on God’s standard, not their manipulation. He also brought mercy with holiness. After the accusers left, He didn’t excuse her sin but told her, “Go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11).
Whataboutism minimizes responsibility by shifting blame. Jesus’ response heightened responsibility by making everyone face their own sin before presuming to judge another. So, it wasn’t whataboutism. It was holy confrontation with hypocrisy, coupled with mercy toward the guilty.
Jesus did an amazing job by the Spirit to embrace both truth and grace. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus was without sin. He alone had the right to condemn. But instead, He revealed the full balance of His mission:
- Grace: “Neither do I condemn you.”
- Truth: “Go, and from now on sin no more.”
This is God’s design for leadership in polarized times. It contains wisdom that discerns traps and love and grace that extends mercy. Leaders are to possess wisdom that discerns traps and innocence that extends mercy.
How can leaders possess the wisdom and innocence in these polarizing times?
The world doesn’t need leaders who mirror its rage. It requires leaders who are both clear-eyed like serpents and clean-hearted like doves. Leaders who refuse to be manipulated by the world, the devil, or their own flesh. Leaders who embody both truth and grace, as they have the heart of shepherds who lead with the heart of God.
Jesus doesn’t say pick one (serpent or dove). He says to possess both at once. Why? Both together enable us to exhibit His Kingdom. In polarized times, disciples of Jesus must resist being pulled into the world’s games. Like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery, we must discern the trap (serpent) and yet respond with mercy and truth (dove). It is not by choosing sides, but by showing the side of His Kingdom that people are not seeing.
So how can leaders, by the Spirit, move in God’s wisdom and innocence?
Discern Motives, Not Just Words (Wisdom of Serpents)
Don’t react to surface arguments; look beneath them. Like Jesus with the Pharisees, ask: “What’s really driving these questions or accusations?” Learn to spot false dilemmas, manipulative framing, or selective use of truth. Wise leaders need to slow down before answering. Ask clarifying questions. Refuse to be boxed into “either/or” traps, and listen for God’s Spirit-guided wisdom
Keep a Pure Conscience (Innocence of Doves)
Leaders must model clean motives. Don’t fight deception with more deception, or hostility with hostility. Like Paul said, “Our boast is the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved…with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God” (2 Cor. 1:12). Before responding, check your motives: “Am I saying this from fear, pride, or love?”
Point to Truth Without Weaponizing It
- Serpent-wisdom knows the Scripture deeply, understands people’s brokenness, and is alert to cultural pressures.
- Dove-innocence does not wield truth like a stone to judge and crush, but with the love of God, to show God’s way out.
Jesus did not deny the adulterous woman’s sin, but He didn’t let hypocrites weaponize her failure either. He spoke truth to both sides to bring healing and restoration, not to score points or win debates.
Resist the Polarizing Spirit of the Age
The world thrives on outrage and division. Leaders should not feed that by how they respond. God’s wisdom is not silence or cowardice, but speaking truth in a way that rises above “us vs. them.”
Dove-like innocence means refusing to slander, mock, or retaliate, even when attacked. When pressed to “pick sides,” reframe the issue around the Kingdom. Bring out God’s Kingdom perspective that “Our allegiance is not left or right, but to Christ as Lord.”
Lead With Both Courage and Gentleness
Courage means we don’t shrink from saying what is true, even when costly. At the same time, Gentleness guides us not to say things with revenge or demonic venom. Paul ties both together in 2 Timothy 2:24–25 “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone…correcting his opponents with gentleness.”
We need to speak plainly, but with tone and posture that disarm hostility rather than fuel it. Leaders seeking God’s wisdom will discern any hidden traps, communicate with clarity, and avoid being manipulated. As they move in God’s love, embracing innocence, they will stay pure in motive, refuse bitterness, and embody gentleness.
If leaders embrace both the wisdom and innocence of God, act by the Spirit, not react by any flesh, it will put them in a posture to shepherd in a hostile culture: clear-eyed but clean-hearted, firm in truth but tender in spirit. The church and the world are really crying out for such leadership.
Charles Spurgeon “The true shepherd spirit is an amalgam of many precious graces. He is hot with zeal, but he is not fiery with passion. He is gentle, and yet he rules his class. He is loving, but he does not wink at sin. He has power over the lambs, but he is not domineering or sharp. He has cheerfulness, but not levity; freedom, but not license; solemnity, but not gloom.”