“Be shrewd,” Jesus said—“like a snake is shrewd.”

Prudent. Wise. Measured. Careful. Crafty. Tactful. Beautiful. Graceful. Calculating. Astute. Keen. Proficient. Agile. Quick. Discerning. Resourceful. Treacherous—but only if you fail to respect the sixteen qualities leading up to treacherous.

Serpents do not hunt you. They don’t chase you. They have nothing against you and won’t bite you unless you threaten them.

The snake in your flower bed might surprise you, but no more than you surprise it. It’s not in your garden to bite you. It’s in your garden to eat what’s eating your garden. It’s in your garden for your benefit, and shrewdly, for its own.

Jesus tells us, “I’m sending you into a world of wolves. You are like a sheep. Therefore, be innocent—like a dove—but [also] be shrewd like a serpent: prudent, wise, measured, careful… and if you must, be treacherous.

“If you behave in this manner, you will appear as lights in the world.”