Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

LUKE 10:3KJV
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Luke 10:3 (KJV)

What does Luke 10:3 mean?

Luke 10:3 records Jesus sending out his followers, warning them that their mission will be dangerous by comparing them to lambs among wolves. Jesus is telling them to expect vulnerability and possible hostility as they go out to share his message.

In this scene, Jesus is speaking to a group of seventy (or seventy-two) disciples he is sending ahead of him to towns he plans to visit. The image of "lambs among wolves" highlights that the disciples will face people who may oppose or even threaten them, and that their approach should be gentle and trusting, not forceful or aggressive.

The Greek behind Luke 10:3

  • "send" (ἀποστέλλω, apostellō): This word means to send out with a purpose or mission. It is the root of the word "apostle," and it emphasizes that the disciples are being officially commissioned by Jesus, not just going on their own.
  • "lambs" (ἀρνίον, arnion): The word for "lambs" refers to young, defenseless sheep. This sharpens the sense of innocence and vulnerability in the comparison, showing the contrast with "wolves."
  • "wolves" (λύκος, lykos): Wolves were a common symbol for danger and those who prey on the vulnerable. The use of this word makes clear that the disciples should expect real opposition, not just indifference.

Why Luke 10:3 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that following Jesus would mean an easy or safe life; instead, it sets honest expectations about risk and difficulty.
  • The contrast between "lambs" and "wolves" emphasizes the nonviolent, peaceful approach Jesus expects from his followers, even in the face of danger.
  • Understanding this warning helps make sense of the instructions that follow in the chapter, where Jesus tells his disciples how to respond when they are received—or rejected—by different towns.

Where else these words appear

“wolves” Greek G3074 · used in 5 verses

  • Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
  • Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
  • John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

“among” Greek G3319 · used in 59 verses

  • Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
  • Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
  • Acts 23:10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

“ways” Greek G5217 · used in 77 verses

  • Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
  • Mark 6:38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
  • John 11:8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

“send” Greek G649 · used in 130 verses

  • Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
  • Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
  • John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.