from bible.org

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16, KJV). Their serpent-like wisdom would govern the words they spoke as well as the activities they carried out. Jesus wanted them to communicate His message wisely, but without hurting the people who heard it—as harmless as doves.

Solomon had linked wisdom with words hundreds of years earlier. “The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,” he said (Proverbs 16:23). True wisdom affects the way we speak. Again, “The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable” (Proverbs 15:2). A person may have a head full of knowledge, but wisdom helps his tongue to express it in an appropriate and acceptable way. “But the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18). God’s wisdom, expressed through the tongue, results in healing rather than harm, just as the Lord Jesus said.

Some folks consider themselves to be wise, but their words hurt rather than heal. That leads us to believe there is another kind of wisdom besides God’s, and the Apostle James confirmed that. He, like Solomon, linked wisdom to the way we use our tongues. Immediately after twelve verses on the tongue, he wrote, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” (James 3:13). He is talking about our entire manner of life, not just words. But we cannot eliminate words from what he said. He goes on to mention bitter jealousy and selfish ambition (v. 14), things which are normally expressed by destructive communication. “And where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16). Unwise words harm rather than heal.

See also: Jesus must come first