The disposition of pure motive and gentle bearing Christ pairs with serpent-wisdom in His commissioning of the Twelve: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matt 10:16). The Greek akeraios (harmless, pure, unmixed) suggests not naivety but uncompounded singleness of purpose — the disciple's motives unalloyed with deceit, manipulation, or self-promotion. Philippians 2:15 uses the same word: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Paired with serpent-wisdom, dove-harmlessness is not weakness; it is the inner cleanness that gives the outer shrewdness its moral force. The disciple is sent into hostile environments (sheep among wolves); he must read the threat accurately (serpent), but he must remain pure of motive (dove). Either virtue alone fails. Christ commands both.