False ministers, often likened to wolves in sheep's clothing, disguise their true nature with an outward appearance of righteousness. They present themselves as gentle, caring, and believable, using the language of the church to deceive. Inwardly, however, they are ravenous wolves, driven by self-interest, greed, and a desire for popularity, seeking to tear apart the flock of God. Their motivation is not to feed the sheep with spiritual truth but to satisfy their own fleshly desires, preying on the immature, unstable, and gullible. These false ministers promote the wide gate and broad way, encouraging people to retain their sinful baggage while professing faith. They lack genuine spiritual life and produce no good fruit, instead fostering confusion, immorality, and chaos. Their teachings and actions stand in stark contrast to the narrow way of God's truth, leading people astray with messages that appeal to human desires rather than divine commands. Jesus Christ warns to beware of such false prophets, urging discernment by judging them not by their deceptive appearance but by their fruit—the moral outcomes of their lives and teachings. Their fruit reveals their corrupt nature, as a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Characteristics such as envy, self-seeking, and the works of the flesh mark their influence, often evident in the confusion and decadence associated with worldly traditions they endorse. True discernment requires testing their message against God's inspired Word, recognizing that their path leads only to destruction. Christ emphasizes that His followers must hold their minds away from these deceivers, closing their ears to the lies that promote a false liberty and instead adhering to the narrow path of righteousness.

In the context of discerning true and false teachers within the church, a critical warning emerges about wolves as false ministers. Christ paints a vivid analogy in which wolves represent enemies to both the sheep and the shepherd, posing a direct threat to the church and to Him as the Good Shepherd. These ravenous wolves, described as rapacious and excessively covetous, live by prey and plunder, driven by wrong motivations for godliness. They come in sheep's clothing, appearing as one of the flock, but inwardly their intent is to gain for themselves—whether it be fine living, power, prestige, or material goods. False ministers are not in their role to serve the sheep but to exploit them. Unlike a true shepherd who feeds, tends, guards, guides, and heals to bring the sheep to maturity, these wolves see the ministry as a chosen career for personal gain rather than a calling to dedicate their lives to service. Their inward intention is to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep, using them for their own advantage without truly caring for their eternal good. A false shepherd is also a coward, fleeing from responsibility to protect the sheep from predators. Such a minister compromises and runs from the truth, unwilling to risk reputation or personal safety for the sake of the flock. This stands in stark contrast to a true shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep, prioritizing their well-being over personal gain. The hireling flees because he does not care about the sheep, revealing a self-centered focus that undermines the very purpose of his role.