Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.
Summary: Sometimes, Jesus’ parables are fairly easy to figure out. Other times they are more obtuse. Today’s passage is one of those other times.
Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” is a tour de force when it comes to outlining the “do’s” and “don’t’s” of pleasing God and staying out of trouble. For some reason, between “Do not judge,” (Matthew 7:1) and “Ask and it will be given you,” Jesus put this verse:
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6)
What in the world was he thinking?
When it comes to the Lord’s Prayer, this section definitely falls under the “deliver us from the evil one” part. There are two ways to be delivered from evil. One is to be rescued after you get into trouble. The other is to avoid trouble all together. This verse is all about avoiding trouble.
So what is the “evil” we are avoiding here?
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes about building up the body of Christ. At one point he says:
“Instead [of being spiritual “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves”], speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15 with a little help from verse 14)
The “speaking the truth in love” part gets abused pretty badly by people who want to tell other people how to live their lives. (They forget about verse two where Paul writes, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” [Ephesians 4:2]) But even if we are well intended and within the intent of Paul’s letter, there are hazards.
Not everyone who says they are a Christian is a Christian. (Matthew 7:21) When we try and bring unity to the body of Christ by sticking our noses in other people’s business, we better hope for two things. First, that we are right (See Matthew 7: 1-5) and second that the object of our attentions are people who are receptive to correction. If you are talking with a true Christian, even if you are wrong, they won’t punch you in the nose for making false accusations.
But what about people who are not Christian? Aren’t we supposed to share the sacred news of Jesus Christ with them? (Matthew 28: 19-20) Are there any “dogs” or “pigs” (“swine” in the KJV) in the world that we should avoid? And how would we know them anyway?
Sadly, I don’t know. I do have some advice though.
- Learn to listen to God’s Spirit within you.
- Read the Bible every day to better understand our Father’s heart.
- Pay attention to what your words sound like when you say them.
- Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Sometimes we are called to share our thoughts with others. Other times we are supposed to share God’s love by turning the other cheek. And always love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22: 39)
Application: Take my advice. It’s free. 🙂
Food for Thought: What do you think Jesus meant by his saying about dogs and pigs?
I think that Mark 5 details a good example of what Jesus what talking about when He spoke of “dogs and pigs.”
Mark 5:38-40 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.
There are those that don’t fully understand, and then there are those that don’t want to understand. Jesus had already manifested miracles prior to this. The ones who laughed had already decided that it didn’t matter to them.
Interesting example Chris.
Laughing at Jesus is probably not a good sign.
Thank you Chris. I think that is a good example.
I think that what Jesus meant was to not waste our time where the fruit is not ripe. There are those who are hostile to the gospel and set in that perspective. If we spend a lot of energy trying to pick fruit where it is not ripe, we might miss the fields that are ripe.
BTW: Jesus did not say we should not love these people or pray for them or to be prepared when their hearts are softened.
A few verses on avoiding unprofitable discussions: Romans 16: 17; 2 Timothy 2: 16; Titus 3: 9
Rich
Great verses! I like the analogy of fruit too. Some of us are still waiting for the event that changes our world.
What do you think Jesus meant by his saying about dogs and pigs?
In Luke 10:10-11,
When Jesus sent the disciples out to spread the gospel. He told them, If their message was rejected, they were to shake the dust off and keep going until they found fertile soil for the truth.
Jesus never teaches we are to chase and beg people to follow Him. His message will only be received by those with the spiritual ears, and heart prepared to listen. Those who refuse, have been blinded by this world. They should be prayed for and loved, but it is right to look for other places to cast our pearls or throw our seeds.
As believers, followers of Jesus, we are responsible for how we live and the truths we proclaim. God allows all to exercise their free will to accept, ignore, run away from the truth, or even turn and tear at the messenger. It is enough that a soul has heard the gospel and understands the choice they make to oppose it.
Both dogs and pigs were considered unclean animals. The symbolism is that the people who have rejected God and his people are choosing and showing themselves to be, live unclean lives. The gospel should be preached to all people, but the children of Satan will only trample the truth and go on the offensive in their hatred of God and the things of God.
Read JOHN CHAPTER 8, see how Jesus Himself practiced this truth which God has preserved for our understanding.
Ron
I really appreciate the point that we are not required to chase people down and drag them to church. Like trying to save a drowning man one has to be careful of being dragged under themselves.