Matthew 7:6 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.
We have a brief focus for today that is a continuation of last week’s theme of seeing the world clearly by taking the planks from our eyes. Jesus is saying that not all people desire to see life as it should be lived, pure, holy and responsible. Some desire to live in sin, in an unclean state, wanting to do their own thing without any interference from others or responsibility to others, definitely not wanting to love others as they love themselves. They remain unclean, seeing the world through their own skewed, self-interested vision. Jesus connotes them as pigs, unchangeable in their nature and unworthy of the jewels of God’s wisdom. To the Jews, pigs were unclean, unfit even for eating. Of course, pigs feed on the least desirable leftovers, and root in the soil, digging up anything that is edible. The dogs He refers to are scavengers: searching, hunting for anything that can be eaten, willing to kill any animal that is weaker than they are or helpless to resist their fangs. The dogs and pigs symbolize people who cannot see clearly and do not seek any higher purpose in life except to live for the next meal. They will not change for their feet are planted deeply in this earthly existence of survival. They reject the idea of a different way of living, refusing to see this life as a temporary existence, having no eyesight for anything spiritual or pure. The planks in their eyes will never be removed because they do not seek release from darkness. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20) Some people do not want anything that is spiritual in their lives; they will combat people who try to reveal a better, more godly view of life; the Good News is disgusting to them or a false doctrine. They are happy, contented to live from day-to-day, with their daily vision cast on the refuse and dirt of this world, willing to take advantage of every person and every situation for their own benefit. They are unable to see truth, for their desire is to live in darkness. Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:20) The light blinds them rather than illuminating their lives, so they crouch in the dark corners of life.
When Jesus tells his disciples to go throughout Judea propagating the Good News, He tells them to go without silver or gold or a bag with extra clothing, depending on the goodwill of the people they meet in the communities to meet their needs. But He knew some people, some communities would not accept them so He gave them these instructions: If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. (Matthew 10:14-15) They were to shake the dust off their feet from that house or that city if they refused to receive the good news that the kingdom of heaven is near. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. Walk away from that house or that city for they are unwilling to change, to hear something better than what is happening in their everyday lives. Most people are relatively happy in their existence of self. John the Baptist expressed this when he addressed the Jewish crowd that came down to the river to be baptized by him. John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:7-8) John knew their vision was distorted by the misguided belief that they were okay with God because they were children of Abraham. They felt Abraham’s covenant was a covering for their worldly, self-possessed lives. But John calls them a brood of vipers, deadly to themselves and to others. What a harsh evaluation of people, but Jesus was also harsh with their spiritual leaders when He said, You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (Matthew 12:34-35) John tells the people that their hearts are far from God; Jesus tells the leaders that their hearts are set on their on well-being and status. Both groups are unable to see clearly what God desires for their lives. Both have planks in their eyes that are large and detrimental to serving God in a pure and holy way. Loving others is not central in their existence; serving themselves captivates them from the inside out. So they have nothing else but selfish pursuits stored up in their thoughts and experiences. They do not change because they are content with their lives and set in their ways, just as a pig or a dog is unable to change into another kind of animal with different pursuits in life. They are not looking for a light in the darkness.
In Paul’s experiences of ministering to the Greek world, we see many instances where the people of a community would turn on Paul, desiring to tear him apart. When Paul’s powerful teachings and the demonstrations of the Holy Spirit within his ministry got too close to changing the way things were in the community, the powerful and the elite of that society would marshal the people against Paul. They did not want their society to change, for they benefitted much from the godlessness of the people. Paul had to be silenced. Jesus said this about those who determined to quiet Paul who presented them with the pearls of life—the sacredness of turning to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, if you do present the kingdom of God to them, they may trample them (the sacred things) under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. People who live in darkness because they love their sins might turn on you if you present the gospel to them. You may be the object of ridicule and persecution if you openly share the gospel. Jesus gave Paul the commission to preach the gospel to those who were living in great darkness: the Gentile world. Jesus said, he would suffer in carrying out his mission for God. But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15-16) Jesus knew that many people in the Greek community would become believers, but He also understood that many would turn on Paul, attempting to devour him. He knew the dogs would search for him so that they could destroy him. The Jewish elite followed him from city to city, besmirching his name, causing Paul to be beaten with rods and stoned with rocks. Paul would suffer much for the cause of Christ. As with the demon who attacked the seven sons of Sceva, who were in the business of casting out demons, the underworld is violent. He (the demon) gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. (Acts 19:17) Violence was written on the DNA of people after Adam and Eve fell. Their oldest, possessing this DNA, killed Abel. From that time on, men and women have used violence to cure what they disliked. Paul felt this violence, for the world dislikes the message of Christ. Christ’s message turns the world upside down: rather than violence: love; rather than hate: acceptance; rather than judgment, grace; rather than punishment, mercy. Such changes are nonsense to the present world, not feasible where sin exists mightily. But Jesus came to change the nature of people; He gave us the Holy Spirit to activate our souls to a new way of thinking and living. The world is a harsh place, a place where God once wiped out everything but a few people and animals. Violence is embedded deeply in people. But Jesus has come to save the lost; He is the miracle worker. Planks can be removed and under God’s transformational power even pigs can be changed. As Peter learned, all things can be consumed if God blesses them. He is in the creative business, even on the Sabbath. God never quits working with those He has created as his sons and daughters, children of the Most High. Amen!
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