Pigs and Dogs

Matthew 7:6 (NIV84)

“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 then turn and tear you to pieces.”

Good morning Zebras,

Something happened recently and this verse kept coming to mind.  I have always thought it was a rather odd verse.  In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus is telling them not to judge others and calls them hypocrites for trying to remove specks from other people’s eyes without removing their logs.  Then in verse 6 He says “don’t give holy things to dogs and pearls to swine.”  Personally I think calling people dogs and pigs is a bit judgmental. So what is He trying to say?

First I think we need to remember He is not telling us not to judge others, He is just telling us we need to judge ourselves first.  It is easy to see the flaws of others, it is much more difficult to see our own but those are the ones we need to work on first. 

The best way I have found to see my own flaws is to hang around people who will tell me the truth about them. People who love me enough to correct me when I am wrong.  Not is a hostile mean way, but with a spirit of love.

I remember the first time that happened to me about a spiritual matter.  My friend Janet and I were having a disagreement.  I was Biblically in the wrong but I didn’t want to hear it.  She said it anyway.  I got mad. Then she said something I have never forgotten.  “If our friendship can’t handle telling each other the truth then we really aren’t friends.”  Amen.  Now those are the friendships I treasure most. Those are the zebras.

Second, I think this warning is really for our own protection.  It is disheartening to keep offering to people the things of God or the things that you really value and have them treat them like dirt. We think we are supposed to offer to everyone everything God has done for us but maybe we aren’t. 

Jesus did not treat everyone in the Bible the same way; He didn’t tell everyone the same thing.  He treated the Pharisees differently than the disciples and the Samarian woman differently than Nathaniel or Nicodemus.  Jesus wasn’t a one shoe fits all kind of guy.  He had discernment.  And that I think is the point of the verse.

We need discernment.  We need to know what to share and with whom.  We need to understand that every person is different and lovingly deal with them accordingly, telling them exactly what God has told us to say, not only for our sake but for theirs, because although it isn’t fun to be torn apart, it probably isn’t fun to be a pig or a dog either. 

Have a great weekend little Zebras, I’ll talk to you next week.

Love,

Jill