Let’s read 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.”
Questions
This verse seems a little odd, standing on its own in between Jesus’ warning about hypocrisy in passing judgement (v1-5) and his teaching about “ask, seek, knock” beginning in verse 7, which we’ll look at next time.
Why is it here in this particular context? Does it relate to either or both of the passages before and after? What was Jesus trying to get at here?
Which people were represented by the dogs and the pigs in this metaphor?
What are the pearls and what is it that’s sacred?
Why shouldn’t you give them these things, and what does it mean that they might destroy both them and you?
Answers
Most commentators agree that Jesus intended these words to be a sort of counterbalance to what he’d just said in verses 1 to 5.
What does that mean? It means that while Jesus strictly warned us against making hypocritical judgements about other people, that doesn’t mean he wanted us to refrain from judging other people at all.
Leon Morris in the Pillar NT Commentary puts it like this: Disciples are not to be judgmental, but that does not mean that they are to lack discernment. They must recognize the realities of life.
Michael J Wilkins in the NIV Application Commentary says: Jesus … addresses a problem at the opposite extreme of judging hypocritically: naive acceptance. He calls for the appropriate discernment of right and wrong or good and bad, because in their everyday world disciples will have to make regular evaluations.
As always, you mustn’t focus so much on avoiding one problem that you end up at the opposite extreme. There is almost always a sensible balance to be found somewhere in the middle.
In this case, Jesus appears to be saying that there are some situations in which it is appropriate to make judgement calls about certain people and stay away from them.
To Western ears, that may not seem a very “Jesus-like” thing to say, but that is in fact entirely consistent with all of his teaching. The Western world may see acceptance and tolerance as the ultimate virtues a human being can display – Jesus did not.
Dogs and pigs
Jesus referred to these people metaphorically as “dogs” and “pigs”. That would have come across as a grave insult to his hearers.
In our culture, we might think of a dog as a beloved pet or trusted companion, or even as a member of the family. This was not the way people thought in Jesus’ time. While some dogs were at least partly domesticated and part of a household, Wilkins suggests that it’s likely Jesus was referring to semi-feral animals who: lived in squalor, running the streets and scavenging for food.
Likewise today we might think of pigs as being cute or intelligent, or we might think fondly of fictional characters like Peppa Pig (or not so fondly, depending on how old your children are…).
In the Jewish world in which Jesus lived, however, pigs were seen as unclean animals and could often be large, dangerous creatures causing damage to crops and homes.
Jesus did not intend any positive connotations when he used these animals as metaphors. He was describing people whose conduct was unclean and whose attitude was unholy and destructive.
Some people have argued that he was referring to non-Jewish people (since he used the word ‘dogs’ in this way elsewhere, e.g. Matthew 15:26, and also since pigs would rarely if ever have been kept in any Jewish community) but given that God’s plan was always to include faithful Gentiles in his chosen family, this seems unlikely.
It seems more likely he had in mind people of any ethnic or cultural background who responded to ‘sacred’ things and ‘pearls’ in a particular way.
Sacred things and pearls
Most commentators agree that this was probably a reference to the gospel message Jesus taught and which he would later command his followers to teach in his name.
His warning appears to have been that while Christians should never hypocritically judge others of being unworthy or unable to accept God’s saving message, nevertheless there will be some people who will quickly prove themselves (through their own conduct in response to it) to fall into that category. It’s best to step away from these people rather than continuing to press the issue.
Morris writes: We must bear in mind that some hear the gospel only to rebel. Disciples are not called on to keep offering it to those who continue to reject it with vicious contempt. Jesus taught all sorts of people generously, but before Herod he refused to say a word (Luke 23:9). Paul preached to the Jews in Corinth for a time, but in face of persistent rejection and hostility he turned away.
Wilkins adds: Something so valuable should not be given to those who have no appreciation for such precious truths; their nature is demonstrated by their rejection of that message.
Jesus’ warning was not simply that people would have no interest in the gospel, but that if pushed on the subject they might respond with verbal or even physical abuse.
Morris: Things of value and beauty will not only not be appreciated by pigs, but will be abused. What is precious is not to be given to people who have no appreciation of it.
Wilkins: The image here warns disciples of the danger of those who have rejected the message of the kingdom of heaven. It is a warning against mistaken zeal in proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to those whose only intent is mockery or ridicule, or worse.
Clarification
Now, none of this is to say that Christians should never preach the gospel in environments hostile to Christianity, or that we should give up preaching the moment we encounter pushback of any kind.
As anyone who has read through the book of Acts will know, the early Christians willingly risked their lives to spread God’s message, encountering intense hostility and even violence, and sometimes – in extreme cases – losing their lives.
I do not think that Jesus intended to give us a hard-and-fast rule to apply in literally every circumstance. There are many examples of people who initially reacted with great antagonism to the gospel, only to become Christians later in life. Paul the apostle is an obvious one. In the last century, there is the well-known story of David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz.
I think Jesus’ teaching here was, as I said before, a counterbalance to his initial teaching on not passing judgement. Essentially he was saying that judgements of other people should never be made quickly or hypocritically, but that doesn’t mean we should never judge. Sometimes it’s appropriate for us to make a judgement call on whether it’s worth continuing to preach the gospel to someone who reacts with ridicule or violence.
We should, of course, always pray for God’s advice and wisdom on the matter, and for him to direct us to those will (eventually) genuinely listen. Even then, in most cases it’s likely we’ll have to weigh up the situation for ourselves and make a decision on what to do. Jesus’ words here give us permission to make that decision for ourselves rather than requiring us to continue pressing on no matter what, and potentially putting ourselves or even our church in danger. Not all Christians are in a position to become martyrs for the faith.
Nihilist to Christian 