We’ve been working our way through Jesus Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7. His sermon is a precious treasure filled with wisdom and truth. So far, we’ve covered 16 topics. Each one is like a precious pearl in a beautiful necklace. I encourage you to go back and study them. Treasure these teachings for their priceless wisdom. Incorporate them into your heart and live their principles in everything you do.
Today, we will look at one single
verse; three short sentences from Matthew 7:6.
Matthew 7:6
6 “Don’t waste what is holy
on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will
trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
Jesus says not to throw your pearls to pigs. For Jews in the 1st century, pigs represented ungodliness. Their idea was rooted in thousands of years of religious and cultural practices outlined in the Hebrew Bible. Leviticus forbids Jews from eating. Pigs were a symbol of impurity. I love bacon, ham, and pork chops. But for the Jews in Jesus’ day, the thought of eating these was as revolting as eating a dog or a horse might be for us today.
In
167 BC, the King of Syria captured Jerusalem.
And as a way to assault Jewish culture, they desecrated the Temple by
sacrificing a pig to Zeus on the sacred altar.
This was a sacrilege that horrified Jews and was remembered right down
to the time of Christ. It was still at
the forefront of everyone’s mind when Jesus said, “Don’t throw your pearls to
pigs!”
Pigs
represent those who may disrespect, reject, or abuse sacred truths. And the pearls in Jesus’ metaphor represent
the sacred truths of God’s Kingdom.
Pearls were highly valued treasures in ancient times, just as today. These rare, naturally formed jewels were traded all around the ancient world and symbolize purity, beauty, and wealth. Whether or not you love bacon, it’s easy to understand the literal meaning of Jesus’ warning: “Don’t to throw your pearls to pigs!”
But
what are the pearls in your life? What
are those things that are precious and sacred to you? Things that you want to be protected,
preserved, handled with great care, and honored? The first thing that comes to my mind is my wife and children. They are precious to me. I don’t want any harm to come to them—especially from callous, careless
behavior or people who would disrespect or reject them. I know you feel the same way about people you
love. You wouldn’t want anyone to mistreat them.
But
Jesus has some specific things in mind when He says, “Don’t throw your pearls
to pigs!” He’s talking about His teachings. These
are the most precious pearls of all. These pearls are priceless because they have the ability to transform your
whole life. Not only can they transform your life, but they have the potential to transform
your family too. They can set you free from sin. They can
fill you with joy and an abundant life. They can help you live in harmony with God and people. They offer you eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven! They are absolutely precious and sacred! And Jesus says, “Don’t throw your pearls to pigs!”
Well then, we need to know who the pigs are.
Pigs represent those who may disrespect, reject, or abuse our sacred truths. But who are they?
This is something that takes wisdom and discernment.
As
I’ve prayed about it this week, I’ve been hearing this: the pigs are not people. The Jews of Jesus’ day believed the pigs were the Gentiles—people who weren’t
Jews, who weren’t circumcised, who didn’t follow the Laws of the Hebrew
Bible. The Romans were pigs! But that’s not what Jesus believed. He
believed God loved all people—both Jews & Gentiles.
On
the other hand, the Romans thought the Jews were pigs. They were weak, untrustworthy, backwards,
uneducated, uncivilized, and ungrateful.
The Romans saw the Jews as a people who would not get with the program
and come into the modern, global order the Romans were trying to establish. To the Romans, the Jews were pigs! But that’s not what Jesus believed. Jesus believed God loved all people—both Jews
& Gentiles. And all people bear God’s image—an image that is a pearl in an of itself. People are not the pigs. People are
precious.
You may know some people who seem more like pigs than people to you. Maybe they look different and act different. Maybe you don't understand the things they do. Maybe their attitudes or behavior it makes you really angry. Maybe they even seem more like animals or even monsters. Surely they are pigs, right? People are not pigs. People are precious.
But
sometime people are overcome with evil, selfish desires that push us down into
the mud. The real pig is the Sin that makes people reject God and seek their own sinful,
selfish ambitions. All people bear the image of God. All
people are of sacred worth. But not all people are ready to receive the precious pearls of Christ’s Truth because the “pigs” of evil are still running rampant in their hearts.
This
is a hard Truth for us to accept because we want to stand in judgement of some
people. We want to say, “There are just some people who are pigs. They are irredeemably bad.” But then we remember Jesus words just one verse before in Matthew 7:5 that
says, “Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see
well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
It
is not for us to judge whether a person is good or bad. Only God can judge. Yet, we do need to be careful. We don’t
want to throw our pearls to pigs. It's not about labeling people but discerning attitudes and receptivity to
spiritual teachings.
Be prudent and patient. You wouldn’t let a dog wear your great grandmother’s pearl necklace (or a 2-year-old for that matter). They couldn’t appreciate the preciousness of those pearls and they wouldn’t respect and care for them properly. It’s not that your dog (or your child) is bad; they’re just not capable or ready for the responsibility. It wouldn’t be appropriate at this time.
The
same may be true when it comes to the precious pearls of Jesus’ truth. Someone may not be ready for it. You
can’t just go throwing your pearls at them willy-nilly. The pigs may trample them in the mud and even turn to attack you!
Remember,
Jesus’ first step was to call people to repentance. “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near!”
Until people repent and turn to Jesus, they’re not be ready for the precious
pearls He offers. Jesus offers forgiveness to everyone, but first they must repent.
Pray
for the Holy Spirit’s guidance when discerning interactions with others. Ask for wisdom and insight to understand their spiritual needs and the readiness
of individuals. God will show you if and when it is time to share your pearls with
someone. Until then, be patient and be careful.
While
you wait, you can lead by example. You must! Demonstrate
Christ’s teachings through your actions. Let your life be a testimony to the
transformative power of the gospel. Sometimes,
actions speak louder than words and can influence others positively. And pray for people the whole time. Pray that God will prepare them to be ready
when the time is right. Pray that you will be ready to speak when the time is right.
Don’t
be discouraged if someone doesn’t respond right away. Keep praying! Some may initially appear unreceptive or even reject Christ outright, but this could
change over time. Remember, Jesus is the
one who changes people’s heart—not you!
His ministry was marked by patience and persistent love for all people. And Jesus calls us to be patient and
persistent too as we seek to make disciples who follow Christ.
Following Jesus means treasuring His teachings—really knowing what He wants of us and cooperating with the Holy Spirit to live it out. These Sacred Truths are precious, and we should treat them with honor and respect. Jesus calls us to share His love and truth with all people, because God loves everyone and He made everyone in His image. But we need His wisdom about how and when to show our pearls to others. We can’t just cast our pearls all around carelessly. We must be patient and pray for God’s guidance to know when and how to share the sacred Truth of the Gospel with people.
So
I challenge you to evaluate how you are taking care of your precious
pearls. Are you honoring the sacred and avoid the mud of worldly sin? Are you walking closely with the Lord, so you will know how to share His Gospel
with people? Repent of your sin and live for Jesus.
For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Closing Prayer
Lord,
grant us wisdom and discernment, and a deeper understanding of Jesus'
teachings. Guide us in living out these
precious principles so our actions reflect the transformative power of the
Gospel. Amen.
