Sunday Sermons

Pearls and Pigs

Mark Dunagan
07/10/05 - Sunday Evening

Pearls and

Pigs

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

Healthy Balance

“At first sight and hearing this is startling language from the lips of Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, and indeed immediately after His appeal for constructive brotherly behavior, but Jesus always called a spade a spade. His outspokenness led Him to call Herod Antipas ‘that fox’ (Luke 13:32), and hypocritical scribes and Pharisees ‘whitewashed tombs’ and a ‘brood of vipers’ (Matthew 23:27,33). Here He affirms that certain human beings who act like animals, may therefore be accurately designated ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs’” (Stott p. 180). Here we find a healthy balance. On the one hand, we are not to judge others while we are guilty of the same thing or something even worse (Matthew 7:1-5). On the other hand, we are not to ignore their faults either and pretend that everyone is the same.

Dogs and Pigs

“The dogs that Jesus had in mind were not the well-behaved lapdogs of an elegant home but the wild dogs, vagabonds and mongrels, which scavenged in the city’s rubbish dumps” (Stott p. 181). The idea is that a Jew would never hand over “holy food” (perhaps food that had been previously offered in sacrifice) to such wild dogs. Nor would they ever dream of throwing pearls to pigs. “Not only were they also unclean, but they would probably mistake the pearls for nuts or peas, try to eat them and then—finding them inedible—trample on them and even assault the giver” (Stott p. 181). In the context, the dogs and pigs are people who persistently reject either the gospel, or attempts from brethren to turn them back to the truth. Jesus is warning us that not everyone and not every brother is going to appreciate our attempts to help them overcome a sin. Peter spoke of unfaithful Christians as “dogs” (2 Peter 2:20-22). Observe that failing to value and appreciate the message that the Christian has, the gospel, means that one does not really have any “taste” and is like a dog or pig that will eat just about anything without appreciating any of it.

“What is Holy”

Why did Jesus give this teaching? Because well-meaning and humble Christians sometimes are so conscientious that they feel guilty for not attempting to talk to someone “one more time”. Jesus is trying to protect us. If someone is rejecting the gospel or refusing to come back to God, Jesus does tell us we must realize when we are not making any progress. Remember, the world is filled with lost people and spending all our time on one person means that we can’t spend our time with others who need the gospel. In addition, even Christians can forget that the “pearl” that we have, the gospel message, deserves to be treated with respect. Too often we linger in a conversation where the things connected with God or even God Himself is being ridiculed. We have a sacred and holy message, the very words of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In addition, the Bible is not merely one pearl among many, but rather the kingdom of God, salvation in Jesus Christ, and the gospel are the pearl of great price. We do have the most priceless possession that anyone would ever share with another human being.

Old Testament Counterpart

“He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you” (Proverbs 9:7-8). Note, one is not born a scoffer or predestined to play this role. The fool does not have to become such a person, for the fool can change (9:4,6). But the scoffer is the person who hears the invitation offered by wisdom (possibly many times) and yet rejects it. This is the person who has determined to remain a fool. “Gets dishonor for himself”: “When someone corrects him he responds in an attitude of hatred by lashing out with insulting verbal abuses” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 924). “He is the person who will not live by wise and moral teachings and is not content to let others do so without his cynical mocking…Strife, insult and abuse are second nature to this cynical heckler” (Gaebelein p. 949). “The further one goes with folly or wisdom, the less or the more one will put up with the criticism which is wisdom’s teaching-method” (Kidner p. 83).

Of course the question is, “How do I tell the difference between a scoffer and a non-scoffer?” I believe that the above truth is much like Jesus’ comment about not casting one’s pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). That is, you must first feel some of their cynicism and rage before you realize that they are indeed a scoffer. Do not keep on trying to rebuke or correct the person who just keeps rebuffing your attempts. These are the people who resent your moral standards, your wholesome speech, and trust and faith in God. They try to make you look like the bad guy. Isn’t it ironic that the people in our society who boast the most about their “open-mindedness” are probably more closed-minded towards the truth than anybody else! Far from being open-minded, the homosexual activist, the abortion advocate, and the promoter of pornography are all scoffers and are close-minded to the truth. You will find yourself severely rebuked, hated and challenged, if you merely attempt to reason with them.

Bible Applications

· When Jesus was dealing with the crowds who clamored for more loaves and fishes (Luke 6:26), rather than continuing to feed them, He preached to them a sermon that scattered the ones who were unwilling to accept Him (6:60-68).

· Jesus refused to give additional signs to those who would not accept previous miracles (Matthew 16:1-4).

· He refused to perform for Herod (Luke 23:8-9).

· He commanded the disciples to move on to other cities when some would not receive the apostle’s message (Matthew 10:11-14).

· Paul personally practiced not throwing his pearls before swine (Acts 13:44-52; 18:5-7; 28:17-28).

“They shook off the dust of their feet”

“In this silent witness, the Apostles were relieving themselves of the responsibility for the judgment of that house or city (Ezekiel 3:16-21; 33:7-9). Your blood is on your own heads; we are blameless and leave you to your doom. While you reject us and our message, the fact remains that you are responsible for what we have tried to tell you” (Fowler p. 304). “This act by the departing apostles, witnessed no doubt by those who had just thrown them out of town, was not an idle or childish act of resentment, but would have had grave meaning to the Jews who had been urging the persecutors on. The dust of heathen lands as compared to the land of Israel was regarded as polluted and unholy. Therefore to shake off the dust of any city from their feet was to place that city on a level with the cities of the heaven” (Reese p. 493). These verses inform us that there needs to be almost a horror when someone rejects the gospel, we need to come to terms with the fate that they are choosing for themselves and the penalty that they will pay (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). They are not simply rejecting our opinion, rather when they reject the gospel message; they are rejecting the message from the Creator (1 Thessalonians 2:13 “you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what is really is, the word of God”), and are actually choosing eternal doom over eternal life (Acts 13:46).

Luke 16:15

“You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God”

God sees the true motivation behind their act (Matthew 6:1ff; 1 Corinthians 13:1ff; Hebrews 4:12-13). The verse also reveals that God is often disgusted with what man praises or the people whom the world praises. God does have a completely different value system than the world. What the world views as foolish and weak, God views as strong and wise (1 Corinthians 1:27).

The Great Possession

“Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).

· There is one great possession in this life and it is a relationship with God. One truth and one great reality does exist, to which nothing else can compare (Philippians 3:7-8).

· This relationship with God never goes on sale. No matter who you are or what stage of life you find yourself in, being right with God will always demand a total commitment (Luke 14:26).

· Compared to the kingdom of God, everything else, even things of value or all lesser pearls, come in a distant second.

· This man does not argue with the price set on this one unique and exceptional pearl. He was willing to pay the full price that just happened to be everything he had.

· This man does not resent the cost and neither does he haggle.

· The kingdom of heaven is composed of people who realize that they can actually live without all lesser prizes, but that they cannot live without being right with God. The true believer does not settle for second best.

· It is not enough to simply admire this pearl from a distance or stop in and look at it now and then.

· Serving God is the most beautiful and priceless thing in the world. “Let us remember what the Kingdom is. To be in the Kingdom is to accept and to do the will of God. That is to say, to do the will of God is no grim, gray, agonizing thing; it is a lovely thing” (Barclay p. 97).

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/ 503-644-9017