Matthew 7:6 contains the words, “Don't give what is holy to the dogs and don't cast your pearls before the swine.” Lots of people have wondered what Jesus meant. Here's what I think.
This verse comes immediately after Jesus says that we should not judge others and that we should work on the log in our own eye before we take the speck out of someone else's eye. I believe that he adds the next part to help us set some boundaries for the verse on judging. See, we are to be loving people even to those who are not so kind to us. It’s possible that someone comes along and tells us that we shouldn't judge them no matter how they act with their words or deeds. So Jesus is telling us that we don't have to put his teaching out there in front of just anybody because these "anybodies" might just use our own loving ways to turn against us.
Let's take another example. Jesus tells us to forgive everyone. So someone in our life continues to hurt us because they know that we will continue to forgive them. Well, surprise, surprise. We are going to put our pearls back into our pocket and give them what for (in a manner of speaking).
Recall in John 18, when Jesus was arrested and officers hit him, he asked them forcefully to state what he had said that was wrong or give a good reason why they slapped him. You can only push loving people so far before they call you to account for yourself. Even Dietrich Bonhoeffer finally set the limit for Hitler.
Christians are to be generous from their hearts but they are not fools to be taken advantage of by the wiles of Satan or the world. And one day folks are going to have to answer for the way they have persecuted God's children.
And Christians, don't get snooty, because we are going to stand before the same Judge.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor George
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