Pearls Before Swine
It’s hard to believe that the Savior of the world would ever call someone a “dog” or a “pig/swine.” In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus had just discussed hypocritical judgment and how someone ought to remove the beam out of their eye before trying to help another with the speck in their eye. On the heels of that and with the same breath, He makes this statement, “do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” What does He mean? Of course, we must look at the spiritual parallel to this physical example. We’re not talking about literal dogs, literal pigs, and literal pearls. He’s talking about sharing divine truth and meeting people who are unreceptive and even openly hostile to it. Consider a few ways people may behave as “dogs” or “pigs” from this context.
If people are not listening to what you’re spiritually saying to them except to try to use it against you, you may be casting pearls before swine. The religious leaders of the day did this to Jesus in repeatedly trying to trap Him in His words (Matthew 26:3-4; Luke 10:25). Many online discussions/comments today that I’ve witnessed have simply been an example this. Someone has a whole lot to type and a fine-tooth comb trying to trap someone in what they say or to use it against them. Jesus says, “don’t feed the animals.”
If someone is not exercising James 1:19 in a spiritual discussion, you might be casting your pearls before swine. James 1:19 says, in context about the word of God, “let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.” Sometimes in religious discussions, someone who feels like they have it all figured out will simply be waiting for their turn to speak and will trample very evident “pearls” of truth because they have not listened. Discussions can quickly become arguments in these cases and Jesus says, “don’t feed the animals.”
If someone turns the discussion and attacks your character or your behavior without cause, you might be casting your pearls before swine. Religious debates used to be held on the regular, and sometimes when a speaker knew his position had been soundly defeated and that he didn’t have a leg to stand on, he would begin a character attack and savage the man and not the man’s position. Shallow people without a defensible position will simply resort to this type of character attack and when that happens, Jesus says, “don’t feed the animals.”
If someone is openly defiant and cross and has stopped their ears and become argumentative, you might be casting your pearls before swine. Note that it is no accident that Jesus speaks of pearls and not gravel. What we have to offer is of great spiritual value, just not to dogs and pigs. Some people only want to mock, ridicule, argue and devour, and Jesus says they have made their hearts virtually impenetrable to the gospel (see Matthew 13:18-19). However, our attitudes and actions towards these people MUST be in the wisdom and the love of Jesus (Colossians 4:5-6). It’s not a Christian’s purpose to be a “dog-catcher” or a “bacon-maker” but to share the “holy pearls” of divine truth with those who will listen and to be wise “not to feed the animals.”
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