Value of Holiness

King James Version Chapter 7

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

This verse is in a sense an opposite understanding of what we saw last week in verses 1-5

There we looked at not esteeming someone or ourself at the expense of another

We discussed the cultures desire to use this passage to fend off accountability

But verse 6, being in the same context, protects against coming to this understanding

Jesus tells the disciples not to give something holy to dogs or the kingdom to pigs

At some level there needs to be some judging..or evaluating going on in order to determine who to keep these holy things from

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: The King’s Principles: True Judgment (Matthew 7)

As God’s people, we are privileged to handle the “holy things” of the Lord. He has entrusted to us the precious truths of the Word of God (2 Cor. 4:7), and we must regard them carefully. No dedicated priest would throw meat from the altar to a filthy dog, and only a fool would give pearls to a pig. While it is true that we must carry the Gospel “to every creature” (Mark 16:15), it is also true that we must not cheapen the Gospel by a ministry that lacks discernment. Even Jesus refused to talk to Herod (Luke 23:9), and Paul refused to argue with people who resisted the Word (Acts 13:44–49).

The reason for judgment, then, is not that we might condemn others, but that we might be able to minister to them. Notice that Jesus always dealt with individuals according to their needs and their spiritual condition. He did not have a memorized speech that He used with everybody. He discussed the new birth with Nicodemus, but He spoke of living water to the Samaritan woman. When the religious leaders tried to trap Him, He refused to answer their question (Matt. 21:23–27). It is a wise Christian who first assesses the condition of a person’s heart before sharing the precious pearls.

The Briefing

The New York Times. The headline is this: “English Cathedrals Offer More Than Exalted Architecture. But Mini Golf?” Specia writes, datelined from London, "The hallowed nave of a medieval church, with its stained glass windows and soaring arches, is usually thought of as a place for prayer and quiet reflection. Now, apparently, it is also a place for a slide four stories tall. This summer,” readers are told, "visitors to some of England's most imposing and ancient cathedrals will find carnival rides, a mini golf course, a lunar landscape, and a lifelike model of the earth dangling from the ceiling."

"Inside Norwich Cathedral in the east of England, a colorful 55-foot-tall slide — known as a helter skelter — winds past the 12th-century stone pillars. The Rev Canon Andy Bryant, Norwich Cathedral's canon for mission, said it offered visitors a new perspective on the ornate ceilings and on the faith more generally." He said, and I quote, "This is a deliberate attempt to help people engage with our cathedral. There is this idea," he said, "that the helter-skelter makes it all brash and noisy, but people are going on to see the cathedral in all of its glory."

“The Bishop of Lynne, the Rt Revd Jonathan Meyrick delivered his sermon from halfway up the ride.” The bishop said, "God is a tourist attraction."

"God," said the Bishop, "wants to be attractive to us... for us to enjoy ourselves, each other, and the world around us and this glorious helter-skelter is about just that."