Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:6)

Matthew 7:6 KJV 1900

6 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.

Introduction

In this verse, Jesus references things that are sacred and valuable.

There are things that His followers possess which are holy.

The word holy refers to something or someone that is set apart, or dedicated.

It is regularly connected to words such as...

Holy Ghost

holy city

holy name

holy prophets

holy covenants

calling, first fruits, brethren,...

the list goes on and on.

We have been given access to these holy gifts for a reason.

The holy things in our life are for the purpose of glorifying God.

The holy things in our life are for the purpose of producing holiness within us.

The holy things in our life are for the purpose of producing holiness in others.

There are things which the disciples have that are valuable.

Jesus refers to pearls in this illustration.

Pliny the Younger said in 100AD that “pearls were the most prized goods in all of Roman society.”

Especially those pearls that came from the Persian Gulf.

Importing these pearls to Rome meant that they had to go through Israel.

It was during this age of the Roman empire that Pearls became widely sought after.

Some of the pearls that would have passed through Israel even made it as far north to the Vikings.

Jesus uses this modern example of something extremely sought after and valuable.

It’s not a stretch to connect the holy things with the valuable things.

It is in fact what Jesus is trying to get His listeners to understand.

The holy things in life are to be the valuable sought after things in the lives of His followers.

All of us have to answer the question regarding the things that we hold as holy and valuable in our life.

Do you treat as holy the types of things that a disciple of Jesus should hold as holy.

The things that you know are holy, are they valuable to you?

Or are the cheapened in your eyes?

Devalued holiness is a heart-breaking problem in the life of of a disciple.

It’s something we will come back to in a moment.

Jesus also references two animals: dogs and swine.

Our culture cannot comprehend the disdain that the contemporary Jewish culture had for these animals at the time.

Neither of them were domesticated.

Today we see dogs and pigs living inside people’s homes.

They can even be symbols of sophistication.

That was certainly not the situation for Jesus’ audience.

There were not hardly any other animals in their world that were viewed lower than dogs and pigs.

What makes this statement so eye-catching is the clear implication that Jesus is referring to certain people as dogs and swine.

He is not referring to dogs and swine though, because of their reputation.

He is referring to them because of their actions.

Swine that are presented with something valuable do not appreciate it and will just trample it in the mire.

A pearl or something precious means nothing to a pig.

If I had a handful of South Sea pearls, the most expensive pearls available, and I cast them out into the crowd, people would try to grab what they could.

But if I take that same handful, potentially worth over $100,000 and cast it into a pig pen, those pigs aren’t going to give them a second look.

They will keep on doing what they are doing and just walk over the pearls pushing them down into the mud.

Pigs represent an indifference to things are holy and valuable.

Wild dogs have a slightly different response, according to Jesus.

Whereas a pig might respond with indifference, a dog might respond with violence.

Imagine a child in Jesus’ day.

He doesn’t have the history or experience to know to leave stray dogs alone.

He sees a stray that seems hungry so he innocently tries to give the dog something to eat.

He extends his hand towards the dog as he offers it a piece of meat or bread.

The dog walks over and, in it’s hunger, smells the food and snaps at the child’s hand.

The dog’s teeth break the skin and cause the child to bleed.

Of course the child cries because it hurts, but if you know kids, he also cries because he is offended that the dog has rewarded his charity with pain.

Dogs represent an attack in response to things that are holy and valuable.

Jesus is using these animals to illustrate the responses that some people have to an offering of valuable, holy things.

Some are indifferent.

Some are hostile.

Jesus wants His followers to be judicious in their management of things that are holy and valuable.

He specifically tells them “give not” and “neither cast.”

Holy and valuable things should not be released to people who act like dogs and pigs.

How do we discern these things?

You’ll have to go back to last weeks message on judgment.

We must be judicious not judicial in our assessment of others.

This can only happen when we have undergone self-judgment for ourselves.

What does it look like?

Let’s think of something that is either holy or valuable.

Your children.

Your marriage

Your purity

Your eternity

Your relationship with God

Your reputation

could we go on...

Now, let’s think about how we might manage these precious things in our life.

If your kids are valuable to you; are you going to let an influence come in that will trample or tear up all that you have invested?

If your marriage is valuable; are you going to let another person come in that will disregard or actively oppose the sacred purpose of your marriage?

If your relationship with God is valuable; are you going to let someone else cheapen or breakdown your time with Him?

No, you are not going to do this because these things are precious to you.

That’s why we want to know and have a say in who is teaching our kids.

That’s why we don’t flirt with people that are not our spouse.

That’s why we don’t play with sins like pornography.

It’s why we don’t give ear to false teachers.

It’s why we don’t let recreation, laziness, or business come between us and our relationship with God.

We, as Jesus’ disciples, possess holy and valuable blessings.

There are people that do not care about the valuable things in our life.

There are people that actively seek to destroy the valuable things in our life.

We must be careful with how we manage the things that God has entrusted to us.