Matthew 7:6 – PIGSLOP OR PEARLS?
Atheist Richard Dawkins was in Australia recently for the GLOBAL ATHEIST CONVENTION which started in Melbourne on Good Friday. Dawkins is well known for encouraging his fellow atheists to ridicule those who claim to be Christians. "Mock them, ridicule them in public," he urged in one brief address. "Don't fall for the convention that we're all too polite to talk about religion." The so-called “Reason Rally” coincides with Easter Celebrations. Christians turned up to a “Reason for Faith Rally” in Australia, challenging Dawkins and his Atheist friends.
On Easter Monday night Dawkins participated in a televised debate with Catholic Archbishop Pell on faith and religion. Journalist Tony Jones who moderated the debate, described it as “a remarkable match-up - a title fight of belief,” according to the Canberra Times. The television program conducted a poll beforehand, in which 76 percent of the 20,000 Australian respondents voted that religious belief does not make the world a better place.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:6 (NIV) "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your PEARLS TO PIGS. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” Being likened to Dogs (a term used for Gentiles whom they despised) and Pigs (an unclean black-market animal, a demonic hiding place) is not exactly flattering, but it does get the point across.
The unmistakeable, musty, matted smell of DOGS, mongrels who scavenge among the refuse of the city, savage and hungry, is present on the same breeze that carries the aroma of burnt offerings.
Wild dogs lope in the side shadows, irresistibly drawn by their hunger, looking for opportunities to snatch scraps or attack if they can. They snarl at the vigilance of the temple guards, and resist their efforts to dissuade them. Jesus appears to be including the Pharisees as He speaks of dogs and pigs. The Pharisees of today still seek to devour Jesus and attack His followers. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT) says “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…”
So I bring my sacrifice to the temple, so to speak, to be presented to the Lord, amidst the crowds and noise of the city. A part of it will be burnt on the altar, part of it will be eaten by the priest, and part of it I will take home for my family. How vile it would be to desecrate the choicest pieces of my sacrificial offering by throwing it to dogs. No, I will freely lay it on the altar to God. I will not waste that which is sacred on those who would consume it’s benefits without a thought of its significance, then savage the hand that feeds them. My life of faith is not to be devoured by those who want to play games, mocking and ridiculing Christ.
Pigs will eat just about anything and a lot of it, so pretending to feed wild pigs is stupid. It gets them annoyed and they are liable to get vicious. A pig doesn’t want pearls. It wants slop not Salvation, grain not Grace, corn not Christ, muck-raking not Miracles.
Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 10:14 (NLT) “If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.” A pearl is priceless, but not to a pig. I need to discern who I speak to about Christ and who I allow to speak into my life. Those who make judgments which are critical and petty and derogatory concerning faith in Christ are the hogs and the dogs, false teachers who flatter the ears of the world and revile Christ with their course language, deceitful religious systems or self-willed lifestyles, those who parade reason as their motto but are unwilling to look beyond themselves.
In John 8:43-45 (NLT) Jesus says to those who reject and revile Him, “Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!”
Obviously it is no good wasting time on people who are not going to be receptive. No use trying to heal someone who wants to remain sick. No use casting out demons from someone who actively invites them in. No use casting pearls before pigs. No use preaching the gospel of “peace with God” to someone who is not receptive. No use speaking Words of Life to those who have committed spiritual suicide. Receptivity is important.
The disciples shake the very dust from their feet. Nothing given, nothing received. It’s as if the footprints in that place indicating your presence have disappeared in the dust. There is nothing to say that you have been there, and the influence and impact of God’s message is withdrawn …
… Yet the Father waits, knowing it is better to leave them, prodigal-son-like, hungry and wallowing in a purposeless pig-slop life in the hope that one day they will turn back home.
Pastor Ross
