Matthew 7:6“Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. Least they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.
This morning we are going to talk about hogs and dogs…a verse that in the minds of many seems a little out of place when you look at where it falls in the context of the Sermon on the Mount.
There’s much in the Sermon on the Mount that is appealing…but then when you come to this verse many find its words to be a little shocking and ugly.
This verse is a continuation of last week’s message where we talked about the often mis-quoted and mis-applied verse regarding ‘judging’ … “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” …hopefully we set the record straight regarding what this verse actually means.
In Matthew 7:1 Jesus is NOT telling us that we shouldn’t judge…but rather… how to judge… this verse is suggesting there are times when we must make judgements…Jesus is teaching us that we have a responsibility to show discernment and good judgment when it comes to assessing the behavior of others.
BUT…at the same time Jesus wants us to be aware of the danger of being overly critical of people…judging people superficially…hypocritically…or using a self-righteous attitude…so he offers us some advice on an approach to help prevent us from abusive judgement:
3 “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
As in [v 1] Jesus is warning us against evaluating people and condemning them based on our standards of judgment…all the while…ignoring our own faults while hypocritically presuming to help others eradicate theirs…judgment that is wrong.
BUT…also noting that there is no such thing as a small sin…some are splinters…and some are logs…but they are all sin regardless of the size.
So, to keep us in balance, Jesus gives this command to His disciples: “Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. Least they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. [7:6]
Here we have dogs, pigs, pearls and someone being ripped to shreds. What’s going on here?
Calling people hogs and dogs really seems so out of place after reading [vs. 3 & 4] where He’s calling us to evaluate ourselves before judging others.
BUT…on closer examination these words are very much in keeping with Jesus’ teaching elsewhere in the Scripture.
As Jesus often does, He uses confusing ideas when relating a truth…here He is using unclean animals…dogs and hogs…later in His ministry Jesus explained why he spoke using confusing ideas…”Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…” [Matt. 13:11].
Did you notice what was given to the disciples? …it had been given to them “to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” …such knowledge is not a product of human study…you don’t gain knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven by simply going to school or reading the Bible…it is a gift of God’s grace.
Let’s look at this little verse in greater detail…because it’s easy to become shocked by the seemingly negative tone of this verse while failing to see the positive.
Jesus uses two metaphors to describe what has been entrusted to us…the first is “what is sacred”
In the Greek it reads “what is holy” and coupled with the definite article it makes it mean “the holy (thing)” …what is this “holy” thing? …I suspect…that a Jewish listener hearing these words would have thought immediately of the holy offering given as a sacrifice to God on the altar…in the Old Testament these offerings were to be handled very carefully and reverently.
…the altar on which the sacrifice was offered was called “most holy” (Exodus 29:37; 40:10)
…the utensils used to offer them on the altar were called “most holy” (Exodus 30:28-29)
…and certainly, the offerings themselves were called “most holy” (Lev. 2:3. 10; 6:17, 25; 7:1; 14:13; 27:8).
…Sacrificed meat offerings were to be eaten only by the priests [Lev. 6:29] in a holy place [Lev. 7:6; 10:12. 17. 24:9]
Nothing was allowed to last past the third day lest it be treated in a common way. The meat offered to God upon the altar in the temple would have been thought of as “the holy” thing…and to take “what is holy” and throw it to the dogs as if it were a common thing would be an act of unspeakable inappropriateness… exhibiting a completely sinful lack of discernment.
Only things that were utterly unfit for people would be thrown to dogs [Exodus 22:31] – and certainly not the holy thing offered on the altar would ever be considered as unholy.
So, when Jesus speaks of “what is holy” in this verse He is clearly speaking of something greater than simply how meat on the altar is to be honored…this “holy thing” is serving as a metaphor for something as sacred and honored as the sacrifice itself…So…what exactly is this “holy thing” meant to illustrate to us?
I think Jesus’ intention is broader than the sacrificed meat…in the original language the very same phrase used here…”the holy” …is used to describe Jesus …Peter rebuked the Jewish people in the temple by telling them that they had delivered up Jesus to be crucified; saying, “… You have denied the Holy One…” (Acts 3:14).
So, I would suggest that when Jesus speaks here of “the holy thing” He’s making a general reference to anything that has to do with Him…as our Savior…as a sacrifice for sin…His teachings…Scriptures…and…even the desire to lovingly remove a speck from a brother’s eye…it’s ALL to be treated as a sacred and honored thing.
It’s all to be titled …”HOLINESS TO THE LORD” (Zech. 14:20).
But…I think another answer to the question…what exactly is this “holy thing” can be seen in the context of [verses 1-5].
Symbolizing the sincere effort to rebuke sin in a fellow believer…doing the very holy work of helping a brother with the ‘speck’ in his eye…once the ‘board’ is removed from our own eye.
Jesus then uses the second metaphor to describe what has been entrusted to us…He speaks of this trust as “pearls”…pearls in the Bible are symbolic of godly wisdom…something precious.
Jesus told a parable about a pearl: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).
This parable is meant to illustrate that those who truly belong to His kingdom are willing to lose…to give up…all worldly possessions to obtain it…which will lead them to eternal blessings.
SO…based on the pearl of great price and the importance of acquiring it…by looking elsewhere in the scriptures the pearl could be understood to mean the sacred truths of the gospel.
That Jesus is our “most holy offering” before God…and the “pearl” that has been entrusted to us is understood as being symbolic of the precious “mysteries” of the kingdom…a privilege that has been granted to us to know.
Don’t ever let yourself treat the mysteries of the kingdom lightly…don’t ever despise the things that have been entrusted to you by Christ…don’t talk of the deep things of God and declare the great things God has done for you to those who will only mock and criticize them.
This is where the hogs and dogs come in…having told us about the great value in the things we have been given…He then uses two metaphors to describe the character of those who…scorn…mock …and criticize the things of Christ, calling them hogs and dogs.
This is one of only two places in the Bible in which dogs and pigs are mentioned together…the other mention of these two together is found in a less than favorable verse…describing those who hear the Word…escape the sinful desires of this world through the knowledge of Christ…only to then wander away from the faith and return to their former sins…not a pleasant ending.
Peter says that it would have been better for such people to never have known the way of righteousness…than to have known it and to turn away from it… [2 Peter 2:22] …Jesus refers to them as “dogs”.
There are two Greek words translated “dogs” in the New Testament…one (κυνάριον – 2952) refers to a little house dog…a pet – such as the “little dogs” that are permitted to eat the children’s bread crumbs that fall from the table [Matthew 15:26] …they’re harmless.
But that’s not the word Jesus uses in this verse…the kind of dog He speaks of here (κύων – 2965) would not be the kind of dog you would let anywhere near the table of little children…this is the scavenging kind of dog that ran around in packs and growled when you approached it.
Revelation makes a comparison between this kind of dog and people…it is used as a metaphor for an utterly despicable person…”But outside are dogs and sorcerers, the sexually immoral, murderers, and idolaters…” [Rev. 22:15] …this kind of dog was used to describe those who were opposed to God and who made themselves the enemies of God’s people.
Paul used this same word to describe those who were opposed to his ministry …He told the Philippian believers: “Beware of dogs…of evil workers” [Phil. 3:2].
The metaphor that is used is that of pigs…there are two kinds of dogs in the Bible …some cute and others that are dangerous…but there is only one kind of pig in the Bible…it was forbidden to be around pigs because they were unclean…and as such…could not be eaten as food [Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8]…to eat “swine’s flesh” was considered an act of idolatry [Isa. 65:4; 66:22].
In the Book of Maccabees a Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes wanting to do the most despicable thing possible sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed pig in the Holy of Holies in an act of blasphemy toward God.
The reason pigs are outlawed is…the characteristic of pigs is that they are un-discriminating…pigs will eat anything…good or bad…probably why Jesus used them as a metaphor… it gives us a picture of someone who doesn’t have the spiritual ability to recognize the value of something given to them…unable to discriminate between good and what is bad.
Two reasons why Jesus says NOT to share ‘holy things’ and ‘pearls’ with hogs and dogs:
…FIRST “they trample them underfoot . . .” that’s a picture of taking the precious things of Christ that are worthy of great honor and defiling them in a careless and thoughtless manner.
As Christians we’re to be discriminating in how we share the precious things of Christ…not allowing them to be trampled underfoot by someone who hates them or who can’t appreciate the value of them.
…SECONDLY…after trampling the precious things of God underfoot, they then “turn and tear you in pieces”…spiritual dogs and hogs don’t just defile the precious things of God, they will also try to destroy the one who presents it.
Jesus is saying we should handle the sacred things of God with the utmost sense of their eternal value…because it is sacred trust that has been given to you by Jesus Himself…and…therefore refuse to share them with those who would trample them
underfoot and disrespect them.
This sounds harsh…almost as if we’re to be selective who we share the Gospel with…sounds to be in direct opposition to the ‘Great Commission’
Here’s what the entire six verses are saying…we are to practice good discernment both in how we ‘judge’ people…and in who we share the precious things of Christ with…because some people clearly prove all they want is to mock the things of Christ and to argue in hardened unbelief the truths of the Bible…leave them alone.
Well that sounds discriminatory…let me share with you why you are to avoid those who would trample the truths from Scripture:
Paul writing to Titus: (Titus 3:9-11).
9 avoid foolish disputes and contentions for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Proverbs 9:7-9:
He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you…and he will be wiser.
The Pharisees were offended at Jesus’ teaching…Jesus said, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14).
Jesus’ solution was not to try to correct them…but leave them alone in their offense.
These examples illustrate what Jesus is telling us in this verse…there is a healthy balance between the two extremes…we should maintain a balance by remembering that we are not to expose the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have no other purpose than to trample it and return to their own evil ways.
Sharing the gospel with someone who continually scoffs and ridicules Christ is like casting pearls before swine…they don’t appreciate it…I will discuss the Bible with anyone…but I will not argue about the things in the Bible.
When someone shows themselves to be a “dog” or a “hog”, we’re not to dishonor the things of Christ by giving them the opportunity to trample them underfoot…and…allow them to attack us for proclaiming the truth.
BUT…at the same time…there’s a fine line here…we are also not to be rude or unloving toward those who reject the gospel.
Are we to share the gospel? YES…but…when it becomes apparent that the gospel is not welcome…we are to move on…we are not responsible for people’s response to the good news.
Jesus’ instruction on how to handle rejection was to simply go elsewhere.
Pigs don’t appreciate pearls…and dogs are opposed to God and make themselves the enemies of God’s people.
This verse is not so much about sharing the Scriptures with people as it is a warning of who NOT to share Scriptures with…some people don’t appreciate what Christ has done for them…our job is not to force conversions or cram the gospel down people’s throat…there’s no sense in preaching the value of pearls to swine.
BUT…There are people who do need to hear the gospel…who are ready to hear it…our job is to do that…TWO WAYS:
- Is to verbally share with those the pearls of truth from the Scripture.
2) We may not always be able to ‘speak’ to someone about the gospel…but we can always ‘show’ Christ to them by how we live our lives.
Either way…it is then in the power of the sovereign God who will bring conviction to hardened unbelievers through what we say or in the life we live.