The Pig is Not the Point
On the shores of Galilee, near the city of Capernaum, up on a hillside, crowds followed Jesus. Finally, he stopped, turned and spoke. They sat, covering the slopes before him, and listened. We call it the Sermon on the Mount. What a moment that had to have been. I’ve walked that shoreline, looked out on Galilee, tried to memorize the horizon line, and pretended I could hear His voice. The Sermon on the Mount lasted for days — no one knows the exact amount of time it took. Beautifully He began by speaking directly to the hearts of those gathered around Him. He spoke to the “poor in spirit”, to “those who mourn”, to the “meek”, to those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, to the “merciful”, the “pure in heart”, to the “peacemakers”, and to those who were “persecuted because of righteousness”. He acknowledged the hearts of those who sought after Him. Who drank in His truths. Who craved His teachings.
And He said, “theirs is the kingdom of Heaven”, “they will be comforted”, “they will inherit”, “they will be filled”, “they will be shown mercy”, “they will see GOD”, “they will be called children of God”, and then He said again, “theirs is the kingdom of Heaven”.
The Sermon on the mount covers 3 chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. Within 111 verses and less than 2,400 recorded words Jesus addresses who will be blessed, who is salt and light, the law, anger, lust, divorce, vows, revenge, loving enemies, giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, money, worry, judging others, asking-seeking-knocking, how to get to Heaven, fruit in people’s lives and solid foundations.
It’s a miraculous collection of truths.
While we in America read it in English, we should remind ourselves that Jesus most likely spoke the words in the common language of that day in that region, the language his disciples used, Aramaic. Imagine with me how that might have sounded.
Each line of each 111 verses holds more in it than we can imagine. It’s pure truth dripping into an impure world.
This reach-for-more-of-Jesus focuses on the words spoken on the mount penned at the beginning of Matthew 7. The chapter opens with Jesus teaching us to not judge others. He is clear when He says if we judge others, we will be judged as well. He then teaches to be careful to remove the board, or plank, from our own eye before we try and address the speck in another person’s eye. Then he says something that is all too often wrongly applied and misused. In verse 6, Jesus spoke these words,
“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 turn and tear you to pieces.”
Recently I was sitting with a dear young lady who faces a tedious challenge in a relationship that matters to her. She was hurting because she felt that whatever she said to the other person would be overlooked or even ignored. She had tried to explain herself more than once, only to later realize the person had misinterpreted her words. She had prayed about the situation, and prayed for them. But she wondered, “How can I possibly be heard accurately and the good I’m trying to say be remembered correctly?” For what she was working to communicate was not harmful to anyone; she simply wanted to be heard and remembered accurately. The other person, so it seemed, had their own agenda. So as I spoke with her we reflected on this verse.
…“do not throw pearls to pigs…”
She cringed.
She didn’t think of the other person as a “pig”, she loved them. And yet there is great value in looking more closely at the words Christ spoke. The pig is not the point, the pearl is.
Jesus was laser focused on the pearls. Pearls represent truth. Jesus knows we people need truth. We need to be able to rely on what is true and distinguish it from what is false or untrue. Jesus knows that the enemy focuses on confusing truth. Satan works to camouflage untruths and present them as counterfeit truths. Jesus was clear that we should not spend time giving what is sacred, holy, and honorable to dogs and we should not throw pearls of truth to mud-wallowing, slop-craving pigs.
The point is to hold sacred what is sacred and carefully deliver pearls to those reaching for them, to those who know the value of what they are being given.
In this world, we who love and serve the King, must pause to recognize when the sacred things are being treated carelessly. We might not realize we’re serving up pearls when pods and rotten food is all they actually want. We imagine the one in front of us wants what is good and true and holy — when sadly they might just want what they want. Pods laid in a trough is good enough in their opinion.
Notice Jesus prefaced this teaching with “Do not judge”…and “remove the plank from your own eye”. Verse 5 is powerful soul-nutrition, “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.” We can only ever know if a person will receive pearls after we’ve removed the planks from our own eyes. And even then, we must realize that not everyone wants us coming close enough to see their speck… And sometimes they do not want the speck removed. They might even choose their “speck”. They might feel safer with the speck; they might want the distance it secures them from those with plank-free-clear-eyed-vision.
Amazingly our Jesus was brave enough to reveal that there are those who will defile what is sacred and trample on the pureness of pearls. But we will only be able to “see” them honestly if we are willing to keep our eyes clear of planks and specks. For me, that’s my full time job. Keeping my eyes, thoughts, focus, attention, and motives clear of the debris this world constantly produces allows me to better recognize when the blurred vision of another, with their speck or plank, causes them to trample what is good. I’ve encountered many people who wanted what they wanted, dirty as it might be, rather than what was right, honest, true, good, and upright.
Do they need their speck removed? Would they live more wonderfully if their plank was removed? Yes and yes. But sadly, so sadly, we must face the reality that some people like planks and specks more than pearls and peace.
But that’s not the end of it. Drink in what Jesus said next. In Matthew 7:7,8 our good Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Do we see it? The goodness of God; the kindness of Jesus on the slopes overlooking Galilee?
He said — don’t judge others — clean out your own eyes before you try and remove something from theirs — and realize some prefer the un-sacred and will trample the pureness of pearls — oh but never forget —
If
they
will
turn
to
me
and
ASK
SEEK
KNOCK
The door will be opened to them, it will be given to them, they will receive.
Then, finally, and from HIS good hand — They will receive what is sacred. For He will know they are finally able to see what they are receiving — sacred, life-giving pearls of truth and peace.
When we encounter people who don’t hear us, who divert our words, who can’t receive the good we are trying to bring them, it hurts. When they change the narrative to better match their plans. When they can’t see our heart of love because their eyes are still blurred with specs and planks. We can know, trust, and rely on this beautiful truth.
Our Father eagerly waits for them to ask Him. Seek Him. Knock at His door. And HE WILL remove the planks, wash away the specs, apply the healing blood, and wrap His arms around them.
If we have to walk away because they refuse the pearls we offer them — all is not lost. The Father never sleeps and His arm is not too short.
Pray for them.
We must maintain clean eyes so we can see what is sacred and hold the pure pearls of truth. And trust that the One who loves them most knows the beginning clear through to the end. And He goes after everyone.
HE IS THAT GOOD.
