You fed the pigs what?!

We’ve been away for a while. Sorry about that. We’ve had a wedding in another country, a move to a new town, three cases of bronchitis and a pregnancy (twins) which has kept our schedule pretty full. As wonderful as all that has been (except the bronchitis, thank you) we’re very glad to be back.

On to business. I’d like to chat a minute or two about a very popular reading of a very difficult verse, Matthew 7:6Matthew 7:6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
6 Don't give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don't throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.

WP-Bible plugin – “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.”

Now, many teachers and pastors interpret this to mean that there are some people who somehow resemble dogs and pigs with those certain dogs and pigs one shouldn’t share the gospel ( because how much more sacred can you get and what is worth more than pearls)? The thinking is that we not let the name of Christ be desecrated.

Probably popularized by Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, though certainly not originating there, this reading has floated around in one form or another for a long time. Personally, I have never understood this reading at all. It says essentially that some people are unworthy of Christ and how should we decide who worthy or not but to do the very thing that Jesus warns us of not seconds before, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” See what I mean? If you call somebody a pig, won’t God do you the same favor?

A few teachers have given a slightly more tolerant version: “Don’t share the gospel with those who would profane His precious blood.” But it still leaves a pretty bad aftertaste in your mouth, doesn’t it? ‘Profaning His precious blood’ sounds as though there were a limited amount of Grace to go around. Besides, being profaned didn’t Christ from doing anything.
Trying for a little more tolerance, ‘don’t speak the Gospel where it isn’t welcome lest you make enemies rather than friends’ seems much closer to Christ’s own intent – at least when Herod tried Him, Jesus kept His mouth shut.

On the other hand, lets try not to justify judging another person’s spiritual state. Discernment is one thing, but all too often, I at least, come dangerously close to trying to sit in God’s judgment seat. I am certainly in no position to judge anyone, at least not yet. Sons of the Most High God may be a high rank, but it’s one offered us by adoption, not birthright. And my wee finite vantage point doesn’t offer a very good view either. The message of Grace that we are all unworthy, no matter how vile and deep in sin we are.

Our Teacher knows we are prone to misunderstand. He gives us a parable about judging another person’s spiritual state a few pages later: the story of the weeds found in Matthew 13:24-30Matthew 13:24-30
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Weeds among the Wheat ²⁴ Jesus then told them this story: The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left. ²⁶ When the plants came up and began to ripen, the farmer's servants could see the weeds. ²⁷ The servants came and asked, “Sir, didn't you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?” ²⁸ “An enemy did this,” he replied. His servants then asked, “Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?” ²⁹ “No!” he answered. “You might also pull up the wheat. ³⁰ Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I'll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I'll have them store the wheat in my barn.”

WP-Bible plugin. The weeds in this story are “darnell,” a plant that looks so much like wheat that the Master tells the workers of the field that they (we?) must wait until the harvest to separate them otherwise we may pull up the good with the bad. I have understood this to mean that only God can separate the evil and the good and judging the spiritual state of another person is for Him alone.

Let us take this popular reading to its core point. If our Lord were giving such a terrific command as the popular interpretation calls for, and one of such importance as to literally “not give those violent and vile sinners what is holy of God lest they desecrate it and attack you,” surely Jesus Himself would never have even come! Emmanuel, Jesus, is the ultimate Pearl and we are all pigs. In fact, we were so violently opposed to His message that we put Him on the cross. More violent a reaction to the Gospel of Grace cannot be had.

This interpretation is the quintessential antithesis of Christ’s entire Gospel: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

WP-Bible plugin) It also seems to contradict that which was said before previously in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:8Matthew 5:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 God blesses those people whose hearts are pure. They will see him!

WP-Bible plugin)

Instead, may I offer my reading of this, which is admittedly colored by many influences? Jesus was speaking primarily to fishermen, carpenters, farmers and peasant laborers. Christ speaks in very down to earth terms, using imagery His audience would know. Sawdust, planks, wheat and pigs were good set pieces for His discourses. Also, pigs and dogs were terms used for foreigners, outsiders and pagans. Matthew, 15:22-28 describes such a use. Non-Israelites would not understand the message of God’s Kingdom that He proclaimed for they didn’t know God (John 4:22John 4:22
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 You Samaritans don't really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world.

WP-Bible plugin). This is largely because Israel hadn’t been doing their job, though: that of “Light of the World.” This is probably why Jesus tells His disciples not to go to foreigners when He commissions them in Matt 10. One does not sow grain on untilled soil. Even Jesus needed John to precede Him, “making the way for the Lord.”

As well, this phrase is found only in Matthew, not in Luke. If Jesus were giving such a (literally damning) command, surely Luke would have recorded it as well. Instead, Matthew’s Gospel is so strikingly Jewish and Luke’s so very Greek that Jesus’ comment about giving pearls to swine is very likely simply a Jewish idiom. In fact, people (particularly Middle Easterners) still call those they regard below themselves as pigs or dogs, particularly “infidels.” Western culture still uses “pearl of wisdom” or “nugget of wisdom” to mean a piece of advice. Matthew includes this where Luke doesn’t because Matthew appreciated the particularly beautiful Jewish poetry of it. He wrote it out forever in the Gospel we have. Luke left it out because he was writing to Greeks and it added nothing.

Jesus was (is!) Jewish, and Matthew 7:6Matthew 7:6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
6 Don't give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don't throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.

WP-Bible plugin comes in the middle of a discourse showing a strikingly wonderful Jewish pattern of speech and thought. Jesus displays a fantastic love of the literature and poetry common to the Hebrew language. A language in which He, and more importantly His listeners, grew up steeped in. He alludes to Torah and betrays a love for classic Hebrew imagery (both Jesus and the writer Matthew do) and uses it to great effect. We simply cannot take this verse out of context by quoting verses. Quite simply, Jesus didn’t speak in verses. (Neither did Matthew write them.) But we must look at the whole of this section, albeit we will start at (ahem) verse 1.

Jesus tells us to give back to God that which is His alone; the seat of judgment (Deut. 32:35Deut. 32:35
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
35 ; . Soon our enemies will get what they deserve z our enemies ... deserve: The Samaritan Hebrew Text and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text “I will pay them back.” — suddenly they will slip, and total disaster will quickly follow.

WP-Bible plugin) “It is Mine to avenge, I will repay,” and then alludes to Malachi with the measure. This is one of His great uses of parallelism, a chief attribute of Hebrew poetry in which something is said and then repeated another way. It is used over and over by both Jesus and Matthew. Jesus builds up layer upon layer in His story, then in classic Jewish form, He throws us a tiny moral play (note this) easily understood by those listening. One that He Himself would also know well: a story about carpentry, sawdust and beams. Then He says don’t be “actors” in such a play yourselves when He, quite wittily, calls them all hypocrites (Greek actors).

Everyone listening has thus far been reminded of a great godly truth, entertained with amusing poetry and imagery, and then been called out in their own sin.

He continues this line, digging deep (in verse 6) saying, ‘don’t give to dogs what is sacred, nor pearls to swine.’ In other words, very sharply yet sportively saying, ‘don’t force your opinion on others or shove your self-righteous moralizing down their throats. Don’t you see this is judging them? You look down your noses at others by telling them what you think is best; you look at them as inferior when you do so, as though they were swine and not made in the image of the Living God. Patronizing is neither needed nor wanted; it causes nothing but strife and they may bite you back for it.’

Jesus moves seamlessly from subject to subject, giving us the answer to the previous dilemma with the start of the next, ‘In lieu of judging others by force-feeding them your falsely pious advice – which they don’t want and won’t understand anyway – ask them to do what you would.’ “Ask, and it will be given,” He says simply. Jesus goes on and on about how gracious and generous His Father is, if you only ask. Is then, the method God made for communication with Him to be all that different from how we communicate with others?

All this imagery and poetry make the Sermon eternally memorable. It is at the same time blunt as a plank and sharp as a splinter and occasionally pithy to the point of sportive. He meant quite plainly to make the Law and Word of God understandable and applicable to everyone. Who else but God could distill the entire Law and Prophets to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?

Something else is often overlooked in today’s pulpits: 1st Century Jews still sought to be rescued from exile. Though they were in their own land, they were yet ruled by Rome and were more than a little anxious about it. Jesus is speaking to a nation called to be the light of the world, yet, as Tom Wright points out, bent on violent rebellion. Jesus quells this rebellion by saying, ‘let God be their teacher, let God be their judge. Patronizing people causes dissension, quarrels and war. Instead, Persuade by petition, encourage by entreaty.’

Jesus gave the best sermon ever given to a crowd of anxious farmers, searching vagabonds and lost ragamuffins and everyone loved Him for it. It was fun, beautiful, persuasive and shockingly convicting. He encouraged the low, chastised the ‘great’, shot at the high and haughty, and taught with utmost authority and ended by amazing everyone. Surely they understood. I have a hard time understanding why some people think Jesus contradicted, or even seemed to contradict, Himself when talking to a crowd of farmers encouraging their nationalistic ideals. If we don’t understand, perhaps it’s because we think too hard (or we are putting too many words in our Lord’s mouth). Maybe we should receive this a bit more simply: like a child (or farmer).

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet this
• Follow this posts comments
• Tell a friend
• Print for later