Hogs and Dogs

Happy Sunday! If you're in the Atlanta area next weekend, I'll be leading the Easter Sunrise Service at Arlington Cemetery. We begin at 6:30 that morning. It's a beautiful venue, and I'd love to see you there.

Last week we looked at the first five verses of Matthew chapter 7. There Jesus told us not to be judgmental. In verse six that we study today, it seems that we're told to be very judgmental. Here Jesus says, "Do not give what is Holy to dogs, and do not throw your Pearls Before Swine, or they'll trample them under foot and turn and Maul you."

So how do you mesh verses 1 to 5 to verse 6? Well, it takes wisdom. What Jesus is really saying here is that we are to be careful. We're warned not to be judgmental, and here in verse six we're warned not to be foolish. It would be foolish to give things of Great Value to wild dogs and Swine.

The picture here is not of the dogs we know today, not our family pets. These dogs are vicious mongrels that run in packs and are very dangerous. Every Jew listening to Jesus's words that day knew that swine were unclean, and offering a pearl of great price to a wild hog would be ludicrous. The true meaning here lets us know that if people are not open to receive the gospel that is presented to them, it's Pro prudent to move on.

There are several biblical examples of this. When Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to spread the good news, he told them this in Matthew 10:14 and 15: "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."

Later on in Acts chapter 18, we see Paul say this in verses 5 and six: "When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his sandals, his from his clothes, and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads. I am innocent. From now on I'll go on to the Gentiles.'" There are several examples of moving on.

One of the saddest sections to me in all of scripture is found in the 13th chapter of Matthew. There we are told, "Jesus came to his hometown, and he began to teach the people in their synagogues, and they were astounded, and they said, 'Where did this man get this wisdom and these Deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are we not, and are not all his sisters here with us? Where then did this man get all this?' But they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are, prophets are not without honor except in their own hom town and in their own house.'"

And in verse 58 we read these words: "And he did not do many Deeds of power there because of their unbelief." Isn't that sad? "He did not do many Deeds of power there because of their unbelief." There are times when our energy would be better spent elsewhere.

Now, the truly difficult part is trying to figure out who the dogs and Hogs are. I watched an old movie the other day, and it was filmed in 1970. It's called The Cross and the Switchblade. Do you remember that movie? It's a true story of a pastor named David Wilkerson.

He went to New York City to preach to the gangs that were wreaking havoc on the city, and as the movie unfolds, God shows up, and many of the gang bangers became Believers in Jesus. As the Book of Matthew ends, we're given the Great Commission to go and to preach to all the world and make disciples. Back to the question: who were the dogs and the Hogs? To be honest, it can't be defined by a particular group or region. David Wilkerson proved that.

It's on a caseby casee basis. I believe that's why Jesus began telling us not to judge. We cannot rule out anyone until we have tried to share the love of Jesus with them. If they continue to refuse, uh, perhaps it's time for you to shake the dust off and move on. Who knows, maybe the next day God will send someone else to try and reach that person or those people.

I guess the best way for me to put this is to say that we should try with everybody, and God will let us know if it's time to stay or if it's time to go. Our message is valuable. Our time is valuable. We should do our best to make the most of we what we have been given.

Pray with me. Lord, give us wisdom. But one of the things we learn here is that we should be casting our Pearls Before the world. We should be telling the good news of Jesus Christ. More often than not, it'll be to someone that will be responsive, I hope, hope. But when it's not, help us to move on.

We look forward to next week, Easter Sunday. Father, ahead of time we pray for a great day all over this land. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray, amen. God bless you. Thanks for being with me today.