Tuesday (June 25): "Do not throw your pearls before swine"
Scripture: Matthew 7:6,12-14
6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you. 12 So whatever
you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and
the prophets. 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way
is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those
who find it are few.
Meditation: What can pearls and narrow gates teach us about God's
truth and holiness?
In the ancient world pearls were of very great
value and were even considered priceless. They were worn as prized jewels
to make a person appear more beautiful and magnificent to behold. Holiness,
likewise, is a very precious jewel that radiates the beauty of God's truth,
goodness, and glory. God offers us the precious gift of his holiness so that
we may radiate the splendor of his truth and goodness in the way we think,
speak, act, and treat others. We can reject or ignore this great gift, or
worse yet, we can drag it through the mud of sinful behavior or throw it
away completely.
Pearls before dogs and swine
Why does Jesus contrast holiness and pearls with dogs and swine (Matthew
7:6)?
Some things don't seem to mix or go together, like fire and
water, heat and ice, sweat and perfume, pure air and poisonous vapors, freshly
cleaned clothes and filthy waste. The Talmud, a rabbinic commentary on the
Jewish Scriptures, uses a proverbial saying for something which appears inconguous
or out of place:
an ear-ring in a swine’s snout. Jesus' expression
about "pearls before swine" and "not giving dogs what is holy" is very similar
in thought (Matthew 7:6). Jewish law regarded swine as unclean. Wild dogs
were also treated as unfit for close human contact, very likely because they
were dirty, unkept, lice-infested, and prone to attack or cause trouble.
What is the point of avoiding what is considered unclean? Jesus’ concern
here is not with exclusivity or the shunning of others (excluding people
from our love, care, and concern for them). His concern is with keeping spiritual
and moral purity – the purity of the faith and way of life which has been
entrusted to us by an all-holy, all-loving, and all-wise God. The early church
referenced this expression with the Eucharist or the Lord’s Table. In the
liturgy of the early church, a proclamation was given shortly before communion:
Holy things to the holy. The Didache, a first century church manual stated:
Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist except those baptised into
the name of the Lord; for, as regards this, the Lord has said, 'Do not give
what is holy to dogs.' The Lord Jesus invites us to feast at his banquet
table, but we must approach worthily.
Jesus summed up the teaching of the Old Testament law and prophets with
the expression,
So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so
to them (Matthew 7:12) – and in the same breath he raised the moral law
to a new level of fulfillment and perfection. God's law of love requires
more than simply avoiding injury or harm to one's neighbor. Perfect love
– a love which is unconditional and which reaches out to all – always seeks
the good of others for their sake and gives the best we can offer for their
welfare. When we love our neighbors and treat them in the same way we wish
to be treated by God, then we fulfill the law and the prophets, namely what
God requires of us – loving God with all that we have and are and loving
our neighbor as ourselves.
How can we love our neighbor selflessly, with kindness, and genuine concern
for their welfare? If we empty our hearts of all that is unkind, unloving,
and unforgiving, then there will only be room for kindness, goodness, mercy,
and charity. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans
5:5). It is the love of God that fuels our unconditional love for others.
Are you ready to let the Holy Spirit transform your life with the purifying
fire of God's love?
The narrow gate and way
Jesus used a second illustration of a
narrow gate which opens the
way that leads to a life of security and happiness (Matthew 7:13-14)
to reinforce his lesson about choosing the one true way which leads to peace
with God rather than separation and destruction. The Book of Psalms begins
with an image of a person who has chosen to follow the way of those who are
wise and obedient to God's word and who refuse to follow the way of those
who think and act contrary to God's law :
Blessed is the man who walks
not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits
in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on
his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). When a path diverges,
such as a fork in the road, each way leads to a different destination. This
is especially true when we encounter life’s crossroads where we must make
a choice that will affect how we will live our lives. Do the choices you
make help you move towards the goal of loving God and obeying his will?
The Lord Jesus gives us freedom to choose which way we will go. Ask him
for the wisdom to know which way will lead to life rather than to harm and
destruction.
See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and
evil. ...Therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live
(Deuteronmy 3:15-20).
Choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15).
Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death (Jeremiah
21:8). If we allow God's love and wisdom to rule our hearts, then we can
trust in his guidance and help to follow his path of love, truth, and holiness.
"Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am – a
pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives
I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends
and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity,
apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out towards others."
(Prayer attributed to Clement XI of Rome)
Psalm 48:1-10
1 Great is the L
ORD and greatly to be praised in
the city of our God! His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the
far north, the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
4 For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded, they were in panic, they
took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail.
7 By the east wind you did shatter the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the L
ORD
of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes for ever. [Selah]
9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory;
