What does Matthew 7:6 mean?

[Neostarwcc]

Matthew 7:6 reads:

"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."


What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

 

[1an]

Matthew 7:6 reads:

"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."

What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

“Don’t give holy things (scriptural teaching) to depraved men. Don’t give pearls (of wisdom) to swine! They will attack you, and crush the wisdom into the ground.
.

 

[A_Thinker]

Matthew 7:6 reads:

"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."


What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

Matthew 7:6 reads:

"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."

What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

I struggle(d) with this text also.

My current understanding is in line with my understanding of the Parable of the Sower, which is that hearers will have differing reactions to the gospel message. Some will be accepting, some will disdain the gospel, ... and some will be outright contentious.

I beleive that in the text you are asking about, Jesus is counseling that we not "waste" our witness of the gospel upon those that are clearly antagonistic to it ... or whose lifestyles indicate that it will have no effect on their lives.

Casting your seed (i.e. the gospel) indiscriminately results in much wasted seed, ... and risks savage opposition (as Jesus, Himself, ironically faced).

It is good to employ some strategy in sharing the gospel message.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Matthew 7:6 reads:
"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."
What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

If you post or quote or speak God's Word in the midst of the enemies of God,
they will mock you and gnash their teeth and trample you
and no good (for most present there) will result. i.e. "they win", like on open forums open to the public and to groups that do not trust God.

 

[Spirit Child of God]

Jesus is saying; do not give his spiritual food {His holy wisdom of spirit salvation} to spirit blind people, because they will not appreciate your holy truth, or understand you, and they will only hate you for it! All Jesus words are spirit; therefore, all his parables apply to the spirit.

 

[Hidden In Him]

“Don’t give holy things (scriptural teaching) to depraved men. Don’t give pearls (of wisdom) to swine! They will attack you, and crush the wisdom into the ground.

My current understanding is in line with my understanding of the Parable of the Sower, which is that hearers will have differing reactions to the gospel message.

If you post or quote or speak God's Word in the midst of the enemies of God,

Jesus is saying; do not give his spiritual food {His holy wisdom of spirit salvation}

Greetings. My take here is that the word "pearls" is not simply in reference to either the gospel or scriptural teaching or even God's word in general. It is a reference to revelation given directly by the Spirit of God (Matthew 16:17). Like pearls, Jesus equated these revelations to "treasures" elsewhere, gained through insight concerning both Old and New Testament teachings (Matthew 13:52).

As for the word "rend," Jesus was referring specifically to the threat of being dragged before the Sanhedrins and scourged and beaten, after reported by the scribes and Pharisees (the swine, or spiritually unclean) for purportedly teaching "heresy."

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

As for the word "rend," Jesus was referring specifically to the threat of being dragged before the Sanhedrins and scourged and beaten, after reported by the scribes and Pharisees (the swine, or spiritually "unclean") for purportedly teaching "heresy."

That doesn't happen here on the forum.
Can you think of any way that those who speak the truth are accosted/ "silenced" on the internet ?

 

[Hidden In Him]

That doesn't happen here on the forum.
Can you think of any way that those who speak the truth are accosted/ "silenced" on the internet ?

No. All is peace and harmony, LoL.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Perhaps a minor point to add - folks have already given the obvious and correct answer that it refers to spiritual wisdom not being given to those who would oppose it and even attack you for sharing it -

But I would add that in doing so, they damage their souls even further, harden themselves further. Humans tend to pride, and what they have at one time argued, they can have an "investment" then in continuing to defend their position. Sharing spiritual things at the wrong time can thus be damaging. We don't want to contribute to the damage of any soul, so fine discernment and wisdom is better to exercise.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

No. All is peace and harmony, LoL.

Sorry, I can't read between the lines in this case.

Is that sarcasm, irony, facetiousness, or something else ?

i.e. we are all in so deep, it's best and honest to realize nothing here (on internet) should be accepted as real nor as healing most, and 'humor'? is one way to illustrate and deal with it.

 

[Hidden In Him]

Sorry, I can't read between the lines in this case.

Is that sarcasm, irony, facetiousness, or something else ?

i.e. we are all in so deep, it's best and honest to realize nothing here (on internet) should be accepted as real nor as healing most, and 'humor'? is one way to illustrate and deal with it.

I'm just playing, Jeff. I burned out on taking things too seriously around here quite a while ago. I normally don't even get involved much these days. I'm just jumping in for a second to say hello.

 

[Halbhh]

Matthew 7:6 reads:

"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."


What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

It never means the gospel, nor the most basic well known scriptures, which are available for all of humankind to find and read and learn, if they would. It is true that I would not take certain scripture passages that are so wonderful (to believers) as the part to tell to an antagonist non-believer though, but instead find something else, trying to give them the part they themselves personally need the most. For some even I might on one day or hour only tell them that God said "love your neighbor as yourself", as a way to teach them the most basic reality about God, so that they have something instead of total misinformation that they start with (and then pay attention to how they react to the idea of loving your neighbor).

There's discernment as to whether someone has a truly hardened heart, or are merely confused or misinformed and sometimes asking one of the many basic questions like "why is there suffering".

But this 'pearl' means often a unique, precious thing that happened to you, or that you found, you'd only whisper to a good friend, and wouldn't share with many people, because of how amazing and unbelievable in some ways it is and you don't want that overwhelming wonder and awe and transformation to get misunderstood and disrespected by someone without a clue that such things can be.

Some miracles at least are meant for us to in time testify about, especially if we have more than one we witnessed I think. But still one can gauge who we are talking to and where they are at.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I'm just waiting for one of those people with a dog avatar to respond...

On a more serious note, I look at history to see where this response has happened, and it generally seems to be that when the spiritual leaders of false religions are proselytized by Christian missionaries, one or both of two things almost always results: either those leaders construct a false "Christian" religion and continue to be spiritual leaders of their people, or they turn and persecute the ones who almost converted them.

For example, I have heard that a head Zoroastrian priest in Persia seemed to be on the verge of conversion to Christianity, when he turned suddenly and made it his mission to kill all Christians. Mohammed, a prime example, was a pagan priest who "converted" by adopting only some Christian ideas, making a new religion that was equally false, but a great deal more successful. His religion also made it their objective to persecute Christians.

Perhaps I am biased from having known a leader from a Satanic cult who converted to Christianity and attempted to become a Christian leader, using false and sometimes depraved ideology over Biblical truths. The fact remains, however, that these people are spiritual leaders for the sake of being spiritual leaders, not because they have anything true to offer, but because they like to be followed. It also holds true that they are less concerned with having truth to offer than that they have something that people will believe. Giving a nugget of truth to a liar will not make him honest; it will only make him a more effective liar.

If you look at whom Christ railed against during his time, here, it was always the religious leaders who taught things that related to, but missed, the truth. In fact, I'm not aware that he ever really got worked up about anyone other than religious leaders. I think it's safe to say, then, that the most likely candidate for the swine and the dogs is probably the same sort of people that he made a habit of condemning. He may have even specifically intended it to mean the Sadducees and Pharisees.

 

[RaymondG]

The carnal mind can not comprehend the things of the spirit. So it is pointless to discuss them with people who are without. Doing so would only confuse them and make them ridicule you.

"And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:"

The way to heaven is a narrow path.... often too narrow to walk next to someone else.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

He may have even specifically intended it to mean the Sadducees and Pharisees.

Yes, then and now. Today watching what is happening, and what has happened in the last year, 50 years, 100 years, 1000 years, yes, still true.

 

[paul1149]

"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."

This verse can be joined to the ones immediately above it, where the Lord tells us not to judge, lest we be judged. Our first reaction to that might be to swear off all judging altogether. But the Lord is not saying to abandon exercising our moral faculty, He's saying to view and judge things from God's Kingdom perspective. We are neither equipped nor called to render eschatological judgment, nor should we be comparing others unfavorably to ourselves ("comparing themselves on to another, they are not wise", Paul says somewhere). Our prime goal is to impart life, not to judge, but judgment is still necessary. To emphasize that we are to continue to judge people and circumstances on a benign practical level, without our pride injected into the evaluation, He thus goes on and warns us to distinguish swine in order to be able to protect what is good and innocent in any given situation.

 

[Neal of Zebulun]

I believe 2 Peter 2 is a good cross reference.

 

[Halbhh]

This verse can be joined to the ones immediately above it, where the Lord tells us not to judge, lest we be judged. Our first reaction to that might be to swear off all judging altogether. But the Lord is not saying to abandon exercising our moral faculty, He's saying to view and judge things from God's Kingdom perspective. We are neither equipped nor called to render eschatological judgment, nor should we be comparing others unfavorably to ourselves ("comparing themselves on to another, they are not wise", Paul says somewhere). Our prime goal is to impart life, not to judge, but judgment is still necessary. To emphasize that we are to continue to judge people and circumstances on a benign practical level, without our pride injected into the evaluation, He thus goes on and warns us to distinguish swine in order to be able to protect what is good and innocent in any given situation.

Certainly it's a topic of great urgency to understand what Christ meant by judging. For instance, to learn more, and include His words to us:

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

That is, to include all He said on judging, including other things He said about judging correctly, to get it all right.

Our modern American need to learn the difference between judging/condemning a person as a person compared to judging an action -- that is enough of a deeply needed teaching topic really to need its own separate thread I think.

 

[fhansen]

Matthew 7:6 reads:

"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."


What exactly does this mean? Can somebody help me understand what this verse means? Because I haven't the foggiest idea.

 

[Hidden In Him]

This verse can be joined to the ones immediately above it, where the Lord tells us not to judge, lest we be judged. Our first reaction to that might be to swear off all judging altogether. But the Lord is not saying to abandon exercising our moral faculty, He's saying to view and judge things from God's Kingdom perspective. We are neither equipped nor called to render eschatological judgment, nor should we be comparing others unfavorably to ourselves

Agreed. His driving point was for the disciples to both avoid strife and be above reproach. One of the beatitudes at the beginning of the teaching was "Blessed are the peace-makers," not mediators between conflicting parties but believers who are quick to reconcile themselves to others, in the sense Paul meant when he said "as much as is in you, be at peace with all men" (Romans 12:18). We must continually seek peace with all men, including even enemies of the truth whenever possible. Because of this, we shouldn't antagonize them through unnecessary condemnation (for the Lord will be their judge), and we certainly shouldn't share revelations with them which we know will only set them off. We should know better. This is why James said, "wisdom from above is first of all peaceable." In other words, it is not presented to others if it will only generate strife (James 1:19-20), nor in a manner that only generates strife.

There are times however when the sinner must be chastised, and this is why it states, "as much as is in you, be at peace with all men." But the kingdom of God will be filled only with those who seek peace and pursue it.