What does Matthew 7:6 mean?

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

That which is holy is the objective truth while the subjective truth would be your own experiences with Christ as your pearls recieved in most likelihood. Both dogs and pigs are unclean according to OT law. 2 Peter 2:12, Philippians 3:2 points to religious people that are uncircumcised in heart. Hypocrites. They are heartless and quite capable of trampling you underfoot if not careful.

For instance I shouldn't be telling this ... but.. I went back to bed after posting this (it's still early on the west coast) and in my mind's eye I saw a pair of hands taking off layers of an onion. I thought yup that's exactly what your doing with me Lord but what is it going to end up being? A pearl onion was the reply. I laughed.

 

[Neostarwcc]

About this article Battlestar, how can it be about spreading the gospel when the gospel didn't exist yet? This is in the Sermon on the Mount. No one knew He was even the Messiah yet, nor is it the focus of the Sermon, nor is it even addressed in the Sermon.

You bring up a really good point. I think the writer of the article thought that it meant the gospel because In the verse I quoted in Mark earlier (Mark 16:15) Jesus gave us the command to spread the gospel. Another good question would be how could Jesus have given us the command to spread the gospel when he hadn't died yet and the gospel didn't exist? He's God so he knew ahead of time that he was going to die and that the gospel would exist to save people from their sins right? We on the same page so far? So, with that being said maybe when he gave the command to not cast your pearls before swine he knew ahead of time that people were going to object to the gospel being preached. And there's no point in trying to force a person to convert right? I don't know, I'm not Jesus so I don't know Jesus's exact command here which is why I opened this thread in the first place. I'm just trying to understand Jesus's words here. It's just one interpretation of the verse that could exist and I thought the article was interesting and brought up some good points too.

 

[Neostarwcc]

I see you asked me but then read the article. The article gives a pretty good treatment to what it addresses. And since it's only an article (and not a book) it meets its goal, so I'm not criticizing.

The only thing I would have said is ... try to understand everything that is said as a whole. Don't pull out the one verse and try to stake your whole activity on it. I'm not saying you are actually doing that, and it is good to study Scripture in little bites too. But the whole message, the whole Gospel, points to living a life of faith. There is a great deal to that - though Christ well sums it up in the simple "love God, love people - all the rest tells us HOW to do that. And all of the how is important, and each part informs the rest.

That's all I would add. And it's not something we read once, synthesize, and forever live. It's something we grow into, are transformed into. Continually, never "arriving". But by the grace of God, we hopefully keep getting closer to being like Christ, and as a result, become more effective - as far as it depends on us. Of course the other person and God Himself figure into it too, so we alone aren't so important. We just do our little part faithfully, hopefully.

God be with you.

You bring up some good points too. I'm trying to incorporate Jesus's words as a whole, yes. It's just that this particular verse I had some problems understanding. There were a couple of other verses too that I had some difficulty understanding that I might open up threads about. I really wish Jesus were here on earth now so we could all ask him questions but, not yet. I realize that this is a lifelong process and that I won't learn to obey all of Jesus's commands at once. I just think that if I loved Jesus (And I think I do) then I would obey his commandments. I love how it's all summed up in one simple verse "Love God and Love others" treat others the way you want to be treated... etc. That's quite easy to do.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Regarding "the Gospel" ... it is not limited to "how to become a Christian" as it is often thought of.

The angelic host in Luke 2 announced the Gospel/Good news to the shepherds which was the birth of Christ.

There was a Gospel before the crucifixion/resurrection.

But after that time, it was necessary to include those vital facets as well.

 

[SolomonVII]

The last commission of the Risen Jesus was for us to evangelize. We are to take the message to the market square, in other verses
.
Maybe the idea is that what we have in our possession is more akin to pearls and treasure than propaganda pamphlets and leaflets. We have something of great value. We ought to therefore make sure that people actually want it before we throw it at them willy nilly. like slop to a pig.
Truth be told, for people who have no interest, the faith has less value than slop to a pig for people who are not interested. Maybe a little business acumen would go a lot further. Treat what you have with value, and that will get people's attention.

 

[~Anastasia~]

You bring up some good points too. I'm trying to incorporate Jesus's words as a whole, yes. It's just that this particular verse I had some problems understanding. There were a couple of other verses too that I had some difficulty understanding that I might open up threads about. I really wish Jesus were here on earth now so we could all ask him questions but, not yet. I realize that this is a lifelong process and that I won't learn to obey all of Jesus's commands at once. I just think that if I loved Jesus (And I think I do) then I would obey his commandments. I love how it's all summed up in one simple verse "Love God and Love others" treat others the way you want to be treated... etc. That's quite easy to do.

I think you are on the right path. And it's wise to get input from others. (Though it sometimes can be difficult to discern between answers.) Being ON the path is what is vitally important though.

I must say that I had to smile when I read your last statement - that it is quite easy to do (loving God and others). Sometimes that is quite true, and when we train ourselves in following Christ it can become largely the natural thing.

But yet ... there are times when it can also be quite challenging, due to the circumstances. Maximos the Confessor's centuries on love (400 statements) in the Philokalia can be incredibly challenging to actually do. (Such as actually valuing an enemy to the degree we do our loved one.) But they demonstrate radical love in action. Again, it's something we grow into.

I think you're on the right path. I pray we all are, since that is what's important.

God be with you.

 

[DavidFirth]

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 had wondered about this, too, for many years. Later I learned by experience that it means exactly what the first reply in this thread said.

 

[Neostarwcc]

I think you are on the right path. And it's wise to get input from others. (Though it sometimes can be difficult to discern between answers.) Being ON the path is what is vitally important though.

I must say that I had to smile when I read your last statement - that it is quite easy to do (loving God and others). Sometimes that is quite true, and when we train ourselves in following Christ it can become largely the natural thing.

But yet ... there are times when it can also be quite challenging, due to the circumstances. Maximos the Confessor's centuries on love (400 statements) in the Philokalia can be incredibly challenging to actually do. (Such as actually valuing an enemy to the degree we do our loved one.) But they demonstrate radical love in action. Again, it's something we grow into.

I think you're on the right path. I pray we all are, since that is what's important.

God be with you.

Well it can be difficult. Like there are certain people in our lives that we don't want to love and care for. Like for example, I knew a rich guy who scammed me out of $80. It doesn't sound like a lot of money but to somebody who's living off of SSI it's a lot of money. Plus, it was the principle of the thing. Not to mention he was very rich and he could wipe his butt with $80. He just didn't have a paypal open in his name and I decided to do the guy a favor. He said he'd pay me back and now it's almost 10 years later and he never did. I've brought it up to him multiple times and he keeps saying he'll pay me back but he still to this day, hasn't. I held a grudge against him for it. It took me a really long time to forgive him but eventually I did after he banned me from the forums he's a moderator of for calling him a scammer. Now I pray for his soul a lot because he thinks that because he has money that he doesn't need Jesus. I hope someday he comes to know Jesus in his life.

I'm glad you think I'm on the right path. It's really hard to forgive some things and to let them go. But, I know with Jesus's help all things are possible.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Actually, Jeff, if I were to have answered your question seriously, I think too much personal application of the scriptures takes place at the expense of accurate interpretation of what the passages actually referenced in their own time. Jesus was referring to physical persecution, such as takes place in some parts of the world today. Of course, in American culture, it can be and usually is watered down to apply to being verbally accosted, but this is in my opinion a prostituted and superficial application of the words "lest they turn and tear you to pieces."

And on the internet, how do 'they' turn and tear you to pieces' ? Realize this is not really open for discussion , since it is contrary to the rules. (being banned from threads or the site for posting anything truth that offends anyone not in truth)

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

I think you are on the right path. And it's wise to get input from others. (Though it sometimes can be difficult to discern between answers.) Being ON the path is what is vitally important though.

I must say that I had to smile when I read your last statement - that it is quite easy to do (loving God and others). Sometimes that is quite true, and when we train ourselves in following Christ it can become largely the natural thing.

But yet ... there are times when it can also be quite challenging, due to the circumstances. Maximos the Confessor's centuries on love (400 statements) in the Philokalia can be incredibly challenging to actually do. (Such as actually valuing an enemy to the degree we do our loved one.) But they demonstrate radical love in action. Again, it's something we grow into.

I think you're on the right path. I pray we all are, since that is what's important.

God be with you.

Thumper may have said it best "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all"

 

[~Anastasia~]

Well it can be difficult. Like there are certain people in our lives that we don't want to love and care for. Like for example, I knew a rich guy who scammed me out of $80. It doesn't sound like a lot of money but to somebody who's living off of SSI it's a lot of money. Plus, it was the principle of the thing. Not to mention he was very rich and he could wipe his butt with $80. He just didn't have a paypal open in his name and I decided to do the guy a favor. He said he'd pay me back and now it's almost 10 years later and he never did. I've brought it up to him multiple times and he keeps saying he'll pay me back but he still to this day, hasn't. I held a grudge against him for it. It took me a really long time to forgive him but eventually I did after he banned me from the forums he's a moderator of for calling him a scammer. Now I pray for his soul a lot because he thinks that because he has money that he doesn't need Jesus. I hope someday he comes to know Jesus in his life.

I'm glad you think I'm on the right path. It's really hard to forgive some things and to let them go. But, I know with Jesus's help all things are possible.

Yes, it can be hard.

But in there can be a lesson.

I have had a person literally seek to infiltrate and destroy all aspects of my life - systematically trying to turn my family against me, visiting my neighbors and my work, my landlord, my Church, and my daughter's school, all for the purpose of spreading stories against me (I know that sounds paranoid, lol ... it's really hard to believe a person would put forth that effort, which makes the victim look crazy). I've had a person lie and withhold wages when we desperately needed the money for basic necessities - and this was someone in the Church I went to at the time, which I found made it harder to forgive. And there was parental kidnapping of my daughter where I didn't know where she was or if she was ok for a few years, which drove me nearly out of my mind. And some other abuses. All had to be forgiven, and turned to love. It took years of struggle in some cases.

Not everyone is easy to love, it's very true. But learning to forgive and love them anyway is some of the best spiritual discipline I've found. Even so it takes ongoing practice. I don't think we ever get to the point that we are "there" ... we must always expect things can happen to tempt us in various ways, whether with unforgiveness or what have you. The enemy knows our weaknesses and never gives up entirely.

But God can use it all for our good if we let him.

Sometimes we might like to ask for rest during the process though.

God be with you.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Yes, it can be hard.

But in there can be a lesson.

I have had a person literally seek to infiltrate and destroy all aspects of my life - systematically trying to turn my family against me, visiting my neighbors and my work, my landlord, my Church, and my daughter's school, all for the purpose of spreading stories against me (I know that sounds paranoid, lol ... it's really hard to believe a person would put forth that effort, which makes the victim look crazy). I've had a person lie and withhold wages when we desperately needed the money for basic necessities - and this was someone in the Church I went to at the time, which I found made it harder to forgive. And there was parental kidnapping of my daughter where I didn't know where she was or if she was ok for a few years, which drove me nearly out of my mind. And some other abuses. All had to be forgiven, and turned to love. It took years of struggle in some cases.

Not everyone is easy to love, it's very true. But learning to forgive and love them anyway is some of the best spiritual discipline I've found. Even so it takes ongoing practice. I don't think we ever get to the point that we are "there" ... we must always expect things can happen to tempt us in various ways, whether with unforgiveness or what have you. The enemy knows our weaknesses and never gives up entirely.

But God can use it all for our good if we let him.

Sometimes we might like to ask for rest during the process though.

God be with you.

I know how that goes. But Jesus did say if we don't forgive others than we won't be forgiven. So to not forgive others and then to say "We're saved!" would basically be calling Jesus a liar. I think that eventually Jesus and the Holy Spirit lead us to forgiveness where we need to forgive though. Like in your case forgiving those people who wronged you and learn to love them and in my case Learning to love and forgive the rich guy who wronged me. It was a life lesson to learn and I'm glad we both learned it. Maybe eventually we both with learn to love and forgive others perfectly.

 

[Hidden In Him]

You bring up a really good point. I think the writer of the article thought that it meant the gospel because In the verse I quoted in Mark earlier (Mark 16:15) Jesus gave us the command to spread the gospel.

I understand, but Mark is only 16 Chapters long, which means He says these words at the end of His ministry, whereas He teaches the Sermon on the Mount at the every beginning.

He's God so he knew ahead of time that he was going to die and that the gospel would exist to save people from their sins right? We on the same page so far? So, with that being said maybe when he gave the command to not cast your pearls before swine he knew ahead of time that people were going to object to the gospel being preached.

Well, yes, in a sense. See, receiving revelation of the truth of the gospel would qualify under the definition I originally gave of "revelation received directly from the Spirit of God." Back then the message that the Son of God allowed Himself to be crucified was not something anyone was being taught from birth like many Christians experience growing up today. It was a VERY strange thing to teach at the time, so only those to whom it was being revealed were accepting it.

Now to suggest that Jesus was teaching something that would primarily only become applicable in the future is indeed plausible. He did indeed do this on other occasions, such as when He predicted that the Gentiles would eventually receive salvation (John 10:16).

The only problem is that saying He was referring to preaching the gospel in Matthew 7:6 doesn't fit the context very well. He spends three entire Chapters teaching the disciples that their righteousness had to exceed that of the Pharisees, and through their behavior, not simply through faith. He was trying to get their heads out of what the Pharisees taught as being "righteousness." But whereas most people today think He was simply teaching against keeping the law, in reality He was actually criticizing the Pharisees for putting on a show of religion and faking keeping the law while not truly keeping it from the heart.

Now granted, much of Jewish ceremonial law would eventually be rendered obsolete after Christ's sacrifice because it would come to be understood that most of Jewish ceremonial law had been mere "shadows" or prophetic foreshadowings of what would take place through Christ and during the church age. But at the time Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount He was still stressing that true righteousness involved truly keeping the law from the heart. This is why He said, "Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I come not to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).

But to each his own. I do believe it can be properly applied to proclaiming the gospel, at least in a sense. My problem is that it's technically not really that accurate, and when everyone gets in the habit of applying texts to our time without giving them a good treatment in their own context, we end up not having much of an idea of what the Lord was actually teaching with any exactness.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

But to each his own. I do believe it can be properly applied to proclaiming the gospel, at least in a sense. My problem is that it's technically not really that accurate, and when everyone gets in the habit of applying texts to our time without giving them a good treatment in their own context, we end up not having much of an idea of what the Lord was actually teaching with any exactness.

This is generally and vaguely true,
and of course could be and is very specifically true at times,
as Jesus taught perfectly,
and
most people everywhere never are taught exactly nor accurately what Jesus taught/ teaches.

There are a lot of voices.
A lot. Everywhere.

Which voice do the sheep, Jesus' sheep, listen to ?

That's a very , very, very important distinction ,
according to Jesus.

 

[redleghunter]

Thank you for the link I'll check it out now.

@Others:

So basically Jesus is saying don't share the gospel with people you know aren't going to listen to you? But Aren't we also commanded to share the gospel? So shouldn't we share the gospel to people who aren't going to listen?

We share with all. If they start blasphemous debate we are not to drag Christ in the mud. I'm not speaking of hecklers at an open air event, but engaging in their blasphemy head on.

 

[redleghunter]

Another good question would be how could Jesus have given us the command to spread the gospel when he hadn't died yet and the gospel didn't exist?

I'm not following. Jesus rose from the dead by Mark 16:15, therefore His death and resurrection which is the Gospel was accomplished.

Better chain of events in Luke 24. Take a look at that chapter especially verse 44 following.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I'm just trying to understand Jesus's words here.

Good and wonderful as you keep seeking Him.
May He reveal all He wants you to understand, as He Pleases. Amen.

 

[dqhall]

The last commission of the Risen Jesus was for us to evangelize. We are to take the message to the market square, in other verses
.
Maybe the idea is that what we have in our possession is more akin to pearls and treasure than propaganda pamphlets and leaflets. We have something of great value. We ought to therefore make sure that people actually want it before we throw it at them willy nilly. like slop to a pig.
Truth be told, for people who have no interest, the faith has less value than slop to a pig for people who are not interested. Maybe a little business acumen would go a lot further. Treat what you have with value, and that will get people's attention.

Giving a pearl necklace to a pig is a waste of funds. I read online about wild boars attacking people and saw it on a video, then I read about a farmer who went to feed his pigs, later they recovered some of his remains and his dentures. Others reported pigs getting aggressive and biting them.

I remember reading about a rich televangelist who had gold faucets and an air conditioned dog house. He had collected much money from his congregation, but seemed more interested in the welfare of his dog than the poor of his congregation. Jim Baker was indicted for fraud in 1988 after he collected money for services he could not deliver. He was literally stealing from his congregation to maintain his luxurious lifestyle.

Jesus was talking to a Syro-Phonecian woman:
Mark 7:27 (WEB - Public Domain) But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

 

[MyGivenNameIsKeith]

Try reading Matthew 7:6 in the context of Matthew 15:21-28. That would help with the "dogs" aspect. It concerns true faith, even from a woman considered to be a "dog". The "pearls before swine" aspect has to do with revelation of the Spirit. See Matthew 13:10-11 concerning why Jesus spoke in parables.
In addition, the verse has to do with this "meeting place" in which we find ourselves. We cast our pearls of wisdom before unbelievers, and see how they turn and curse you and argue. Cast before believing spiritually immature people who don't know what your talking about. It tends to lead to arguments.

It is likened unto the milk and meat analogy from 1 Corinthians 3:2, where it is shown that when we first became followers of Christ, we needed pure spiritual milk to grow by, like a newborn. As we grow, we slowly start to eat heavier foods like meat. When you throw out meat to people, it tends to drive people away due to their lack of understanding. They can't tolerate the meat. They can only use the milk as they have not grown sufficiently for the meat yet.

On a side note, Matthew 15:21-28 shows that through true faith, the woman's daughter was healed. Healing is likened unto "children's bread". A basic, normal necessity. So you can see many people are sick in this world, and healing is so basic to a believer's faith, it is easy to see that very few have that true faith. Testimony...my sister had a tumor, they thought was cancer. She was content to leave it in God's hands according to his will. I am unfamiliar with their own payer life, but I know I prayed according to that verse with faith that God WOULD heal her flat-out. She does not have cancer. I prayed in the same fashion for my grandfather who was in the hospital over thanksgiving week. I prayed Thursday morning, he was home Friday morning, healed.

 

[SolomonVII]

Giving a pearl necklace to a pig is a waste of funds. I read online about wild boars attacking people and saw it on a video, then I read about a farmer who went to feed his pigs, later they recovered some of his remains and his dentures. Others reported pigs getting aggressive and biting them.

I remember reading about a rich televangelist who had gold faucets and an air conditioned dog house. He had collected much money from his congregation, but seemed more interested in the welfare of his dog than the poor of his congregation. Jim Baker was indicted for fraud in 1988 after he collected money for services he could not deliver. He was literally stealing from his congregation to maintain his luxurious lifestyle.

Jesus was talking to a Syro-Phonecian woman:
Mark 7:27 (WEB - Public Domain) But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

I was visiting this website today named something like 'what you know might hurt you". It was about deeper Biblical studies. It reminded me of that axiom of Alexander Pope something to the effect of 'a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing'.
All this is to say that the Gospel is a powerful message. It cuts to the core of who we are as people, and our place in this world.
Pigs are members of the bear family, and any pig farmer will be able to tell you how dangerous a pig can be. They stereotypically define carnality as well. 'Eat like a pig', 'act like a pig toward women', 'politicians at the trough'; these are all popular understandings of swine behavior.
The verse itself is more about pigs not being able to appreciate things of value, but worse would be the kind of pig that finds in the message something worthwhile to feed his own appetites, in effect eating unworthily and bringing perdition down on his head, and the head of others to boot.
The many disgraced televangelists of the last generation would be good examples of carnal swine-like creatures who exploited something of great value to feed their own appetites.
Not just 'trample underfoot' then, but 'turn again and rip you to pieces'.
That is another aspect of the verse too. It is the viciousness of dogs and swine that can turn something precious into a dangerous thing.
Good observation.