Pearls and Pigs!

Matthew 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.                      

The next time you are the county fair, stop by the hog barn.  You will see boars and sows so big that they look like Miniature Mountains.  In fact, if it were not for the flicking of the ears to shoo away flies, you would think the pig was not alive.  The pig will just lie there until…  The pig will be content to flick away flies and while away the hours until…  Until it hears the sound of the feed being poured into the trough.  The sound may be the clanging of the bucket.  It may be the swishing sound of the feed hitting the feed bin.  Whatever sound it is, the pig is aware of it and suddenly comes to life and goes into a frenzy to be fed.  Lying on the ground, you would not think it could stand.  But when it is chow time, the sow acts as nimble as a ballerina and that boar takes on the characteristics of an NFL wide receiver.  The sow and the boar are so happy to be eating again! 

There is not much to commend a pig, except bacon and sausage and pork chops.  A pig will snap the head off a chicken that sticks its head through the fence.  A pig will eat a snake if it slithers into the pen.  A pig will eat anything living or dead.  So what is it about pigs and pearls?  Jesus never spoke without purpose.  Our Lord did not take up either His time or the time of listeners with senseless and unprofitable stories.  So what is Jesus speaking about when He says, "Neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you?"

One way to approach this difficult scripture is to think of our valuables.  Is the very first place you and I think of to put our last will and testament the pig pen?  What about your certificates of deposit, your passbook savings, your heirloom china, or your stash of cash?  After all, a thief would never think to look under the foot of a pig to find something valuable.

What does this passage mean?  First of all the word translated neither is the word NEVER in the Greek language.  Jesus said NEVER cast your pearls before swine.  I am not sure I ever thought of doing that, but I am very willing to obey the Lord and not do it.  That is one command of Jesus I will have no trouble of keeping. 

When you think of pearls, it is important to understand what it takes to get a pearl into your hand, let alone casting that valuable pearl before swine.  A pearl is formed when an irritant that threatens its safety threatens an oyster.  The oyster secretes layers of calcium carbonate and other chemicals to seal off the threat.  An oyster literally turns a threat into a thing of beauty.  The most valuable pearls are found by gifted and experienced divers.  First, the diver must find a bed of mollusks.  The diver then dives again and again to bring up the shells from the sea bed.  He then forces open the shell and digs through the meat of the muscle and try to find a pearl.  When Jesus spoke of pearls and pigs, He was referring to a gem that was very rare and difficult to obtain. It would be unthinkable to throw that pearl to the pigs.   

In the spirit realm, as you open the bag and begin to take out the precious pearls of your experience in the Lord, remember that you are sharing pearls that are costly and pearls that both subtracted and added to your life.  The counsel and advice you give to someone is free to that person, but the counsel and advise you give has cost you everything.  What do you do when you share the deep things of God out of your own experiences and the person you are sharing these pearls with does not appreciate or even comprehend what you are sharing, what should you do?  Stop giving that person your pearls!

That is what Jesus was referring to when He said, “Neither cast your pearls before swine.”  Notice the word before.  Neither cast your pearls before swine.  That word means to present something to someone else.  At times, we publically honor someone we appreciate with a special gift.  We dress up and we take thought and we give a gift that costs us something to show honor and appreciation to that person. 

Here is the real meat of what Jesus is telling us.  We should not waste our time, our energy, money or even put too much thought into honoring individuals who don’t care about what we do for them.  One of the reasons the Church doesn’t grow faster is that we think carefully about what we are going to say, and we go to people, open our hearts and pour out precious treasure that cost us so much of our lives.  We pray and seek God for answers to the problems people face and we give them the very best counsel from the treasures of our heart. Often the ones we speak to don’t comprehend or even care about what we are telling them!  Jesus is telling us to be careful not to waste precious truth on those who do not care and will not change and will not appreciate what we are telling them! 

I understand that Jesus is using harsh words here.  A swine or a pig in the time Jesus lived in was the lowest and most unclean smelly, stinking animal.  The Lord called people pigs because it was a powerful and graphic way to describe certain people.  Some saints feel incredible guilt over the inability to get through to certain people.  You pray, you fast, you give your heart, you ask God for wisdom, and you don’t seem to get through to them.  So you feel real bad and you try again.  And you feel real bad.  You think it must be you.  You think it must be the way you come across to others.  You think it is because you are not spiritual enough or you don’t have a ministry or you are a failure.  Your only problem may be that you are casting pearls before swine!

Pigs are big time consumers.  A pig that is about to go to market will take in 18 pounds of feed and 4 ½ gallons of water a day.  That pig will eat all 18 pound of grain and want more.  It will drink 4 ½ gallons of water and want more.  A pig does not think to ask where the feed came from, how much it cost, and what it took to get the feed to the trough.  Pigs are mindless, careless consumers.  A pig contributes nothing to the farm until it is butchered.  A pig simply lays in its own mess and waits for the next meal and when it is time to eat, jostle and bite and claw one another to get all he can get. He then lays down and wait to do it all over again. 

There are people in your life that you feel very guilty about.  You have freely given holy things to them.  You have shared from the treasure of your life.  But you are casting pearls before mindless, careless, thoughtless consumers of your time and your energy.  They never stop to think how you came across your wisdom.  They never think what it took to obtain the depth of wisdom you have in your walk with God.  They don’t consider the years of dedication you have put in to have what you have in God.  All they can think about is what they can get out of you this time.  Take and take and take.  Lay around until it is time to take again.  And after that person has drained you of the last bit of spiritual vitality you have, they turn from you and never even think to thank you for what they have consumed.

2 Peter 2:20 –2 Peter 2:22 (KJV)

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Let this pastor give you some advice.  You may think that your door needs to be open 24-7.  You may think that you must be available not matter what.  But here is what happens.  People who have half a brain are considerate of your time, your family and your own life.  But then there are the “OTHER PEOPLE.”  They don’t even have half a brain.  They have no intention of changing, or becoming better Christians, or even becoming a Christian at all.  What they want is your time, your money, and your attention.  It is as if they were sent on a mission with the specific goal of draining you of all your spiritual insight, all of your emotional reserves, and all of your finances.  As long as you have anything to give, no matter how small they stick around.  But when you say, “No more!” things change.  And once they leave you parched and dry and empty, they go on to someone else. 

Jesus thinks so much of your experience in Him that He wants you to carefully guard and value the pearls that are such treasures. Some will simply trample your pearls under their feet.  Jesus is speaking of the ungrateful.  Jesus is warning us that such people will turn on you and tear you to pieces.  You know them.  You gave your life to them and all they do is accuse you and blame you and shame you for all the problems they have.  They take all they can from you and then turn on you.

We do not understand why someone we try so hard to help can act so piggish toward us.  And as soon as you say, “enough is enough,” that person tells everyone they can find that you are so unloving.  You never cared for them.  You are a hypocrite. They say, “If you were a good Christian, you would really help me.”  And you loved them and loved them and loved them, but there was no understanding of your love.  It is clear that their lifestyle is tailored to one thing.  Consuming whatever others bring to them.  Cut it out!

When you stop giving, pigs have a choice to make. Pigs can change and accept discipleship or they can go on to another pig pen.  When their attitude changes, give again.  If their attitude never changes, you have saved yourself a lot of grief.  Here is what I have seen.  We too often act as though the Church will collapse unless we win that one pig to the Lord.  We act as though the Church will fall apart unless that one person wakes up and gets with the program.  That person Jesus calls a swine will never wake up and we must turn our time, money, and attention to those who will.  

Now, here is the real question. Are you acting like a mindless consumer of other people’s time, money, talents, and wisdom?  There are two kinds of people in the world. Givers and takers.  If you are a taker, quit acting like a pig.  God wants to take you to a higher level.  As you give, cast your pearls carefully before those who appreciate the true value of your walk with God.  Givers have a difficult time taking and takers have a difficult time giving.  Jesus Christ wants us all to live in balance.  Pearls and Pigs.  We are one or the other.