Wisdom and Discernment Lord Jesus

Don’t cast your pearls to swine. Have you ever heard of that saying? 

It’s from Matthew 7:6 (KJV) - “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.”

While there may be different nuggets coming out of this verse, we know it is a metaphor or figure of speech Jesus used as He gave the Sermon on The Mount. He was not speaking literally.

Here was Jesus delivering The Sermon on The Mount - a series of teachings to His disciples and a large crowd, much like the crusades and evangelistic meetings we hold today.

After Jesus talks about judging others, He emphasises the importance of wisdom and discernment in sharing spiritual truths. 

As I understand it, in Jewish culture, dogs were generally wild animals roaming the streets in packs looking for food and attacking weaker animals. Dogs were symbols of immorality, cruelty, vulgarity, and ignorance. They were uncultured.

According to Leviticus 11:7, pigs were unclean. “The pig has evenly split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is unclean.” Pigs likely also scavenged for food, and would became aggressive when hungry. 

So to be called a dog or a pig was a big insult in Jesus' culture. Yet Jesus compared those who rejected Him as Israel's Messiah to dogs and pigs. 

We know that Jesus’ purpose was not to condemn anyone. Rather, He was using that metaphor to send a message to His own people. 

The NLT version of Matthew 7:6 says "Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you."

I believe this is to be taken holistically. Yes it primarily speaks to witnessing to others and walking away if they reject you. Matthew 10:14 says “If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.”

But in an everyday practical sense, we are being warned as Christians, not to waste our time or invite harassment from those who are obviously hostile. 

There comes a point in our lives when we would have tried and tried and tried to accommodate a particular person or situation and we see again and again and again that it’s not working, and so we have to walk away. Wisdom and discernment dictate.

Family, we have a mission to accomplish for the Lord and we have no time to waste. Matthew 28:19 commissions us - “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

But evangelistic meetings come to an end. There comes a point when you have no more olive branches to offer. And to avoid wasting your time on the hard hearted, you have to leave the building, exit left, so to speak.

This is where the pearls and pigs come in.

The truth contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ is more precious than pearls. Pearls are highly prized gems. On the other hand, pigs and dogs symbolize those who are unreceptive or even hostile to these truths. 

Jesus is saying to us, and this is how The Message version puts Mathew 7:6:“Don’t be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you’re only being cute and inviting sacrilege.”

Again in a practical sense, in your friend circle, among your family members, do you not know by now who appreciates, values and respects you? Do you still devalue yourself, put yourself in a position all the time for them to treat you like dogs or pigs? 

Similarly with the Word of God. We cannot get involved in conversations with people who want to belittle our belief in God. Just yesterday I was talking to someone who was trying to feed me his unbelief in Christianity. I told him what I believed in and shut him down. Be careful little ears what you hear. Amen?!

Proverbs 23:9 tells me “Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.” 

Now that shouldn’t stop us from telling others about Jesus. But we must have wisdom and discernment to know that sometimes we will be rejected. 

Spiritually speaking, "casting pearls before swine" is a waste of God-given resources. That’s what the Bible says.

Proverbs 9:7-8 “Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.”

Ecclesiastes 7:5 says “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.”

So the scriptures encourage us to use our time wisely. Teach and preach to everyone, but more so to those with a more receptive spirit. Of course we don’t give up on anyone, but we have to know when to step back and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7 “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”

So if you’re witnessing to someone and they’re mocking the Word of God, know when to use wisdom and discernment and step away.

In ministry or charity work, you give it all you have, yet there is resistance, lack of receptivity, the tree is just not bearing fruit. Jesus’ teaching encourages us to focus our efforts where they will be most effective and appreciated. 

Again in a practical sense, if you’re in a relationship and they constantly use and abuse you, if you are trying to help someone who constantly gets into trouble because of poor life choices and they constantly ignore your advice, know when to step away. 

Again, it does not mean giving up. It might just mean - use a different approach. And definitely keep on praying. Amen?! Wisdom and discernment.

As we go through today, Family, we can ask ourselves: Are there any situations in my life where I need to exercise more discernment in sharing spiritual truths or advice? To someone who needs to hear about the love of Jesus? To a loved one - family member, friend?

As we try to answer that, let’s pray for wisdom and discernment to recognize when to persist and when to step back in our interactions with others. I have personally had to make some hard choices in this area. 

By the way, wisdom is the ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on knowledge, experience, and understanding. It involves seeing the bigger picture and understanding the long-term consequences of actions.

In the Bible, wisdom is linked to fear of the Lord and obedience to His commandments. Proverbs 1:7 states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Discernment now is the ability to perceive and distinguish between different options, often involving insight into the true nature of things. It includes recognizing subtleties and making fine distinctions.

Discernment is a spiritual gift, enabling individuals to understand and apply God's will. 1 Corinthians 12:10.

The two go hand in hand really. They are both important when it comes to making crucial and sound decisions.

I don’t know about you, but I have relationships or circumstances where I need wisdom and discernment. Perhaps you can say the same. 

So we all need to trust God more, let go and let God have His way, knowing that He can work in ways we cannot.

Amen.

aub - 11 June 2024

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