So now, in our journey through the Sermon on the Mount we come to one of the strangest verses not just in this passage but in the entire New Testament. The verse is matthew 7:6 and it says, ‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you’.

The first thing to note is that this is written in a way that makes understanding the passage even more difficult. However, I have been convinced that that ‘pigs’ and ‘trample’ belong together as do ‘dogs’ and ‘maul’ so that a more accurate and helpful way to translate the verse might be something like this…

‘Do not give what is holy to dogs as they might turn and maul you,
and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot’.

So with these two examples regarding dogs and pigs, Jesus seems to be saying the same thing but in two different ways and so the question then becomes, ‘what is he trying to say’? And there are a few elements to tease out that will help us with an answer.

The first thing to note here is that ‘dog’ and ‘pig’ were well-known terms of contempt in Jesus’ day and were sometimes lumped together as prime examples of dirty and detestable beasts. When you hear ‘dog’ don’t think of domesticated golden retrievers or cocker poodles, but wild, mangy, and dangerous pack animals who had a reputation in Jesus’ day for attacking people, including those who tried to feed them. Pigs on the other hand were probably despised even more than dogs, especially by Jews as they were the epitome of uncleanliness and unholiness. Therefore, as Jonathan Pennington notes ‘for Jewish people, with their strong traditional sense of clean and unclean animals, these terms are the most derogatory descriptors in their vocabulary’.

In stark contrast to this Jesus mentions holy or sacred things in connection with pearls and pearls in this context, as in ours also,  were symbolic of that which had supreme worth and value. This is why Jesus, in order to demonstrate the importance and worth of the kingdom of God above all else, likens it to a pearl that someone sold everything to obtain in one of his parables (Matt. 13:45-46). Also, running parallel to pearls is the mention of the holy or sacred things, which obviously also carry a profound sense of value and importance here and so it appears that Jesus is settin up a clear contrast between that which is valuable on the one hand (holy things/pearls) and that which is dirty and and detestable on the other (dogs/pigs).  Given this contrast it appears that at the heart of this teaching from Jesus is that we should not give that which is valuable and precious to that which is debased and despised.

However, this still leaves us with a number of questions, like who are the pigs and dogs and what are the pearls and sacred things?

So, let’s begin with the question regarding what Jesus might have been referring to when speaking about sacred things and pearls as there is generally more agreement about this. As mentioned above, pearls speak of value and worth and are often used symbolically to describe teaching or wisdom that is precious to the soul and therefore, when they are combined with ‘sacred things’ it suggests that Jesus is speaking of his message about the kingdom of God

Given this, who on earth are the dogs and pigs that we are told not to share the truth and wisdom of the kingdom with? One interpretation is that Jesus is referring to Gentiles here as there is evidence that these terms were sometimes used in this way (cf. Matt. 15:21-28). If this is the case and if the pearls refer to Jesus’ teachings it would then suggest that Jesus was telling his followers that it was not the right time to take the gospel to the Gentiles but that would come later (Matt. 10:5-6, 24:14, 28:19-20).

Another interpretation, and one that stands in contrast to the previous example, is that the dogs and pigs are simply Jewish people who will not receive the gospel. Jonathan Pennington holds this view and whilst he recognises that these terms often refer to Gentiles he also notes that elsewhere in Matthew the term ‘Gentile’ itself is used of Jewish people who do not believe the gospel (18:17). He agrees that the pearls and sacred things refer to Jesus’ teaching and therefore he understands Jesus as using terms normally reserved for Gentiles as a pointed way of referring to Jewish people who reject the truth of Jesus’ message.

Others, such as Stott, Davis and Allison prefer to broaden the reference out to include anyone, Jew or Gentile, who refuses to listen to or receive the good news of the kingdom of God and I personally find this the most helpful interpretation. Given this, and given the contrast outlined above between the value of the sacred things and the pearls and the nasty, unclean nature of the pigs and mangy dogs, we can begin to try and piece together what Jesus was getting at with this cryptic saying

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46

If the sacred things and pearls refer to the ultimate worth and treasure of Jesus’ teachings and if the dogs and pigs refer to those who refuse to recognise their worth then it seems like Jesus is telling his disciples to be discerning about who they share the gospel with. If this is close to being true then the same principle can be seen later when Jesus sends his disciples out to preach the gospel of the kingdom but tells that if anyone will not welcome them or listen to what they have to say then they are not to stick around but to shake the dust off their feet as they leave (10:5-15). In rejecting the gospel these people Jesus suggests that they have as much respect and appreciation for truth and wisdom as dogs have for sacred things and pigs have for pearls.Therefore, beware, Jesus says, beware those pigs who will desecrate the pearls of sacred truth by trampling them underfoot and beware those dogs who may even turn and attack you as you seek to feed them with the gospel.

‘Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
who will only despise the wisdom of your words’
(Proverbs 23:9)

This is a difficult and potentially offensive passage but if we are anywhere close to interpreting it correctly then we should take it as a serious reminder for Jesus about the unparalleled value of the gospel and the need for wisdom and discernment about how and when we should share it with others.