Man errs, and thus is away from the divine presence of the Lord. But He speaks to mankind through his holy sayings and teachings that man has scripted in the holy books, but forgets to practice. SpiritualRay explains the meaning of the idiom ‘Don’t Cast Your Pearls Before Swine’.
More on Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels, and it also forms the first book of the New Testament. It contains 28 Chapters, and is one of the longest among all the four Gospels.
Judgment is a big term. It is grave to carry on the task of judgment. But, despite its complexities, man doesn’t quit the fateful act of judging others. He continues looking at people in the wrong eye, in counting their faults, though he himself may be one wronged man. He turns a blind eye to his own follies, and takes a microscopic look at the wrongs committed by the rest.
We all know that God’s real children are those who take the path of righteousness. One who keeps himself on the right path and doesn’t go astray in pursuit of fallacies is the nearest to God. God also takes pride in those who lend a helping hand to the poor, the needy, and the destitute. God teaches us to help those who are in need, and to bring on track those who have gone astray. This is why Jesus laid his life for the well-being of mankind.
But there is some difference between those who are blind and those who fake blindness. There are also differences between those who do not understand at once, and those who are unwilling to understand. Then what did the Lord say to us about those who aren’t blind, and those who aren’t foolish? All He said is written in the following-
Pearls Before Swine – Origin of the Idiom
The idiom has its origin in the Sermon on the Mount. It is the sixth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 7:6). There are several teachings that Jesus had given here. Just preceding the above idiom, Jesus had said not to be hypocrites, and not to judge people wrongly, as the same would be applicable to those who judged the rest.
Biblical Meaning
Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:1-6)(NASB)
This is an analogy which has been used by Jesus himself in order to teach one of the simplest, yet most forgotten lessons. Considering the need of this article, we shall attempt to understand the above given lines.
Symbolic Reference
# Dogs and Swines: Impious Men
# Pearls: Holy Teachings, Kind Gestures
Pearls Before Swine – Meaning
What is the first thing that comes in your mind when you see a swine? Well, that shouldn’t be difficult to state. According to popular belief of millions around the globe, it is depicted as unclean and filthy. It is denoted as the unconventional, which man must keep distance from. According to the Law of Moses, all Christians must keep away from swines.
Like the swines, dogs were also shown in demeaning light in the Bible. They are also considered as unclean, as there used to be flocks of wild dogs who used to savor on the dead. Dogs are also associated with mockery and insult. They are used to refer to the wrongdoers of society, who are not respectable.
In the idiom, Jesus warns mankind to keep the holy away from the unholy. Dogs and swines are animals that are deemed as wretched animals, who always find their place in filth and crud. A swine always eats from the garbage, and a dog even eats from its own vomit. However hard man tries to tame these animals from being dirty, and however hard the master tries to keep his pet dogs and swines from being dirty and living dirty, they always find pleasure in dirt and filth. Therefore, whenever dogs and swines are given good things, they don’t readily accept them, and rather prefer the bad to the good. They don’t value goodness and holiness. They are characterized as wretched and unholy. They disdain purity.
Likewise, men who don’t value goodness and choose to be bad rather than good are no more than dogs and swines. Teaching the good to the bad is like trying to fill a pot which has a hole underneath. Everything goes to waste. Similarly, lensing the pious lessons and commandments to unholy men ruins the sanctity of the text and the Bible. It is not expected of a bad man to interpret the good in the good light. Some men are born to be the black sheep of society.
They are to be condemned because of their self-imposed ignorance and hatred for the holy text. They would rather take to destroying and ruining the words of God, instead of making them a purpose for a lifetime. They are hence, incorrigible. Likewise, we should lend a helping hand to those who would appreciate it, or give things of value to those who recognize the worth of such things, lest we might see those things tasting the dust.
Let us all do our part to keep the message of God pure and untempered. It should be kept safe from the people who are under the influence of the Satanic spell.
