Dogs and Swine (Tuesday, Week 12, Year II)

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"Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you" (Matthew 7:6).

What a shocking statement from Jesus! 
Of course, Jesus wasn't speaking literally: his language was purely metaphorical, using the metaphors of dog and swine to address real life situations. But what is it about DOGS and SWINE that Jesus should use them to communicate some truth? What was actually the situation of his time that he should speak about it in such a manner? Who was he addressing? And who or what was he talking about? One statement, so many questions! But I may not be able to supply all the answers. We can supply the rest after deeper reflections. 

Those few words are part of the general teaching of Jesus (generally known as the Sermon on the Mount) which he addressed to the disciples. Of course, the entire teaching began in Matthew 5:1. And the primary audience was the disciples (those being trained to become witnesses, followers of Christ). There was need for block and serious lectures on Christian values needed for a better and more effective witnessing. And that was what the Sermon on the Mount was all about. 

Now, what is it about dogs that Jesus should be particularly concerned about them? While it is not explicitly stated in the Bible, a dog is seen by orthodox Jews and many people as an embodiment of gluttony and unruly appetite. More or less, dogs are regarded as scavengers, often referred to as "tearing and devouring". For a dog then, almost everything should gear towards the satisfaction of its appetites. Even if a dog must treasure something (apart from its kid, the puppy), it must be treasured in order to serve its end - satisfaction of its desires. This is a dog in its raw state. There may be some exception among trained dogs. So, we can now understand the angle from which Jesus was coming when he made that statement. Something holy is something valuable, precious, sacred; and something to be cherished and treasured. What is a dog going to do with a holy thing? It won't value it. It won't respect it. It won't treat it with reverence.

Another animal used as a metaphor is a pig or swine. Don't give a pearl to a pig. A pearl is what we may refer to as jewelries such as earrings, bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and other personal ornaments, etc. Personal ornaments are meant for beautification. I am yet to see a pig that is interested in beauty. Funny enough, a pig is naturally regarded as a dirty animal. Bathe a pig, and see it rolling on the mud within a fraction of seconds. It has nothing to do with beauty or neatness. We may ask then: what then is a pig going to do with pearls, ornaments, earrings, etc? Of course, as usual, it will trample them under foot. Pearls are of no value to pigs. In the Talmud, a Jewish writing, "an earring in a pig's snout" is a proverbial phrase for something which is entirely incongruous or out of place.

When Christ uses these metaphors to address His disciples, He might have meant that no matter how hard they would try to preach, teach and admonish, there must be people who will not be able to receive and value their message. There must always be that practical difficulty of communication which must meet every preacher in every age. This is in fact a universal truth as William Barclay puts it. There are some people who cannot receive the Christian truth. It could be that their minds are shut or it could be that they have lived a life which has obscured their ability to see the truth. It may be that they are mockers of holy things. Or it may be that we and they have absolutely no common ground on which we can argue. 

People only understand what they are fit to understand. It is not to everyone that we can lay bare the secrets of our hearts. There must be those to whom the preaching of Christ will be foolishness. 

What is to be done with these people? Well, what Christian words cannot do, a Christian life can often do. It is often IMPOSSIBLE to talk to some people about Jesus Christ. A lot of things account for this seeming impossibility. But it is always POSSIBLE to show people Christ. And the weakness of the Church lies not in lack of Christian arguments, but in lack of exemplary Christian lives. When WORDS don't convince, ACTIONS may be of help!

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