Of Prudence, Plumb lines, and Pigs.  Matthew 7.6

The other day I was on the back half of my morning workout, when I heard something interesting that made me stop and think.  Here’s the scenario:  I was walking up the hill, backwards, with two of my little dogs on leash.  Probably a third of the way back up the hill, a gaggle of older boys (11-12?), came riding up the hill on motorized scooters.  One shouted (over the hum of their scooters), ‘Hey, you know why she’s walking up backward?’  I was most curious to hear the replies, but he quickly informed them, ‘She wants to build up her calf muscles.’  Ha.  Fact is, his judgment was dead wrong—being a skater – I do not need any help building up my calf muscles! 

We have been talking about Matthew 7.1-5¹, and Jesus’ instruction on the matter of judgment.  There is simple application from this little scene of mine:

things are not always as they appear~

and without having all of the facts, making or passing judgment is ignorant at best.  An interesting little vignette from everyday life.

Checking over my left shoulder, I took note of how Missy and Chester, (on the sidewalk about four feet ahead of me, with leashes taut), acted as a plumb line, keeping me on a straight course.  Hmm… a plumb line.  There is great value in having such a thing in our lives.  A plumb line is a simple but accurate tool used for determining whether or not something is perfectly vertical i.e. upright. Used since very ancient times, a plumb line consists merely of a line and a weight of some sort; at first it was just a stone, but later a weight made from lead.²  Even referenced in the Bible, it is! 

Check it out:  Plumb lines were known to many people throughout ancient history, including Jesus, who would have owned a set of various weights to use in the building trade. The Lord also used, and still uses, a plumb line—the Bible--to determine how upright his people truly are in his sight. How upright they think they are, or how upright they proclaim themselves to be, means nothing to God³.  "Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of My people.⁴”

In light of self examination, and any sort of judgment of others, I asked myself, ‘What is my plumb line?’  Indeed, my plumb line is and must be the Word of God.  When I am endeavoring to read, understand and apply the Holy Scripture to my life, which as Paul said is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true, and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.⁵

So then back to Matthew chapter 7, where, after talking about parameters for judging others, Jesus makes an evocative statement in verse six: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.⁶ What in the world was Jesus saying?  In short, be prudent. 

In the ancient world, dogs were mangy and dirty street animals, not like our pampered pets in the Western world of today.  Pigs were, of course, unclean.   Do not give to dogs or pigs that which is meant to be holy or set apart.  In the early church, there was a felt need of making sure that the sacred table—that is, the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist—was only for those who professed the name of Jesus Christ.

But you know, this can be brought down to where we live today in an even more basic way.   ‘Be prudent,’ Jesus would say. Because it seems there are some people who just cannot receive Christian truth.  Therefore, we must be aware when we are talking to folks about matters of our Lord; if they roll their eyes, if they tune out, then, we do not continue to throw ‘the sacred’ at them.  People can only understand what they are prepared to understand.⁷

Application:  when you are at a dinner party, when you are at a celebration of some sort, when you are on the sidelines of a sporting event, and start talking about the Lord, if others are totally disinterested, it might be time to keep still.

There have been events in my life when I knew that I knew that I knew that God had done a work, that God had done what only he could do, but when I began to relate it to someone, he just did not really care.  To continue would be folly, it would be casting my pearls before pigs.  Just as we are to really ‘see’ in order to be compassionate, we are also to really ‘see’ so as not to cheapen the message of the Gospel to those who are unable, unwilling to open their hearts and minds—to those who simply do not want to know. 

Simply, we must be prudent, using the one true plumb line; and with that prudence, we must not throw the sacred things of our Lord to pigs. 

Christine

1 – Matthew 7.1-5

2 -  The Lord’s Plumb Line by Wayne Blank

3 – ibid 

4 - Amos 7.8, NKJV

5 – 2 Timothy 3.16, NLT

6 – Matthew 7.6, NIV

7 – William Barclay