In Part 1 of last week’s post, my attention had been taken captive by a command that Jesus had included in that unparalleled dissertation that we call the Sermon on the Mount. In a single sentence, Israel’s Master Teacher delivered two similar sounding commands. Both were wrapped in imagery that was obviously metaphorical, and the basic “thou shalt not” that Jesus applied in both cases seems very similar. Those similarities make it rather easy not to notice the differences in the verbal pictures Jesus painted. If we miss that, we’re likely to miss what those distinctions represent when it comes to our response to them. But before commenting further, let’s pause and take a second look at what He said:
Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (Matthew 7:6 NKJV)
Altering the Image ~
One of the first questions that came to mind was why Jesus chose to use those two different illustrations instead of just elaborating on the first one? Did He just want to add emphasis to
His point, or did he have something else in mind? Repetition is always an effective tool that teachers use for reinforcing important material, but in this case, Jesus doesn’t just repeat the image – He alters it. While the revised version introduces a new mental image with its own associated thoughts, we should not ignore the implications.
In the first illustration, the thing to be protected is described simply as “what is holy.” That is a rather categorical designation, and as we suggested last week, could begin with us and include our relationships, responsibilities, and resources that God considers sanctified. Then Jesus continues and adds a scene that seems even more strange and employs an item that could be considered a bit unusual and out of place for His audience.
Making it Personal ~
The vast majority of Jesus’ followers and those who gathered to hear Him were certainly not wealthy people. Most could not afford to adorn themselves with expensive things like jewelry and pearls, yet Jesus clearly said, “your pearls” as though everyone owned some of them. To 
say the least, pearls would not have been easy to come by for average people in those days. The only body of water readily accessible to most of them was called a Sea, but it’s just a large freshwater lake. There are no oysters living in it and no pearls to be found beneath its surface. So for Jesus’ audience, whether diving for them personally or obtaining enough money to purchase them, acquiring pearls would have represented a daunting, almost insurmountable challenge. But this much is obvious, however they might have been obtained, pearls would have represented a significant personal treasure.
So, what does the Master Teacher want us to learn about pearls? Obviously owning them represented a highly valued personal treasure whether they were obtained at great cost or significant personal risk. Either way, handling them carelessly or just tossing them around indiscriminately would have been unthinkable. But Jesus takes unthinkable carelessness to an even more shocking level. He pictures someone just randomly throwing the pearls, along with everything they represent, into the path of a bunch of unclean and dangerous pigs. Who would ever consider doing something so wasteful and foolish? And why would Jesus command us not to do something that no sane person would consider doing anyway?
On the surface, some lessons are obvious. For instance:
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- Don’t treat valuable things lightly.
- Don’t expect pigs to appreciate pearls.
- Don’t be surprised when ungodly forces trample on the values you relinquish to them and then come after you.
There’s much to be pondered regarding pearls, pigs, and pointless waste, but at least one other thing haunts me. Why did Jesus choose pearls? He could have used other valuable items to make His point, like gold, or silver, or any number of other precious jewels. Maybe He chose pearls because they represent challenges and characteristics that are distinct from other rare and beautiful treasures.
A Unique Treasure ~
For one thing, pearls are a treasure that you cannot retrieve from digging in the earth. Pearls are created inside a living organism through a fascinating process we don’t have space to deal with here. The oysters wherein they lie hidden dwell on the ocean’s floor. Gathering them
demands delving into a realm where humans were not designed to live. Until relatively recently, humans could only remain in that world for as long as they could hold their breath. Visibility is limited down there, and life-threatening dangers lurk everywhere. Pearls are special not only to men. They’re also special to God. In another parable, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a merchant searching for them. He said:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45–46) NKJV
Consider these “What Ifs” . . .
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- What if there was a pearl like no other being formed beneath a sea that was hostile and threatening?
- What if acquiring that pearl demanded risking everything and plunging into the midst of a world foreign to you?
- What if it meant exposing yourself to forces committed to ensnaring you, obsessed with taking your life, and determined to retain ownership of that pearl?
- What if acquiring that pearl could begin a harvest of other priceless pearls?
- What if that pearl could one day be displayed as a monument forever adorning an eternal Kingdom and igniting praises that would never end?
Going After the Pearl ~
Does all that sound a little bit like what Jesus came to do? Didn’t He plunge Himself into a world that was intolerant of Him? Didn’t He invade a realm that wanted to kill Him to keep that 
pearl from ever being freed? Didn’t He wrap His loving heart around that pearl? Didn’t He grasp it in His powerful hand, and didn’t He cling to it through the raging agony of the cross? Didn’t He refuse to let it go as the cold waves of death rolled over Him? And didn’t He lift it in triumphant splendor to the Father as the breath of life filled His lungs again, and He left that tomb and buried the power of death in His place? Indeed, He did! Pearls are pretty special to God, but that’s not all …
We are part of that pearl that Jesus rescued from the depths, and we have been sent in His place to free others as well. Make no mistake, the world is just as committed to ridding itself of us as it was Him. The hatred and rejection awaiting Him hasn’t changed and the threats are no less intimidating. But the priceless treasure awaiting us hasn’t been devalued.
Continuing the Quest ~
We’ve been given gifts of incomparable worth. We have sight in a world engulfed in darkness. We have truth in a world deceived by lies. We have joy in a world awash in grief and tears. We have wisdom in a world embracing foolishness. We have protective guidance in a world aflame in anarchy. All of those gifts are characteristics of that pearl that Jesus plucked from an ocean of sin, and none of them should ever be thoughtlessly, or carelessly, or purposefully thrown about in ways that the swine of the earth can trample underneath their unclean feet. And there’s one more precious pearl we must always protect – those others we know whom Jesus has freed, or is in the process of being set free. We must do all we can to keep them from the perverts, porn peddlers, and so-called teachers and entertainers who prey on them every day.
The admonition is simple, but the implications are profound. The dogs are after our holy things and the pigs are after our pearls, but we have treasure in a nail-scarred hand that will overlay ours if we let Him . . . and His grip is eternally secure.
“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to Tweet & Share from the pull quotes below. Each quote links directly to this article through Twitter.
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- “Pearls are a treasure you can’t retrieve from digging. They’re created in a living organism through a fascinating process on the ocean’s floor. Gathering them demands delving into a realm where humans weren’t designed to live. Life-threatening dangers lurk everywhere.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- “Didn’t Jesus plunge Himself into a world that was intolerant of Him, invade a realm that wanted to kill Him to keep that pearl from ever being freed, wrap His loving heart around it, grasp it in His powerful hand and cling to it thru the raging agony of the cross?” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- “Didn’t Jesus refuse to let that pearl go as the cold waves of death rolled over Him and He lifted it in triumphant splendor to the Father as the breath of life filled His lungs to leave that tomb and bury the power of death in His place? Pearls are so special to God.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- “We are part of that pearl that Jesus rescued from the depths and we have been sent in His place to free others. The hatred and rejection awaiting Him hasn’t changed & the threats are no less intimidating. But the priceless treasure awaiting us hasn’t been devalued.”@GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
- “We’ve been given gifts of incomparable worth. We have sight in a world engulfed in darkness, truth in a world deceived by lies, joy in a world awash in grief and tears, wisdom in a world embracing foolishness, and protective guidance in a world aflame in anarchy.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
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Check out Ron’s book, “Right Side Up Thinking in an Upside Down World ~ Looking at the World through the Lens of Biblical Truth” 
Gallagher's Pen ~ 
I find myself attempting to recreate my earlier response, unsure of what happened with WordPress when I attempted to us that authentication method. In any case, my apologies for the tardiness of this effort. In your normal, characteristic manner, your post led me to an initial question, which then leads me to ask myself others as you deliver your well-timed wisdom. Yet again, you delivered on all you promised.
My first thought was about the “Pearls of Wisdom” my life has been blessed with. Admittedly, I have very few pearls, but I’ve been most blessed by friends like you who have shared your God-given wisdom with me through the years. I asked myself, “Do I view these pearls of wisdom as great treasures? Do I treat them as such?” I’ve long defined wisdom as that experience-based application of how to apply the lessons I’ve been taught and the knowledge I’ve amassed. In other words, knowing something has very little value unless you learn how and when to apply that knowledge. Therein comes the treasure of wisdom. It’s when we understand the true value that we place on the wisdom that comes from knowing how and when to apply God’s Word in our lives that wisdom becomes a precious treasure.
As your writing so often does, the more I read, the more I questioned. I wondered what would I be willing to give up to gain that precious treasure. The answer you led me to is that the cost to obtain godly wisdom is “me.” I must give up my own selfish desires such as pride, having control, and my precious free will before I can learn the lessons that God’s Word can teach me. A part of that means I must surrender my future decisions so that the Holy Spirit can then teach me how and when to apply His Word in my life.
Later, I began to ask myself, “While I may have some limited understanding of the value I hold in leaning to wield God’s Word, what value does my miniscule wisdom (as compared to God) have in His eyes?” That’s when you so craftily reminded me that all the wisdom we might amass has zero value unless we use it in His service. And how can we do that? We must use it in application to our own lives, so that our lives become the testimony to His goodness, grace, and greatness. The person I must influence with the wisdom I have, be that gained by personal experience or shared by brothers and sisters who are willing to help me learn and apply those lessons, is ME.
Simply put, what I took from your masterful article was that I am not to cast my highly valued and greatly treasured pearls among the “swine” of this world, but wield it in fellowship to help my “Family of Faith” in their walk. I am also meant to apply it in my own life so that I might plant seeds of faith through my testimony. I am not the One who germinates those seeds and I am not the One who brings forth the harvest. In understanding our role in kingdom work, we begin to gain His precious wisdom.
Another outstanding post sir. One that the deeper you dive, the greater the treasure is found. Thank you for leading so well my friend. God’s blessings to you and all within your family.
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I was once again, humbled, blessed, encouraged, and a bit intimidated when I saw your response #2. After the initial pleasant and uplifting surprise, my next thought was that I don’t know anyone else who would have done that. Normal folks would have said, “Well… I responded, and it’s not my fault that WordPress screwed it up and it don’t go through.” But then, you never have come across as “normal” in the sense of being average, run-of-the-mill, or ordinary. That’s one of the things that continually intrigues me about you and makes me grateful that God allowed my path to intersect yours. There’s a quality of persistence that seems to permeate your life and I keep praying that more of it will somehow make its way into mine. And speaking of which, I was praying for you this morning as I looked up at the “morning star” you wrote about recently. I’ve started dragging my lazy self out of the bed and gong for an early morning walk lately, so I’ve been looking up at that star and praying for you and others before the sun comes up in the mornings. It’s just one of the ways God has of using you to make changes in the people who find their way into that special J.D./Cross-Dubya family.
Thanks, too, for the insights about wisdom and how it works. That point about wisdom and knowledge being pragmatically worthless unless we apply them is such a basic and powerful principle. We are far too prone to treat as nouns those qualities that God meant to be treated as verbs. James made it clear about faith when he basically said that if it isn’t working now, it isn’t real and it isn’t going to work when we die either. The living God meant His living Word to come to life in us, and if we don’t let Him do that, then we circumvent the process and make it an insulting caricature of what He intended.
So God bless you again, my long distance friend and Brother. You’ve made the morning brighter around the Gallagher compound and we’re looking forward to seeing what other blessings God might have in mind for all of us as the day unfolds.
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Once again, Ron, your interpretation of Jesus’ words are spot on! This day and age makes all of us have to be even more diligent in securing the holy things, our pearls, more and more. Yet, I’m reminded that human nature really hasn’t changed from the time Jesus walked among us. Every age struggles with the temptations of sin, and every generation must confront it in the name of the Lord. May we all be fully awake and aware of the dangers and pitfalls as we strive to live the life Christ sacrificed so much to give to us.
Blessings!
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Again, Martha, you’ve offered welcome reinforcement in a way that also strengthens our faith and our commitment to stand for the Truth. The enemy is after every precious thing we have, but we’re not going to hand them over to him. As they say, he’s going to have to pry them out of our cold, dead hands. And I don’t think God’s going to let that happen. Bless you for another uplifting response.
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