“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”
Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. The apparent contradiction with the non-judgment instruction: the community must exercise discernment about where to offer what is sacred. Dogs and pigs were unclean animals in the Jewish context, and using them as metaphors communicates the absence of the capacity to value what is offered. The pearls-before-pigs image is not contempt for particular people but a recognition that sacred teaching offered to those who are actively hostile will be wasted and will put the teacher at risk. Matthew 10:14 gives the practical application: if a town does not welcome the disciples, shake the dust off your feet and leave. Discernment about where to invest the message is not judgment of persons but wisdom about receptivity.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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