Today’s scripture: Matthew 7:6 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Mark Shoup):
As an owner of multiple dogs and a vast expanse of white carpet, I can attest to the validity of the biblical metaphor for dogs not understanding what is sacred. In fact, time and time again, my dogs seem to gravitate towards the white carpet whenever they are feeling sick, have a particularly stain inducing toy, or aren’t sure if they can wait to be let outside. But this isn’t the dogs’ fault. To them, the carpet probably feels better on their paws than the linoleum, and they certainly have no understanding of the disparate efforts involved in cleaning the two surfaces. To them, “floor is floor.”
This verse, by way of caution against giving important things to animals that don’t understand their value, is a metaphor for not trying to impress or foist spiritual ideals on those who are not ready to hear them. Think of it as the exact opposite of people handing out those “turn or burn” tracts to unbelievers! To do that, or to oppress non-Christ followers with God’s commands does far more harm than good, as it often polarizes people against God’s word and the Church at large.
As is often the case, I have an example from my own life for what not to do. Unfortunately, this example actually happened this past week, proving yet again that I’m a work in progress. . .
A friend from work is facing surgery in a couple of days. It’s not especially major surgery, but will involve general anesthesia and a somewhat painful recovery. This friend is usually a fairly quiet and private person, but has been bringing up the operation time and time again, and is obviously scared. At one point, when he was talking about it in the break room with a few other coworkers, I asked him without thinking if it would comfort him if I asked some people from my church to pray for him. Now I should probably mention that he is at best agnostic and has likely never been to church or opened a Bible. His response of “thanks anyway”, was probably more polite than I deserved, putting him on the spot in front of his peers like that. The correct thing for me to have done would have been to either ask when we were alone, or probably better yet, to just pray for him without telling him I was doing so.
One final thought: please don’t mistake the use of “dogs” and “swine” in this scripture as a reason to regard unbelievers as second class citizens or beneath followers of Christ. To do so is to miss the point of what Jesus is saying. Jesus’ emphasis is on reaching people where they are at.
Thought for the day: In all the ways I share the Gospel with those in my sphere of influence — with words, actions, attitudes — is it “audience appropriate”? Am I a warm, loving example, or a rude, pushy salesman?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.