Casting Pearls Before Swine
A rich man accumulated so much gold that there was no place to keep it. He woke up one day and it had turned to dust. He went to a wise man and was told to take the dust to town and if somebody recognizes it as gold he would understand. He took trucks of the dust to town and people seeing these trucks thought the man crazy. A woman came who asked him, where he got so much gold? He asked the woman ’Can you see the gold here?’ She said ’Oh yes. He asked the woman what was her secret? She said it is only a question of associating with the right people who have eyes to see. The world as we see it can be hell or heaven. Gold can be dust or gold. It is only a question of who we allow into our life as we travel, especially as we move on a spiritual path. When we care so much about what others think that we change who we are to suit the world we are casting the pearls given to us by God before swine.
There are two reasons not to cast pearls before swine. One, because it is a waste of time and two, because it could result in our undoing.
One of the most important messages Jesus taught was to create a sacred environment when we are in communication with Him and that environment should include personal space. That is the space we set aside to receive blessings from the Lord. The problem is many of us who are on a spiritual path, allow people, places and things to come into our life and contaminate our external and internal sacred space. We surround ourselves with dust and expect gold. If you hang around a barbershop or beauty parlor long enough you are bound to get a haircut or hairdo.
Sometime we have to watch the places we go, the things we do and the people we allow into our life. But how exactly do we do this? Why should we not cast our pearls before swine? Let me share two ways. First it is a waste of time. The Bible says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred.” The dog was regarded as an unclean animal by the Jewish law. They represented the snarling, scoffing, opposition to the Word. It is generally understood that communicating God’s Word, and the truths of the Gospel is comparable to pearls and the effort to communicate it to a person who does not want to hear it is like preaching to the wall, or trying to force feed a child. Many people have some of the traits of wild dogs. To try to instill Holy things into brutal minds set on not hearing it is like giving that which is Holy to dogs.
Another reason we should not cast our pearls before swine is because trying to force the Word on people who do not want it could result in our own undoing. Again the Bible says, “Do not throw your pearls to pigs.” The swine also were considered unclean in Jewish law and in some circles even today. They would have no use for pearls, and perhaps would rush upon those who scattered the pearls. So, too, there are people in this world so dull, thuggish and senseless, as to reject pearls of truth, justice and what is right. They are literally unlovable but not incapable of love. It is our duty to help and to try to save others, but we must use common sense when people do not want to hear the truth.
Here is the point, we must follow Jesus in this matter. Jesus says, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.” To throw the sacred to those who do not want to hear and to live our life according to the world could cause us to die in sin. This can be avoided simply by trusting God to provide the spiritual increase in our life through prayer and meditation
