Re: Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.

[Brother Mark]

well if you want to look deep, there is a reason Christ walked on water, and a reason in genises that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.and why the whore sitteth upon many waters.

yea dont go in that ocean

And that our sins are thrown in the sea and in heaven and the new earth there will be no sea. Also, that Peter walked on the sea and did not sink until he took his eyes off Jesus.

The beast comes up out of the sea. It's all significant.

[Race Runner]

But didn't Jesus also call some vipers, and that their father was the devil. He also called some hypocrites, a perverse generation, and He spoke of dogs having the crumbs from underneath the table etc….

I think that we need to consider that Jesus said that He did not judge, but that His Father Judged.
Unfortunately when we judge, more often than not we do so from our own set of values.

If someone was to ask me what I thought of this sin or that sin, then in truth it means jot what I think or feel, but what God says about this sin or that sin.

I feel I owe you and everyone else here an apology. I was certain that Jesus could not be referring to people as dogs, but then here it is again. When you mentioned the crumbs from the table I looked it up because I understood that Jesus was not the one that said that, it was the Canaanite woman, but then when I pulled it up, there it is in verse 26. So it brings me to this question: “When do I get to discern when a person is a dog or not? When is it right for me to stereo-type?” or does he mean the dog to be the demon in the woman's child?

Matthew 15 (NIV)
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

I am shutting down for the night now. I need prayer to help me with this.

[fewarechosen]

I feel I owe you and everyone else here an apology. I was certain that Jesus could not be referring to people as dogs, but then here it is again. When you mentioned the crumbs from the table I looked it up because I understood that Jesus was not the one that said that, it was the Canaanite woman, but then when I pulled it up, there it is in verse 26. So it brings me to this question: “When do I get to discern when a person is a dog or not? When is it right for me to stereo-type?” or does he mean the dog to be the demon in the woman's child?

Matthew 15 (NIV)
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

you would never discern that, the Holy Spirit would discern what spirit is in them

paul was murdering christians, some would have looked at him and said hes hopeless hes a murderer and so on, you could judge his actions all day though.

so we might look at the worst murdering raping fiend there is and have no idea if he will repent or not, God might have a plan for him.

[Emmy]

My understanding of this is the dogs and swines are the heathens. It is those who just refuse NOT to hear or believe. It is a warning for Us to remember when it is time to stop and Holy Spirit will do the rest. Just as in the verse of "dusting off your shoes." We are not dust off our shoes when a person, house or town does not accept the gift from God. We are to walk away from it and GOD will take care of it.

You hear many non believers say You are forcing this down my throat. It is time to allow the Holy Spirit to do HIS job.We don't save one soul. God does. We are to tell the Good News of salvation and the rest is GODS not ours. We are to tell the whole word of GOD and not just parts of it. The lost need to know what will happen if they refuse salvation and why.

We can not discern anyone on our own. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit we are taught and guided. It is HIM who tells us when to go when to stop and where to go and not stop. It IS all GODS will in all of this not ours. That is why we spend time before the throne of GOD in prayer and we study. Amen

[Shadowdancer777]

http://www.gotquestions.org/about.html

Copyright Policy: While all of the material on the GotQuestions.org website is under copyright protection, the only purpose of our copyright is to make sure people copy it right. As long as you always clearly reference and/or link to www.gotquestions.org as the source of the material, you have our permission to copy, print, and distribute our material.

"Do not cast your pearls before swine" is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, and to understand its meaning, we have to understand its context and placement within the sermon. Christ had just finished instructing the crowd on judgment and reproof: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2), and “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye” (Matthew 7:5). Then in verse 6, Christ tempers these admonitions and shows us the difference between “judgment” and “discernment.”

The analogy of the dogs actually comes from Proverbs: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). Swine are also described in this way, as illustrated by Peter: “Of them [false prophets and teachers] the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud’” (2 Peter 2:22). The dogs and swine here are representative of those who would ridicule, reject, and blaspheme the gospel once it has been given to them. We are not to put forth the gospel of Jesus Christ in the direction of someone who has no other purpose than to trample it and return to his own evil ways. We identify such people through discernment, which is given in some measure to all Christians (1 Corinthians 2:15-16).

This does not mean we refrain from preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself ate with and taught sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10). In essence, the instruction in Matthew 7:6 is the same that Jesus gave to His apostles when He said, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:14). We are not to judge others, for we are guilty of the same things they are. Reserving judgment, however, does not prevent us from discerning those who would accept, or at least respect, the gospel from those who would ridicule, mock, and trample it, and then turn on us and abuse us. Balancing judgment with discernment is the wisdom of serpents Jesus refers to in Matthew 10:16.

[IMINXTC]

For the record, preaching the Gospel is not casting pearls before swine. And it is not up to any believer to finally determine who should not hear the Gospel, regardless of their mockery and rejection. While it is true, we don't force the Gospel on individuals who do not want to hear it neither do we determine that they are no longer worthy of hearing it.

Jesus instructions: "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet," Mt 10:14 --applied to the seventy Jewish disciples sent throughout Judea, prior to Calvary, to the Jews only and has no bearing on the great commission.

I have been assaulted, spit-upon, slandered, insulted and threatened (nothing overly dramatic) by some who violently rejected the Gospel. Yet, some of them have since professed faith in Christ, some after years of struggle. I have also noticed a disappointing trend where many believers consider taking the Gospel into the streets and jails, to the drunkards, drug addicts and violent-prone the same as casting pearls before swine. And where there were once thousands of believers to call upon, there now remains only a few.

The path of the great commission is strewn with the blood of faithful witnesses and we today stand on their legacy. Jesus came to save sinners, some of them downright nasty in their initial rejection. But many will be won through the faithful, patient and persistent preaching of the cross.

If, however, I should merely parade my relationship with the Lord before them, making them privy to my prayers, praise, alms, and righteous declarations, however pious, I invite their scorn. My relationship with God is to be shared with my brethren in Christ, not this filthy world. The world needs my testimony, witness and obedience to Christ but is not moved by my piety.

But the preaching of the cross is something entirely different - at once a declaration of Divine Judgement and a gracious invitation to eternal life.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Rm 1:16-18

[ewq1938]

For the record, preaching the Gospel is not casting pearls before swine. A

Yep. I said the same thing. The Gospel MUST be spread to all, no matter who. Beyond that we have to decide who should hear more.

[Brother Mark]

Yep. I said the same thing. The Gospel MUST be spread to all, no matter who. Beyond that we have to decide who should hear more.

Why do you think the verse is about speaking?

[Saved7]

Mod Note: Notice to all posters, please remember the need to be aware of copyright infringement laws when copy pasting from one website to another.

[ewq1938]

Why do you think the verse is about speaking?

The word "speaking" isn't in my post.

[Brother Mark]

The word "speaking" isn't in my post.

It was implied, I thought. At least that's what I thought you were saying when you said "We must decide who should hear more." But I stand corrected!

What then do you think the "pearls" are?

[ewq1938]

It was implied, I thought. At least that's what I thought you were saying when you said "We must decide who should hear more." But I stand corrected!

What then do you think the "pearls" are?

The word there is Holy...which basically means something special. Don't waste such things on those who cannot possibly appreciate or understand. It takes discernment for that. I think the basic concept of the gospel can be shared with anyone, but beyond that we have to be more discerning.

. .

[Brother Mark]

he word there is Holy...which basically means something special. Don't waste such things on those who cannot possibly appreciate or understand. It takes discernment for that. I think the basic concept of the gospel can be shared with anyone, but beyond that we have to be more discerning.

In context, what holy things was God referring to in the passage?

[ewq1938]

In context, what holy things was God referring to in the passage?

All .

[Brother Mark]

All .

I submit to you, that in context, it is talking about the one with speck in his eye.