“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
As one would not throw that which had been sacrificed to the LORD God to the dogs, counting it as unholy, and as one would not present his most precious treasures to the pigs, so Jesus admonishes His disciples in regard to their proclamation of the Gospel of salvation in Him, and the precious preaching and teaching of God’s Word, not to give it to those who stubbornly reject and blaspheme the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, lest they trample the Gospel message under their feet and then turn and tear at the believers as well.
While this does not mean that Christians should withhold the preaching of God’s Word from unbelievers, it is a warning against continuing to proclaim God’s mercy in Jesus Christ to those who stubbornly reject and fight against the truth.
When the Jews in Pisidian Antioch spoke against the Word of God proclaimed in the synagogue by Paul and Barnabus and blasphemed the name of the Lord, Paul and Barnabus turned to the Gentiles, and many of them believed (Acts 13:44ff.). Jesus, too, told His disciples to leave those cities where the people would not receive them and their message, shaking the dust off their feet as a testimony against them, and go on to other cities to preach the Gospel of the kingdom there (Luke 9:5; Matthew 10:14).
So, when the Gospel is preached to an individual or group and it is rejected and spoken against, and the name of Jesus is blasphemed, it is time to move on and preach the Word of Life to others who will listen and consider its message. To continue proclaiming the good news of forgiveness and life to those who reject it and speak against Christ will do nothing except to further their blasphemy against the LORD God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Those who refuse to repent and believe need to be left with the warnings of God’s law and impending judgment until such time as they see their grave sin and need of a Savior! Thus, when the saving Gospel is spoken against and blasphemed, Christians shake the dust off their feet and move on to others who will hear the good news of God’s mercy and forgiveness in the Son, Jesus Christ.
As Jesus said, we are not to give what is holy to the dogs or cast our pearls before swine. For, to do so would only give occasion for the impenitent and rebellious to speak against Christ and the salvation He won for all and to turn and tear at us, Jesus’ disciples and messengers, as well.
Gracious Lord Jesus, keep us from resisting and rejecting the working of Your Holy Spirit in our hearts and grant us faith to trust in You alone, and Your shed blood, for our salvation. Give us wisdom to rightly use Your Word, proclaiming to the impenitent the truth of Your law and of the coming judgment, and proclaiming the comfort of the Gospel to those who see their sin and their need of a Savior. We praise and glorify Your holy name forevermore. Amen.
[Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]