Deuteronomy 6:1-12 (NIV)  

¹ These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.  ³ Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  ⁷ Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Matthew 7:1-6 (NIV)

¹ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  ⁵ 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.  

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.  If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

The verses in Matthew contain two parables and two parallel parables.

The picture Jesus is painting for them, you have animals in your care, and you give them something valuable, but it is also something they cannot digest.  It might be a good thing, but if they can’t comprehend it, can’t take it in, the danger is that they will turn and come after you.

Jesus is reprimanding the people the caregivers.

Jesus is implying and directly giving us answers to fundamental, basic questions about humanity and how we discern truth.  I suppose this passage educates us about the hearts we have and the help we all need.

Consider the scene from the animal’s point of view.  They were expecting food and instead were given something that wasn’t food.  It was valuable, but not to them.  They were given a pearl when they didn’t want it.  They wanted food but instead were given something immensely valuable.  A pig doesn’t have the ability to assess the value of a pearl, or to do anything with a pearl.  

Jesus is telling us something about human nature.  These animals are acting according to their nature. 

Jesus says, in our natural state, we are completely unable to perceive.  We need to have our eyes opened.  Our natural orientation is away from God.

“Only when we understand the holiness of God will we understand the depth of our sin.”  ~Billy Graham

God has to get our attention.

Jesus is communicating where we normally are mentally and spiritually.

-Why are we easily duped into not understanding the value of things?

-We trample on valuable things, like people, and misconceptions about eternal life.

Eternal life is a higher order of being, higher order of life, of awareness and perception and sensitivity.

Jesus is talking about spirituality, what is it like without eternal life?

A non-believer, without eternal life, looks at God’s holiness and says, ‘and so what?’  with eternal life is on the next level of perception.  To have eternal life means you sense the awesome holiness of God; the shockingly wonderful grace of Jesus; you sense the loss God experienced on the Cross.

Jesus in the New Testament is showing us ourselves, the average human without eternal life.

Why is the pearl used in this passage because of its great value and the pig is not looking for spiritual things?

The message that because of Jesus the power of God to heal all that is wrong in your life can be put right because of Jesus.

People want to know if this Christian stuff will make their lives better.  It will, but not necessarily in the way they want.

As we grow and Christ begins to change us from the inside out.  We once saw Jesus as means to peace, but instead is our peace.  I don’t want Jesus to give me success, but to be my success.  Our relationship with Jesus stops being transitional.

We have to see that Jesus loved us, still loves us, and because of that, He paid a just debt that we all owe.  When we understand this, our hearts and minds fill with love and gratitude.

We are called to be friends, we are to come alongside people and interact with them, care for them, being sensitive to their needs, allow the Holy Spirit to work and be available and be patient.

We are called to be shepherds, being respectful, being gracious, don’t judge, be inviting, listen and be supportive of those questions.

We are to be working in others’ lives, being patient and helpful using logical and reasons to questions.  These people are watching us to see how we treat them and seeing how Jesus has changed your life.

It is time to work on being the best sort of person we can be.  Fall in love with Jesus again.  Find ways to do that this week.  Pray, sing, give your greatest hurts to Him, ask for help.  Jesus is at your side, knowingly let Him in.  God bless.