“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”
Matthew 7:6 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.7.6.NLT
Jesus gives guidance on what not to do when trying to help others.
Reflection
Have you ever shared something of great value with someone else, only to have it squandered or turned around and used against you?
Jesus is giving us guidance on this by helping us understand what not to do with the message of Christ and his Kingdom.
Eugene Peterson said it this way in The Message: “Don’t be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you’re only being cute and inviting sacrilege.” Matthew 7:6 MSG.
The way of Christ is life-changing. We need God’s grace and mercy, and it is important to recognize our need for God. Sin and separation from God are real, and we need to own the truth of this. Thankfully, Jesus dealt with this on the Cross.
Following Christ reflects a different way of life. To experience it, one must believe in the life offered only through Christ. The Holy Spirit is essential to this journey.
This is not something we should be casual about, nor should we try to make it OK for everyone who doesn’t believe in Christ.
The Kingdom of God is for those who choose to follow Christ. As Jesus taught in Matthew 5-7, the values of the Kingdom are nothing like the values of the world.
Encouragement
Everyone is invited to be in a relationship with Christ. Everyone is invited to have their sins taken care of through Christ. Everyone has the opportunity to be made righteous before God through Christ. Everyone is invited to follow Christ and learn the transforming ways of the Kingdom of God. Everyone can know the help and presence of the Holy Spirit.
We also need to accept the truth that others cannot live the ways of Christ without a relationship with him.
Sin isn’t meant to be managed by us. Rather, it is to be forgiven by Christ. We shouldn’t offer the ways of God to others without inviting them to believe in Christ.
We can’t expect people who are separated from God to understand and desire to live like they are following Christ when, in fact, they are not yet willing to put their faith and trust in him.
This is at the heart of what Jesus is getting at.
Prayer
Dear Jesus,
So often, we want to make your message more acceptable and workable for anyone, regardless of whether or not they are willing to choose you.
Please forgive us when we do this.
We want others to embrace the ways of the Kingdom of God while we marginalize you in our conversation, lest we offend or alienate. The truth is, when we ignore or marginalize you, we are asking people to conform to a way of living rather than being transformed by you.
Please forgive us when we do this.
Thank you for reminding us to keep your invitation front and center. It is through you God’s grace flows. It is through you that our sins are forgiven. It is through you that righteousness is established in our lives before God.
Please help us keep you front and center in our conversation with others.
Holy Spirit lead and guide us into the transformation Christ offers.
In your name, Jesus, we pray
Amen
Ed McDowell