Reading Matthew chapter 7 I noticed something very interesting and somewhat odd. In 7.5-6 Jesus says, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
The reference to throwing pearls before swine is usually interpreted as having to do with evangelism but I don't see that from the context. Indeed, it would be a strange shift from judging brothers to evangelizing. It seems to me most natural to read this as referring to trying to help others see their sin with the result that they refuse to listen. What is holy is the loving correction offered to help a brother or sister in Christ to see their error. At some point offering what is holy (separate, set-apart, distinct) to dogs who will not appreciate it but just chew it up and spit it out becomes a pointless task.
What I find incredible about this is how God seems to not hold Himself to this standard. I mean this in the most positive way, of course; that God pursues His children relentlessly through conviction upon conviction upon conviction. Every day I don't get. Every day I want to do what I want if it clashes with what God wants. Every day I fail so consistently it's amazing how consistently inconsistent I can be! And yet God never stops throwing His holiness to me. Not only in loving rebuke from brothers and sisters in Christ; not only through His Word; not only through examples of others, but also through God Himself in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit even 'camps out' inside of me, enduring every image, thought, and action that comes out of me and His response is to continue to work on me. Slowly, lovingly, gently.
I have a feeling that we are not supposed to continue to throw pearls before swine because we don't know their hearts and at some point we lose focus. Maybe it's no mistake that this discussion comes on the heels of the discussion about worry and precedes the discussion about prayer. We can't control events in our own lives, much less what other people do. At some point we are simply wasting God's time that He has allotted us to try to manipulate someone else. But when God pursues He doesn't manipulate and He doesn't fail. "He who began a good work in you will carry it out until the day of completion". We won't carry it out ourselves and we can't carry it out for anyone else. So we are instructed to make the best use of words and time and leave the results up to the God of carrying out and completing.
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