The Mount of Beatitudes, as seen from Capernaum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew 7:6<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
A very brief passage. \u00a0I\u2019ll simply reproduce it here:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
It sounds harsh.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Comparing unbelievers to pigs (unclean and rather abhorred under Jewish law) and to the feral dogs that, still today, maraud in packs in cities and towns throughout the Middle East, is pretty rough.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I think it\u2019s plainly not<\/em> referring simply to those who don\u2019t believe, and certainly not to those who, in the currently fashionable euphemism, are merely \u201casking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s referring to the cynical and the bitter, to those who mock and jeer.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s\u00a0sound\u00a0counsel for believers who blog or comment online. \u00a0Certain people \u2014 and we all know this \u2014 simply aren\u2019t worth attempting serious conversation with about sacred things. \u00a0It\u2019s best to wish them well and withdraw.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had the experience, and I\u2019ll bet that I\u2019m not alone in it, of having tried to share something sacred, very important, personal, only to have the audience, or somebody in it, deride my offering. \u00a0In almost every case, I\u2019ve done so against strong promptings not<\/em> to do it, and I try to take those prompting more seriously now.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are times for sharing, and there are times for remaining silent. \u00a0There are times for engaging, and there are times for backing away.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We can hope that those inclined to sneer and to mock will, somebody, be in a more receptive frame of mind. \u00a0In the meantime, it won\u2019t do them much good for you to try to speak to them of sacred things. \u00a0And it will only reap frustration for you. \u00a0And sometimes, as it has in my case, a strong rebuke from the Spirit.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 Matthew 7:6 \u00a0 A very brief passage. \u00a0I\u2019ll simply reproduce it here: \u00a0 \u201cDo not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.\u201d \u00a0 It sounds harsh. \u00a0 Comparing unbelievers to pigs (unclean and rather abhorred under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>