February 2, 2002 - Lesson: Matthew 7.6

(Back to Study Home Page)    (Back to sermons for 2002-2003)
(Back to sermons Home Page)     (Back to Shultz Home Page)

1. I was visiting Marion Sanford who quoted to me the lines of this poem. I thought that it might make a good opening to the sermon for today.

You Can Tell the Man Who Boozes
(By the Company He Chooses)

One evening in October,
When I was far from sober,
Dragging home my load,
With manly pride.
When my poor feet began to stutter,
So I lay down in the gutter,
A pig came near and lay down by my side.
Then I warbled,
"It's fine weather when good friends get together."
And a lady passing by was heard to say,
"You can tell a man who boozes by the company he chooses."
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

1. After all the text is about swine and dogs.
2. This exemplifies the wisdom of the pig, though perhaps not of the man.
2. But then, my brother and sister-in law, sent me a birthday card.
1. The outside text reads:

"You're older but wiser...
"You are as young as you feel...
"You're not getting older.
"You're getting better...

2. Open the card and you read:

"The fantasy lives on!"

3. We do desire to get wiser and better.
1. The text is one which promotes a practical wisdom.
2. It suggests ways in which we can more constructively relate to people, especially to those who may not appreciate our spiritual faith.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)    (Back to sermons for 2002-2003)
(Back to sermons Home Page)     (Back to Shultz Home Page)

MAIN BODY:

1. So where does this leave us.
1. Well it leaves us with a problematic text.
2. It is one that we could wish Jesus had not said.
3. But he did.
4. What did he mean to communicate and why.
2. It is problematic in what is said.
1. It does not seem right or proper to call someone a swine or a dog.
2. We easily remember the conflict surrounding Senator Trent Lott, the former Majority Leader in the Senate.

He was at a party celebrating the 100^th birthday of Senator Strom Thurmond.

Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi stepped to the podium and declared: "I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have all these problems over all these years, either."

1. There was a literal fire-storm of response.
2. He lost his position.
2. What if Jesus were to use such words and phrases today.
1. What would be the response?
2. Would the public respond in the same way they did to Senator Lott?
3. Perhaps that is why you do not find many, if any, sermons preached on this text.
4. Jesus would have been unemployed and possibly found guilty of verbal harassment, and sentenced to do, at the least, hours of community service.
3. You realize that to say what he did must have been very important.
1. What is he seeking to accomplish?
2. Break it down into a few basic words.
1. Pearls, swine, dogs.
2. These words are not used that much in the New Testament.
3. What is very important for us is what we can learn from his statement that lessons our anxiety and reduces our conflicts.
4. Start with pearls.

3. A review of the use of Pearl, Pearls in the NRSV reveals that they are only used six times.

Matthew 7.6; Matthew 13.45-46; 1 Timothy 2:9; Revelation 17:4; Revelation 18:12; Revelation 18.16; and Revelation 21:21

⁹also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 1 Timothy 2:9 (NRSVA)

1. We are not helped much by this passage because it refers to outward adornment rather than to inner beauty.
   
2. Although there is a relationship, but one to be explored at another time.

⁴The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; Revelation 17:4 (NRSVA)

1. This reference is to the power in the book of Revelation that is referred to as a prostitute, an apostate power in opposition to God.
   
2. Again this is not much help in understanding "pearls" 

¹²cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, Revelation 18:12 (NRSVA)

1. In Revelation 18.11 it reads "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore..."
   
2. This does not refer to the pearls of Matthew 7.6.

²¹And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass. Revelation 21:21 (NRSVA)

1. This is a description of the gates of the New Jerusalem.
   
2. It is a visual picture of  what will be and not is what now.

⁴⁵"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; Matthew 13:45 (NRSVA)

1. The passage in Matthew 13.45 helps us the most.
1. The kingdom of heaven is compared to fine pearls.
2. We are talking here about information.
1. Pearls of wisdom.
2. It is a way of life.
2. To cast pearls would be to share what the pearls represent.
3. So we need to see what happens when you throw pearls to swine.

It was Children's Day at Old World Wisconsin.

We were having a church outing, and were at Schottler Farm.

I was standing beside the pig pen with Scott Rowntree whose family commercially raised pigs.

The day was warm, the smell, well, it was the smell.

I looked at Scotty and said, "Isn't it strange that something that can smell so bad can taste so good."

4. As you looked at the pen it was knee deep in mud because of the rain that we had had.
5. You had an object lesson of throwing pearls before swine.
1. They would not know what it was that you were throwing.
2. Because they did not know, they would trample it under foot.
6. The meaning of the phrase is clear.
1. It is a teaching offered to someone which surpasses the spiritual level of the listeners to receive and understand.
2. This is a problem for us because we so not usually take the other into consideration.
7. This saying is very practical this is for us
1. It helps us to avoid attempting to overload another person.
2. We take into consideration the level of knowledge of another person.
3. What do they know of the Word and of God?
4. There is no sense in attempting to share a teaching or an experience that is beyond the understanding of the other person.
4. The same truth applies to what is Holy and to Dogs.
1. Jesus used dogs to teach people to be discriminating in whom they chose to teach (Matt. 7:6).
2. This case may be even more egregious.
1. This is because dogs, it is said may turn on you and attack with serious results.
2. I would imagine that this has probably happened to you, to one degree or another in the past as you have sought to share a teaching or an experience.
5. We would not use the words pigs, swine, or dogs today.
1. Jesus lived in a different place and time where this expression was in common use.
2. Beside you can find it in the Old Testament.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)    (Back to sermons for 2002-2003)
(Back to sermons Home Page)     (Back to Shultz Home Page)

CONCLUSION

1. Is what Jesus saying practical?
1. Of course it is.
2. We can take his message to heart and use it wisely.

It was Christmas morning 1957.

There was a knock on the door.

Two people stood there with magazines in their hands.

They ought to have known better.

They did not heed the intent of this teaching, but proceeded to convince me of the righteousness and the rightness of their way.

I had not learned much at this time.

I stood there attempting to covince them of the righteousness and the rightness of my way.

They were Jehovah Witness, I was not.

I learned later the vital import of this passage of scripture.

2. It is never too late to learn.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)    (Back to sermons for 2002-2003)
(Back to sermons Home Page)     (Back to Shultz Home Page)