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wondering what are the holy things and pearls we are supposed to be careful with and who are the dogs and pigs we are supposed to avoid.
Jesus isn’t referring to specific groups or classes of people who aren’t worthy of being included into His kingdom. This is not a statement of exclusiveness; it is a statement about some practical difficulties in communication. He is warning His followers of a type of person who is persistently hostile. The response Jesus describes is the key: “Or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” We are supposed to watch out for people who will take the truth and disregard it, trampling it under foot, then turn and attack the person giving it to them.
Jesus is calling us to be careful in how and with whom we communicate. We aren’t supposed to judge others but we are also not to ignore their faults. We need to recognize everyone is different. Some people we have to approach cautiously, if at all. Some people aren’t open to hearing the truth and will respond destructively towards you. We should try to speak clearly and compassionately in ways people can hear and receive. We also need to realize when our words will fall on deaf ears and we will end up being torn to pieces. It is okay to avoid such confrontations.
Most importantly, we should ask ourselves if we are people who trample truth underfoot and attack its giver. Remember Jesus has just told us to stop condemning other and to realize that the log in your own eye might be bigger than the one in your brother’s eye. Jesus is giving you truth, so are you going to respond like a pig and disregard it then come attack Him for telling you? Many people wonder who the dogs and pigs are. The first questions we need to ask is: Is it me?
Conclusion
God gave you a brain and expects you to use it. He wants us to be wise and compassionate. Jesus’s call to avoid judging isn’t about pretending everyone is okay. It’s about encouraging us to show love and stay humble. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came to be the great Physician who heals our souls. We get in His way and our own when we try to do His work for Him, when we overstep our bounds and condemn others, or act hypocritically towards them. In John 5:24, Jesus told His followers, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” We are called to be messengers of that hope rather than instruments of condemnation.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How have you heard “judge not lest ye be judged” misused? What do people think it means? What is wrong with thinking this way?
2. What does condemnation mean? What is the difference between judging the way Jesus wants and condemning?
3. How do people misuse the term hypocrite? What does it really mean? How does hypocrisy keep us from judging like Jesus wants?
4. Why do we miss or excuse the log in our own eye? How can we get help seeing our blind spots?
5. What does the whole passage about pearl and swine mean? Have you ever experienced “casting your pearls before swine”? How can we make sure we don’t act like swine when offered the pearls of truth?
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