In Matthew chapter seven, Jesus says: 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.[1]
The standard interpretation, the one I was taught, identifies “holy things” and “pearls” with our gifts, good deeds, advice, scripture, or the gospel; and “dogs” and “pigs” with people who are not open to receiving our gifts, good deeds, advice, or the gospel. Jesus is then thought to mean “don’t waste your time.”[2]
This is the exact opposite of what Jesus meant.
“That which is holy” refers to anything set apart for sacred use – mezuzahs, shofars, crucifixes, and Bibles, for example. “Pearls” include my advice, my solutions, my answers, guidance, insight; my “wisdom”, my understanding of right and wrong, and my interpretation of scripture.
There are two words in Greek for “dogs.” With the Syrophoenician woman, Jesus used the term for little house pets (Mark 7). Here, he uses the word that applies to street curs, feral dogs, which were scavengers, vicious, wild, mean, and dangerous.
So, why will these feral dogs turn on you if you give them “that which is holy?” They’re mean and they’ll bite you because they’re hungry and abused. They need food, shelter, and water. They have no use for a rosary or a theology lecture.
And what about the pigs?
Like the dogs, pigs need food, water, and shelter. They have no use for my brilliant homilies. Driven by hunger, they’ll turn and eat us if they’re hungry enough.
Jesus isn’t calling anyone a pig, a dog, or unclean. He is telling us to give others what they need, not what we think they need.
People who are homeless need safe affordable housing. People who are hungry need food. Refugees need protection. Those who have no Christian reference point can’t make use of our pontifications.
Driven by desperation, some of the “least” of Jesus’ siblings, can be mean. They don’t appreciate us swooping in from the suburbs with our store-bought sandwiches and hygiene kits with tracks tucked into them. We mean well, but we’ve missed the point.
Animals need appropriate food, shelter, clean water, perhaps a clean pasture. Humans need proper sanitation, affordable housing, access to quality medical care, uncontaminated water, clothing, job training, job placement, dental care, psychological care, and healthy food. Some need addiction treatment.
They also need others to welcome them, be kind to them, and help them. They need other humans to befriend them, listen to their stories, acknowledge their humanity.
Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.”[3] Another misused verse.
Are the poor always with us? Eating at our tables? Occupying our guest rooms? Or have we so insulated ourselves from them that they are not often on our radar?
How do we know what others need?
Ask them. Give them the dignity of their humanity. After all, they too are created in God’s image. They too have unsurpassable worth. Jesus died for them as well as for native born church goers. Don’t presume you know what’s best for them. Give them what they need.
[1] New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
[2] An oft-cited cross reference is Philippians 3:2-4. In the Amplified Bible, it is rendered: “Look out for the [a]dogs [the Judaizers, the legalists], look out for the troublemakers, look out for the [b]false circumcision [those who claim circumcision is necessary for salvation]; for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh— though I myself might have [some grounds for] confidence in the flesh [if I were pursuing salvation by works]. If anyone else thinks that he has reason to be confident in the flesh [that is, in his own efforts to achieve salvation], I have far more.” Jews often used “dogs” as a derogatory term to refer to Gentiles, so Paul’s reference to his Jewish opponents in this verse is ironic.
[3] Mark 14:7, Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Word in Focus with Dr Larry Taylor 
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