Dogs, pigs and other mammalian insults
I’m a pussy cat.
Which is fine, but have you ever been called a cow? Or slothful?
These insults come in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said:
Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Matthew 7:6 ESVUK
But that does not mean we should not tell others of the love of God. That would be judging, and we are told not to judge. To use this verse as an excuse to put people into categories, us and them, whether it is divided by religious views, by social status or country of birth we are getting the passage very wrong indeed. This short verse comes straight after the verses about judging others. My study Bible has this verse as part of the passage about judging. So what is it about?
Being judgemental creates barriers. If the people we criticise are not Christians then we create barriers between them and coming to know Christ. Take Mary Whitehouse and the campaign against sex on TV. It got her a personal mention of the Pink Floyd song Pigs (three different ones). I usually link to songs by bands I like, but this song lacks any warmth and compassion, so this time there’s no link.
God loves all equally. The famous Christian conference speaker is loved the same as the prostitutes under the lamppost outside. What Paul said about God’s love, that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us still stands. So do not put barriers between people and God. Don’t make them be like us before they are accepted.
Do not expect people who are not Christians to live to a high Christian moral standard. As a Christian I find it pretty hard, so make allowances for others. And hope that others make allowances for me.
Making an ass of myself 