MPC, 10th August 2003.Matthew 7 - "Don't Give Your Pearls to the Pigs"
Phil Campbell MPC, 10th August 2003.
The history of science is littered with bad decisions. A scientific establishment that didn't recognise truth when it was staring it in the face. Establishment scholars... who didn't see the value of a precious idea.
For example Albert Einstein spent the first part of his life working as a clerk in the Swiss Patents Office. Which is what he was doing when he came up with his famous theory of relativity. E=MC2.
When he published his paper in a small scientific journal in 1905, nobody took any notice. Because he was just a patent clerk. After it was published, Einstein applied for a job as a university and was rejected. He applied for a job as a high school teacher and was rejected as well. So he went back to his job as patent examiner third-class. Applied for a promotion to second class. And was knocked back for that as well.
And it wasn't til 1919... that Albert Einstein was finally appreciated... by the world that had discarded him.
It's happened time and time again. The geologist Albert Morley - the first to understand plate tectonics back in the early 1960s. And no journal would even publish his paper. Because they said the whole idea was rubbish.
I wonder if you've ever done that in other ways? Discarded something that you thought was worthless... only to realise that you've let go of something immensely valuable? That you've thrown out something thinking it was rubbish... and later realised you've made an incredible mistake?
Which is exactly what the Jewish leaders are in danger of doing as they hear the final words of the sermon on the mount.
It's a sermon that's carried through from Matthew chapter 5 to chapter 7. And it's a while since we've been here.
There sermon where Jesus tells Israel it's time to make up their minds... whether they want to be the people of God anymore or not.
All the prophets have said it in the Old Testament already. That they can't keep on thinking they're God's special people who somehow deserve God's special blessing... if they're going to keep on ignoring him in their hearts. I mean, it's one thing for the Pharisees to parade around in their fancy robes and say their loud prayers on street corners. But where's the love? Where's the mercy? Where's the hunger for true righteousness?
And so we started in chapter 5 with the words blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the hungry and thirsty for righteousness. For they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful. They're the ones... who'll be shown mercy.
And among the hypocritical religious leaders, among the scribes and the Pharisees, there's not a hungry heart to be found. Not a cup full of mercy to go round.
Religion like that is a scarey thing, isn't it? A self righteous harshness. All the pomp and ceremony, with none of the humble heart.
And so in his sermon on the Mount Jesus has talked about going the extra mile, he's talked about loving even your enemies, he's talked about giving to the needy because you actually care rather than to be honoured by men...he's talked about prayer outside the public spotlight. About seeking first the kingdom of God... and his righteousness... over and above anything else.
The Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law think they've got it all together. But they haven't realised... if they've valued all the wrong things. And they risk throwing away what's truly valuable. And if they don't have a change of heart, the thing they risk losing, the thing they're throwing away, is their place in the kingdom of God.
Which I think is why, as Jesus is bringing the sermon on the mount to a close, that he says to them, be careful what you're throwing away. Be careful that what you're treating as rubbish doesn't turn out to be incredibly valuable. Be careful ... that you're not throwing your pearl necklace ... in front of pigs.
Look how he puts it. Verse 6 in chapter 7.
Don't give dogs what is sacred; don't throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
If you squander what's really valuable, if you throw away your treasure... he says the time will come when you'll regret it.
Now it's interesting. Because it's not too much later Jesus is telling a parable about pearls. Chapter 13. He says "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." The pearl of great price... is to be part of the Kingdom of God. You'd give everything for that. And yet Jesus says what the Pharisees are doing, what the people of Israel are doing... is they're at great risk of throwing their treasure before pigs. By which he means they're treating the kingdom of God... as if it's worthless. And if they're not careful, they're going to lose it. Which means as Jesus says later the Kingdom will be handed over to the gentiles instead.
In short, if they want to be part of the kingdom, things will have to change. If they're going to value the treasure like they should, they'll need a change of heart. And especially the pharisees.
Take a look through the chapter and see what he's saying. And we need to notice his focus hasn't changed. From the hypocritical Pharisees he was blasting for their proud hypocritical prayers in chapter 6. Who are so keen to measure up everyone else; and forget to ask whether they can measure up to their own standards themselves.
Listen from the start of chapter 7.
Don't judge. Don't keep passing pronouncements on people. For in the same way you judge others, you'll be judged yourself. With the measure you use it will be measured to you.
He says, you go picking sawdust specks out of other people's eyes, you don't notice you're walking round with 4x2 planks in your own eyes. You nitpick everyone else... totally oblivious to the fact that you hypocrites are the worst of all.
Take a look. Verse 4 and 5.
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Which is exactly what the Pharisees were like. Ready to nit-pick at the slightest opportunity. To which Jesus says if you're going to use the small ice-cream scoop to dish up for everybody else, don't think you'll get the large scoop yourselves. For their arrogance, for their judgementalism, for their lack of mercy... they'll be judged. If they don't repent... they're throwing away a bigger treasure than they imagine. Their place in the Kingdom of Heaven. And they'll find themselves on the road Jesus talks about in verse 13. The wide gate and the broad road that leads right to destruction.
Now I want to suggest her in chapter 7 the same point's being made over and over again. We'll come back to verse 7 to 12 in a few minutes.
And notice the big picture. I mean, for an Israel that's so complacent, for leaders who are so sure of themselves and so unforgiving of everyone else, Jesus goes on to say the same thing in three different ways. He says to them, Don't be so sure of yourselves. Don't be so sure you're on the right track.
Because he says there are two types of gate. Verses 13 and 14.
There are two types of
tree. Verses 15 to 23.
There are two types of
builder. Verse 24 to 27.
Which are you going to be?
They're saying it about Amrozi, aren't they? Celebrating his death sentence because he's so sure he's going to be greeted in paradise by 14 virgins. And that dad on TV who'd lost two of his daughters in the attack, he said, Amrozi, you're badly mistaken. You think because of what you've done you'll go to paradise. When the reality is, you're going straight to hell.
And you could feel the understandable anger in his words.
Well, Jesus here is talking to his own people Israel. Jesus here is talking to the religious leaders of Israel. And he's making exactly the same of point. Except his target's not the terrorist. But the hypocrite. The self righteous judgemental pharisee types. Who are so critical of anybody else. But so sure of themselves.
Check very carefully, he says, that you're on the right road. Check very carefully that it's the narrow gate you're heading for. Because, verse 14, small is the gate... and narrow is the road that leads to life. And only a few find it.
Or the tree with it's fruit. They might sound like prophets. They might dress to impress. They might pray on the street corners. But they're wolves in sheep's clothing. And just like a tree, you can tell that by the fruit they bearing.
See, you might be able to dress up the outside. But in the end you can't dress up the inside. And Jesus says, by their fruit... you'll recognise them. Because you don't pick grapes from a thornbush. If they're bearing prickles and thorns, don't kid yourself that it's a grapevine.
Listen to it twice. Verse 19. Every tree that does not bear good fruit... is cut down and thrown into the fire. You'll recognise them, says Jesus, you'll recognise the wolves, you'll recognise the misleading leaders of Israel by their fruit. And it will be the bitter fruit of judgemental self righteousness. Hardened hearts. Without a glimmer of mercy and love.
And he says they might call on my name and they might even perform miracles... but if they're not interested in doing God's will and reflecting God's nature... I'll tell them plainly, I never knew you. Get away from me, you evil-doers.
And finally, the two builders. Jesus says, What are you going to do with what I'm saying? Because there's a choice to be made. You can do something about it. Or you can keep going the way you're going and face the consequences.
Jesus says, there's the wise man, who builds his house on solid rock; and the rains can come and the streams can rise and the winds can blow. And yet it won't fall, because its foundations are on the rock. And then there's the fool. Who builds on sand.
Remember on the news? It was only a month or so back, I think it was in the USA; and you could watch the home video of that house; the floodwaters are rising, you can see the corner sag as the foundations are undercut. And within a couple more seconds, the walls come down and the whole house is swept away in the torrent. And everything's gone.
And Jesus says in verse 26, everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice, who hears what I'm saying and does nothing about it... is like the foolish builder who built his house on the sand. And the rain comes down and the streams rise, and the winds blow, and beat against the house... and it falls, he says. With a great crash.
Now as Jesus says those words, I wonder how it leaves you feeling? Especially if you're a person with the same sort of framework as the Pharisees. The same sort of idea about how to please God. That you work so hard on the outward things and you're so very presentable. And you're so very moral in the things that outrage you; and you sign every petition and you raise your hands in horror at the ways of the world.
And yet Jesus says, if you're not going to change from that, you'll come crashing down. You're going in the wrong gate. You're growing the wrong kind of fruit.
And you walk away thinking it's just too hard.
Before you do that, you need to understand something significant. And Jesus has said it in verse 7 to 12.
Because the Pharisees, you see, the hypocrites Jesus is talking about, have got their understanding of God entirely wrong.
See, what's the point been all along? The ones who are going to be blessed are the ones who are humble and hungry. The ones who are going to be blessed, who are part of the kingdom, they're the merciful. Who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Who are seeking it for all they're worth. Who are saying, I need a saviour. I need to change. What I want more than anything else is a warm heart; what I need most is a heart that wants what's right.
Which if you can imagine a heart like that for a moment is exactly the opposite to the cold, hard thing beating in the chest of a self righteous Pharisee.
So go to verse 7 and notice what they should be doing back then. What we should be doing still today.
He says, ask. That's all you've gotta do.
Just ask. Because God is a God of mercy. And forgiveness.
Ask and it will be given to you.
Seek... and you will find. Remember what he says to be seeking? Back a few verses in 6:33. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness... seek it and you'll find it.
And to him who knocks, verse 8, the door will be opened. Your son asks for bread, you don't give him a stone. Why do you think God will be any less loving than that? Why do you think he delights in your judgementalism? When he wants to delight in your humility. In your mercy.
You know, twice, in the next few chapters, twice when Jesus is face to face with the Pharisees, twice when he sums up what he's saying to them, he says this. He says what you need to learn is the meaning of what the scriptures say... I desire mercy, not sacrifice. And it's all the wrong way around.
So I wonder, what about us?
Here we are, a long time later. You really need to keep reading in Matthew, find out the reaction - because what Jesus has done here in the Sermon on the Mount, he's dropped a bomb on the pretentiousness of the Pharisees. And they don't like it. And things develop. And for anyone who wants to step up and follow Jesus, for anyone who wants to be what a real Israelite is meant to be, it's a dangerous time.
So I wonder why it is we so easily keep making the same mistakes. It's an incredible irony in a way, that the public perception of the christian is of someone who's always ready with a criticism. Always ready to tell you where you've gone wrong. As if we just don't get it. That Jesus is saying one of the big things he was against was that sort of nitpicking that comes from pride and breeds pride. That delights in generating rules, as if that's what God delights in. I heard of one church a couple of weeks ago where the leadership has decided the men aren't allowed to wear shorts. And the guy telling me about it said, it's the sort of church where you're just waiting for the knock on the door. With an elder there to tell you what you've done wrong.
And yet at the same time there's still the danger of false teachers; the wolves in sheep's clothing. Which poses a dilemma. Of how you hold on to truth. Without falling into that same sort of harsh judgementalism.
Which is where we need to ask God to make us full of grace and truth. Both.
In America this week, the Episcopalian church confirmed the nomination of Canon Gene Robinson as bishop. Gene Robinson is openly homosexual. And the church there is very deliberately flying in the face of the bible's clear teaching that homosexual practices are sin. Saying, we're happy to appoint leaders who openly disagree with the word of God.
Now it's clear we need to stand against a decision like that. And to distance ourselves from it. But it's equally clear, isn't it, that we need to take care how we do that. In a way that shows charity and humility and love. See, it grieves me to say I've heard Presbyterians say some incredibly uncharitable things about people who struggle with homosexuality. Not realising there are other sins as well that are logging up their own eyes. And hardening their hearts.
Here's the bottom line. The narrow gate to the Kingdom, it's actually not that demanding to walk through. You just have to knock and it's thrown wide open. And the welcome is warm. But it's only really open to the hungry heart. And not the proud one. Which is going to say something about the shape of the kingdom that it is. And the shape of the people that are part of it.
When Jesus finishes the sermon on the mount in verse 28, Matthew tells us the crowds are amazed at his teaching. Because he taught with such authority. Unlike their teachers of the law. But there's not point hearing... or even being impressed. Or even a little bit challenged... if you're not going to ask for that change of heart. If you're not going to hear the words of Jesus... and put them into practice. If you're just hear his words and walk away and do nothing ... you're in danger of throwing away something incredibly precious. Of undervaluing a treasure worth more than you could ever imagine.