The Sermon on the Mount 20 - Matt 7:6-20

The Savior makes a statement that has always been difficult for me to understand. He says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” Pigs were/are considered filthy animals in Judaism, so comparing people to swine would probably be most derogatory and offensive. It bothered me that the Savior inferred that those who didn’t receive the gospel were filthy animals. This is where Hugh Nibley came in and settled this for me. While teaching about Jesus’ visit to the Americas and expounding on this verse in its 3rd Nephi equivalent, HN explains, “What about these people who won’t accept the gospel? This is not running down dogs or swine. The word he uses is conariun, which means ‘pet doggy.’ You don’t give all the good on the table to your pet dog. For one thing it would make the little puppy sick. It’s not his food. They are not ready to receive it, and they wouldn’t appreciate it. They would just turn again and trample you; they wouldn’t know what they were getting at all. This isn’t holding them in contempt, but things should be distributed where they can be appreciated and used. The dog will bite you, and the swine will just tread on the pearls. They don’t mean anything to him. That’s why things must be done appropriately, of course. This also has to do with the secrecy that was taught to the apostles.” The Savior’s statement isn’t about the inferiority of unbelievers, but about our need to accept people where they are. It’s a statement that the gospel is for everyone and can reach anyone in any place in their lives, but it is up to us to teach the gospel to others by the power of the Holy Ghost so that we can give them doctrine where they are spiritually, so that they can receive it when they are ready. This is especially important when considered in the light the IM gives saying, “Whereas much of the Sermon on the Mount was directed to the multitude, the Joseph Smith Translation teaches that the Savior’s words recorded in Matthew 7:1-28 were directed to His disciples.”

 

It’s not just about where others are, but Jesus is also showing us the method that he uses to teach us the gospel. He tells us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” There is a vey important distinction made here, which is discussed by Elder Richard G. Scott, as quoted in the IM, saying, “Our Father in Heaven has invited you to express your needs, hopes, and desired unto Hi. That should not be done in a spirit of negotiation, but rather as a willingness to obey His will no matter what direction that takes. His invitation ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’ does not assure that you will get what you want. It does guarantee that, if worthy, you will get what you need, as judged by a Father that loves you perfectly, who wants your eternal happiness even more than your do.” I always thought that this verse indicated that if you ask for something you will get it. This quote demonstrates a different point of view that I need to think about.

 

To illustrate the point that God will give us what we need and not necessarily what we want, Jesus continues, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask them?” If your child is hungry and asks for bread, but they’ve had too much bread already that day, then you might tell them that they can have fruit instead. On a much more primitive scale, we know what our kids need, even if they say that they want to eat birthday cake for breakfast because they are hungry, makes total sense to them, but we know that if we let them eat cake for breakfast, then they will have a sugar crash at school, and be really hungry later. We know they need to eat something else, and so when they come to us asking for cake, we say no but give alternatives. How many times do we come to Heavenly Father with the equivalent of a request to eat cake for breakfast? I do it pretty much all the time, and then I get made when he says no. His patience is infinite with me.

 

Jesus now goes into a series of short but profound statements, starting with the Golden Rule: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” No one wants others to be rude to them, to take advantage of them, to hurt them, and yet how often do we do that to others? How often do we say things to others that we would cry over someone saying that to us? And it goes the other way too. How often do we serve someone when we can? How often do we express love to someone? That’s what we want, but how often do we allow ourselves to do that for other people?

 

Jesus continues, “Enter ye at the strait gate… Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The word strait here means narrow. These verses have many cross references that are profitable to consider. The first reference gives us the definition of “strait gate” by quoting 2 Nephi 31:17-21 saying, “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate… And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done/ Behold, I say unto you nay… Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men… And there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved in thekingdom of God.” That is pretty straight forward, and one of the problems that I can see people having, myself included, is imagining that the “gate” as being an ending point and not a beginning point. I’ve always imagined the gate being a goal, a finish line type of figment, but in reality, it’s a starting point. Another issue that I think can be confusing is the use of the word “find.” If you must walk through this little gate in order to get to heaven, and you must “find” where it is, it implies that your chances of getting into heaven is really more luck than anything else. We know that this is not true, because we know that all people who ever have or ever will live, will all have the same equal chance and understanding to either accept or reject the gospel. There is no luck involved at all, it’s going to be purely up to each and every individual at some point. So the connotation in this verse, I feel, can be misinterpreted.

 

Jesus continues by warning of “false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves…wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” This is a very interesting commentary on the fact that many people do not have your best interests at heart, even if they say that they do. We know the fruits of the Savior, kindness, meekness, humility, service, compassion. There are many people who come into our lives who appear to have a similar demeanor, and we are probably naturally drawn to them because of these apparent attributes. But Jesus warns us to be diligent, to be careful who we follow and who’s advice we trust. This is also a contrast to all the people in Nephite history who followed the anti-Christs, such as Nehor, Sharem, and even Alma the Younger while he was wicked. The people “let” themselves be fooled because they heard a message they wanted to believe to be true. People can convince themselves of anything, and Jesus is just letting us know here that there will indeed be many who try to deceive us, but we must be cautious.