PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Peril of Casting Pearls at the Unwilling

Ever find yourself exhausted from tossing truth toward someone whose heart seems sealed shut?

You speak with sincerity, offer Scripture, extend grace, and yet your words fall to the ground as if they never had a chance. It’s a familiar ache—watching truth bounce off a hardened spirit while you carry the weight of frustration, confusion, or even grief. Yeshua understood this dynamic well, which is why He warned us not to offer pearls (Truth) to those determined to trample them. It’s not a failure of your message; it’s a reminder that only the Holy Spirit can open a heart, and not every listener is willing to receive what is holy.

Yeshua warns His disciples not to give what is holy to those who will treat it with contempt, and not to offer what is precious—like pearls—to those who will trample it.

“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)

How do you know if someone is acting like a pig? They attack you!

It’s a call to discernment: knowing when to speak truth and when to withhold it because the listener has no intention of receiving it.

In Scripture, swine (pigs) are consistently used as a symbol rather than merely an animal reference. The biblical definition carries moral and spiritual weight:

Biblical Meaning of Swine

1. Ceremonially unclean animals — Under the Torah, swine were forbidden for Israel to eat or touch, representing what is impure or defiled (Leviticus 11:7).

2. A picture of those who reject holiness — Yeshua uses swine symbolically in Matthew 7:6 to describe people who treat what is sacred with contempt, trampling truth rather than receiving it.

3. Those who resist repentance — In 2 Peter 2:22, the imagery of a pig returning to the mud illustrates a heart that prefers sin over transformation.

4. A metaphor for hardened hearts — Swine represent individuals who are unwilling, unresponsive, or hostile toward spiritual truth.

   
   

   So in biblical language, “swine” is not an insult—it’s a discernment category. It describes those who are spiritually unreceptive, not because they are stupid, but because they refuse embrace TRUTH.

Yeshua’s decision to cast the demons into a herd of pigs was far more than a dramatic moment—it was a living illustration of what happens when TRUTH collides with deception.

Pigs, already symbolically unclean in Scripture, represented hearts unwilling or unable to receive what is sacred. By sending the demons into swine, Yeshua revealed that evil naturally gravitates toward what is impure, just as hardened hearts trample truth rather than treasure it. Pigs (unholy) and Demons (unholy) are twins. The pigs became a visible picture of Matthew 7:6. In contrast, the delivered man—once tormented and bound—became the true “pearl,” transformed by the power of God. The scene underscores a sobering truth: only hearts made receptive by the Spirit can carry what is holy; everything else collapses under its weight.

PRIDE AND JEALOUSY ARE AT THE ROOT

Pride says, "I am never wrong." It sits at the core of Yeshua’s illustration, quietly shaping the identity of the one who behaves like a pig. In Scripture, swine symbolize those who refuse TRUTH—not because they lack intelligence, but because their hearts are ruled by a self‑exalting spirit. Pride blinds a person to truth, hardens them against correction, and convinces them they have nothing to receive. Over time, that pride becomes an identity: they trample what is sacred because they believe they already possess all they need. This is why pearls fall wasted at their feet. The issue is not the redemption of the TRUTH offered, but the condition of the heart receiving it. Pride turns a person into someone who cannot treasure what is holy, making them spiritually indistinguishable from the swine in Yeshua’s warning.

The Sin of Casting Pearls to Swine

Casting the Lord’s pearls before swine is a sin because it treats what is holy with carelessness, ignoring Yeshua’s clear command to steward sacred truth with discernment. When we offer the treasures of God to those who are hardened, hostile, or contemptuous, we participate in the very trampling Yeshua warned against. It is not an act of love but an act of disobedience—misplacing what is precious and disregarding the Spirit’s guidance. To throw pearls to swine is to handle the holy as though it were common, and Scripture never permits us to treat the things of God lightly.

So, what is a believer to do?

A sober challenge rises from Yeshua’s warning: there are moments when the most obedient act is withholding truth until the Holy Spirit has broken the stubborn will of the one who tramples it.

This is not cruelty—it is discernment. When a heart behaves like the swine in Matthew 7:6, treating what is holy with contempt, pouring out more truth only deepens their rebellion and dishonors the sacred. Scripture calls us to speak truth in season, not in frustration. The real work belongs to the Spirit, who alone can shatter pride, soften resistance, and make a hardened soul hungry again for what is holy. Until that breaking comes, restraint is not silence—it is obedience. It is trusting that the Spirit must prepare the soil before the seed can live.

The Golden Rule:

Until that little piggy is broken by the hand of God, do this >>>

Proverbs 15:1 — A soft, gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh or sharp word stirs up anger.

Why This Matters Spiritually

• A soft answer reflects the character of Yeshua.

• It breaks the cycle of flesh‑driven reactions.

• It invites the Holy Spirit into the moment instead of human pride.

• It protects unity and keeps you from becoming like the one provoking you.

Sometimes the wisest move is simply stepping back, folding your arms, and letting the Holy Spirit handle it—because there’s no point tossing pearls at pigs when they’re clearly busy arguing with the mud.

-Stephen