Lesson Two: Discernment
Devotion #5: Judgmental or Discernment?
Pastor John Carter

Have you ever, as a Christian, heard these expressions:

  • “You can’t judge me only God can!”
  • “Judge much?”
  • “How dare you judge me!”

It is often said in a spirit of conflict and often because we are generally saying things that someone else does not want to hear. I love how Jesus teaches us the difference between making prideful, arrogant, and judgmental statements versus using discernment. Maybe this is a new thought for you today. Have you ever considered how the two are different? Jesus has been teaching some great things to us in His Sermon on the Mount.

In the passage today, we are going to see Jesus teach us the difference between being judgmental and using discernment. Trust Jesus when He says this; there is definitely a big difference.

Matthew 7:6 says, “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.”

In the previous passages, Jesus has been teaching the aspects of judgmentalism, pulling the log out of one’s own eye before you try to pick a splinter out of someone else’s eye. The concept is pretty clear: do not judge or condemn someone else’s issues while you have your own huge issue to deal with. Jesus calls it what it is – hypocritical. Right after dealing with this overly condemning spirit that a person may have, he almost does a 180, “Do not give dogs what is holy” or “Throw your pearls before pigs.”Your initial response may be, “Who are you calling a dog or a pig? Whoa, man! That is a little harsh! That does not sound very nice or Christ-like at all! In fact, it sounds to be just a little judgmental, doesn’t it?” What is Jesus doing with these passages?

The simple answer is that He is teaching us the difference between judging somebody and using our God-given ability to use discernment. I have no idea how you picture a dog or a pig. I happen to be a dog person, so I see them as loyal, kind, protective, caring, compassionate, and devoted companions. I do not have a lot of experience with the pig side of things, but I have seen people have them as pets. Maybe they, too, are soft and cuddly in their own unique way. I do not know. The point I am making is this was not the perspective Jesus had when He made this statement. Jesus was not highlighting the positive character traits of a dog or a pig (If they exist! Not judging if you have one as a pet). He was actually highlighting the destructive nature of the animal. You can understand this by his last statement in the passage, “Lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”Jesus is talking about the natural state in which a pig or a dog may come at you. I like to hunt, so I tend to watch hunting clips here and there. It is always amazing to watch how fast a pig can turn on you in the wild. I imagine a wild dog is the same way. There is a reason Animal Control has the long sticks with a leash at the end. They do not want to go home with a dog bite on the arm. Jesus is telling us here to be wise in our engagement with people. In some sense, Jesus is saying there are some wild-natured people who might just attack you if you are not careful.

Not all humans are vicious, wild, and ready to attack you at the drop of a dime. However, there are some, and using discretion to engage with them is an absolute necessity. Maybe you can think of someone you have engaged with that might fit this trait. You want to share something amazing that God has done in your life. Maybe you just got to know Him as your own personal Lord and Savior, so you want to share the exciting, holy, wonderful truths about Jesus. Maybe you were wrestling with a passage or something going on in your life, and the Lord revealed to you the understanding or the reason why. So, you wanted to share the “pearl” with as many people as you come across. I mean, who does not want to hear Good News, right? This is not always the case, but have you ever had someone get angry with you when you shared the good things God has done in your life? What Jesus is teaching us is before we go and just flippantly share our thoughts, we should use discernment because some people might not be there to hear the holy, wonderful things God has done in our life, and they are just there to attack us. Our society has words for this kind of person: toxic, narcissistic, abusive, and passive-aggressive. Understand that Jesus is not saying you are to condemn them, but you should use discernment when you are engaging with such a person.