One of many rookie errors I made in my early preaching days was to imagine that every passage within the Bible has one — and just one — which means. The purpose of the earnest seeker, I believed, was to crack the code of interpretation, deduce the singular which means, and determine methods to apply it to our lives.
As we speak, I might counsel that such a singular-meaning strategy to Scripture is however one among some ways by which Christianity has misplaced reference to its Jewish heritage. For inside Judaism (not less than, as I perceive it) one begins with the belief {that a} sacred textual content comprises many meanings. As one may flip a gem in your hand and spot the numerous angles and sides and reflections, so it’s with holding Scripture and appreciating the myriad methods it meets us and emanates its magnificence. I discover this multi-dimensionality uniquely true on the subject of Jesus’ teachings.
When studying the teachings of Jesus, at first look we’d pickup a slightly apparent intention to his phrases. We may name this the floor stage, clear, apparent which means. However I feel one of many causes Jesus’ teachings has had such lasting impression is as a result of there’s additionally greater than meets the ear. To his unique viewers his phrases had a means of touching the Deep. They mirrored what’s True and Actual. They held inside them the capability to discover That means and Magnificence in ways in which clung to the hearts and minds of those that heard him—and that also clings to many who hear and browse them right now.
Right here’s an instance (and the catalyst for this explicit article). Jesus as soon as taught, “Don’t forged your pearls earlier than swine.” On its floor (and the way I’ve typically thought of it), his fundamental level appears to imply that it’s silly to present worthwhile issues to individuals who can’t or gained’t recognize them. And look, that could be a high quality sufficient takeaway, and I’m certain individuals have been edified by such a studying. Nonetheless, whereas learning a number of the teachings of Buddha the opposite day, I stumbled into a brand new perception. I noticed a special facet of the gem, if you’ll, of the entire “pearls and pigs” idea.
The Buddha taught that issues wouldn’t have inherent worth. Slightly, price and which means are assigned to one thing solely as a operate of the particular person (or individuals) deciding that it has worth. (Forgive me, Buddhists, if I’ve completely butchered that instructing). That is simply demonstrated with pearls. Pearls are shaped when particles will get caught inside a mollusk. The mollusk then coats it in substances that, over time, create what we name a pearl. In different phrases, pearls are simply trash which were excessively protected by a barely sentient sea creature—hardly one thing with inherent price or worth. But, like most (or, all, in the event you’re Buddha) issues, pearls have taken on a stage of significance as a result of people have impressed upon them a level of worth.
So then, let’s return to Jesus, pigs, and pearls. A floor stage studying of this instructing appears to suggest that the possessor of pearls are the nice or proper ones, whereas the pigs are those that have it incorrect, or who can’t recognize what is nice.
However, like, says who?
Nicely, says the one who sees worth within the pearl. To them, a pearl is a pearl. Ooh, la la! It has which means and worth and value. However to the the pig? For them the pearl is a nuisance. An irritant. One thing to be ignored at finest and rejected at worse.
Now right here’s the thought that struck me whereas contemplating this instructing of Jesus at the side of Buddha’s instructing about issues not having inherent worth: you could be a pig to my pearls, and I could be a pig to your pearls, however this says nothing concerning the goal goodness of the pearls (or the target badness of the pigs). It merely reveals how every of us suppose and really feel about that which we take into account pearly.
Right here’s what I imply. Have you ever ever been round somebody who has a very sturdy opinion about one thing, and who seems like anybody who doesn’t share this opinion is incorrect? Or less-than? Or silly? Or uninformed? Or brainwashed? Or ignorant?
After all you’ve got. You may even be that particular person typically, with some points—I do know I’ve been (and nonetheless may be!). Perhaps it’s that pal who’s excessive keen about being vegan, but each time they share their enthusiasm it has this fashion of creating others really feel immoral for consuming a cheeseburger. Or that coworker who’s dedicated to a form of zero foot print residing, which is nice and fantastic for them, and but they’re continually making little feedback about your waste of vitality right here, or your carbon impression there.
I’ve been overly valuable (pushing into pretentious) about issues as mundane as Apple merchandise, espresso preparation, TV manufacturers, and one of the best/proper technique to take pleasure in bourbon. These have been pearls to me previously. Which is okay, in fact. Sure, have your preferences and opinions and takes! However I feel the place we run in to hassle is once we then count on others to view them as pearls, too. When that occurs, when both we forged our pearls earlier than the swines in our life, or once we’re the pigs on the top of one other particular person’s pearl casting, the standard response is to really feel judged. Both we choose them (as a result of they don’t purchase natural, or as a result of they don’t communicate the identical means we do), or we really feel as if they’re judging us (as a result of we drive a fuel guzzler, or let our youngsters watch 4 hours of Disney+ a day).
It seems, judging is the broader theme of Jesus’ instructing about not casting our pearls earlier than swine in Matthew 7. He opens with the road, “Don’t choose, so that you just gained’t be choose … No matter you deal out shall be dealt out to you … Don’t give holy issues to canines, and don’t throw your pearls in entrance of pigs. They’ll stomp on the pearls, then flip round and assault you.” (Matthew 7:1-2;6)
Judging comes very naturally to people (some greater than others, *raises hand*). A part of what it has meant to me to try to comply with the Method of Jesus is to actively work in opposition to this intuition. To note after I’ve assigned nice price and worth to one thing (aka, made it a pearl), after which to note after I could be throwing it at different individuals in a means that judges them for not feeling the identical as I do about it.
My expertise is that the typical particular person doesn’t consider themselves as a judgmental particular person. They consider themselves as open, tolerant, and accepting of others. But in follow, I ponder how many people see our little items of overly protected rubbish as one thing that’s clearly probably the most worthwhile factor on the earth. After which how typically may we make these round us (whether or not explicitly or implicitly) really feel as if we’re judging them as a result of they don’t additionally see our tiny trash ball as “pearl?”
Look, pearls are nice. I like my pearls. I’m certain you like yours. I’m not suggesting we cease seeing concepts, or beliefs, or convictions, or ways-of-living as having price and worth. No, cherish what you cherish, and worth what you worth. Simply understand that our pearls have most likely modified lots through the years. For me, some issues I used to cherish as valuable I now maintain in much less regard (and vice versa). Such a realization ought sluggish me down from anticipating others to worth my pearls in the identical means I do. So could now we have eyes to see that our pearls are our pearls, and never essentially one thing that every one individuals also needs to agree is true and good and pearl-worthy. And should that, in flip, result in much less judgment of each other, and extra compassion, kindness, and respect.
Colby Martin co-founded Sojourn Grace Collective, a progressive Christian church in San Diego. He’s the writer of “UnClobber: Rethinking our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality” and “The Shift: Surviving and Thriving after Shifting from Conservative to Progressive Christianity.” You possibly can attain him at colby@colbymartinonline.com
