Lent- Week 2
Love and Forgiveness
(Hyperbole, Metaphor, Dogs and Pigs, OH MY!)
Matthew 7:1-14
Matthew 7:1–14 (NIV): 7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 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? 5 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.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.*
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
*Matthew 7:6 Greek NT Μὴ δῶτε τὸ ἅγιον τοῖς κυσί μηδὲ βάλητε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων, μήποτε καταπατήσωσιν αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ στραφέντες ῥήξωσιν ὑμᾶς.
1) Judging others – (Don’t Do It)
a) Dog’s and Pigs and God’s Law
b) Jesus literally rhymes in the Greek “Dog” with “Hog”
c) The term “χοῖρος” pronounced khoy-‘ros is masculine, not feminine or gender neutral
d) Hogs = Priests, Dogs = everyone else
e) God has tried to show us the way and even wrote it down for us. (10 Commandments) Later he placed it on all humankind’s hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 10:16).
f) The priests have mis-applied the meaning (wrong spirit), made it legalistic
g) The people hate more than love. They condemn rather than forgive. We trample the pearls of Godly wisdom, and we stomp on them, twist them, weaponize them, in the name God, believing that this is what is right!
Jesus is stating that his Father gave us the pearls of truth, but we have removed the original intent and we keep moving ahead without understanding that what we are striving for is not worth what we think it is worth. What God has given us is of the greatest value, so great, we couldn’t even purchase it for ourselves!
2) Treat people how you’d like to be treated – (Do This Instead)
a) The Golden Rule
3) Doing this is The Way – (Jesus Showed Us How To Do It)
a) Jesus is the Way
b) The Holy Spirit is the right Spirit
c) Live this way now because this is what God originally intended, and it leads us back to a place of blessing!