Matthew 7:6 NKJV – “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
There’s a difference between testifying and debating. One feeds the hungry. The other throws food to pigs. Jesus wasn’t being cruel when He said this—He was being strategic. He knew that not every heart is ready, and not every conversation is worth your breath.
When I was in 8th grade, two brothers transferred into my school. They were “Christians,” at least in the loud, in-your-face sense. They carried Bibles everywhere, wore Jesus t-shirts, and they loved to argue—especially about doctrine. They were always looking for a fight. And one day they brought it to me.
They started criticizing the holiness standards taught by my pastor—women wearing skirts, long hair, no makeup; men keeping short hair, modest dress, no tank tops. Their own hair was long and they honestly looked like slobs. They wanted to argue. Badly.
Finally, one of them smugly asked, “What if, when you get to heaven, you find out all those rules weren’t necessary?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. So I shot up a prayer in my head and just asked the Lord for words. What came out surprised even me:
“What if, when you die and face God, you find out they actually were necessary? What then?”
And I walked away.
No yelling.
No debate.
Just a simple, sobering question—and silence.
I left them to think about it.
That’s the wisdom of Matthew 7:6. There are moments when engaging is foolish. Some people aren’t hungry for truth—they’re hungry for conflict. They want to win, not learn. And when you try to hand something sacred to someone who only wants a fight, Jesus says you’ll get hurt. “They will trample it under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
Proverbs backs Jesus up on this:
“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.” (Proverbs 9:7)
“Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.” (Proverbs 23:9)
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.” (Proverbs 26:4)
At some point, you’ve got to know when to plant seed—and when to shake the dust off your feet.
And if you think that sounds harsh, look at Jesus. Sometimes He answered the Pharisees—usually with a parable or a piercing question that exposed their hearts. Other times? He said nothing. Just stood there. Silent. He knew the difference between a trap and a teachable moment. He wasn’t baited into endless arguments. He spoke truth with purpose—not performance.
You don’t have to prove anything to a fool. The truth speaks for itself. Just make sure you don’t throw your pearls in the mud. They’re too valuable.
