I mentioned in the last blog that while Jesus warns us against hypocritical judging, he does call us to rebuke people who are in sin.
But when we do so, we should keep something else in mind: who we’re rebuking.
Jesus says here,
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 then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)
What is Jesus saying here? He’s saying that there are some people you are just wasting your breath with if you try to rebuke them.
They simply don’t want to hear what God has to say, and if you try to tell them, they’ll rip you apart. So Jesus says, “Don’t bother.”
Solomon put it this way,
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:8)
This is also true in sharing the gospel.
There are some people that you share the gospel with, and instead of being receptive or interested, they simply mock you. In that case, leave that person in the hands of God. You did your job.
The responsibility now lies with that person to do something with the Word you’ve given them. You are not required to keep tossing them the pearls of the gospel.
It can be hard to watch a person you love mock the gospel. Or harden their hearts to the word of God.
But once you’ve done your responsibility and shared his Word with them, if they reject it and make it clear that they don’t want to hear it, there’s nothing left to do but pray for them. Because at that point, only God can change their hearts, not you.
Who are you casting your pearls to?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 