Mary Magdalene

A few people have asked me about my point in last Sunday’s message concerning John the Baptist – I suggested he threw his “pearls to the swine.” In the case of King Herod and his adulterous with Herodias I thought John may have been too daring. There is a sense that he proclaimed this publicly and he continued to do so. Whatever the case, the Bible uses the phrase, “Do not throw your pearls to the swine.” That phrase is attention getting because it is so blunt. There are times when it is not wise, or even God’s desire, that we continue to challenge, or even to help or stay involved in someone’s life that has the potential of hurting us. There is a book title that said When Helping You is Hurting Me. Just today in Mark 11 I read about Jesus refusing to answer the chief priest, and teaches the law, when they asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” He gave them another question and asked about John the Baptist, whether he was from heaven or from men. They didn’t answer him and Jesus said, “Neither will I answer you.” I think this is an example of not throwing your pearls to the swine. This is an issue of wisdom. When will our help just enable people to stay stuck in their present behaviors? When will a confrontation actually make a person more hardened and even retaliate like John the Baptist experienced? This is not a clear cut subject, but I wanted you to know that there are times that you withhold your involvement so that God has room to move. What do you think?