Know Your Bible often gets a question about Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 7:6 to not give “dogs what is holy” nor give “pearls to pigs.” We explain that He meant there are some people who have no interest in godly things, and in fact will “tear you to pieces” if you try to impart anything holy to them. As I answered that question again this week I realized that our 31 years of viewer’s questions shed some light on what Jesus meant.
Over the years there have certainly been a few canine and swine kinds of responses. We get a few hateful calls or emails. We get a few people who don’t want to hear what the Bible has to say about some moral practice or some doctrine they have
been taught is all important. Recently I received a flurry of emails from one viewer instructing us why we should worship on Saturday. In addition, I was informed that we are liars, false teachers, not the true church, and would most surely die in hell. I responded gracefully and pointed out a few scriptures – for the first six emails. On number seven (that was Peter’s limit too) I responded that we “got the point,” and asked that she just “consider us a lost cause” and free up our inbox for people with real questions. Her (hopefully final) response was, “It takes courage to admit you’re wrong. At least you have courage.”
Yes, there are a few folks out there who will trample your pearls and endeavor to tear you to pieces – but very few! Responses to Know Your Bible are overwhelmingly from sincere people who really want to know what the Bible has to say. With more and more of our questions coming via email, we get a lot more feedback. People often respond with a “thank you,” a follow up question, or a little more of their story. We have an opportunity for further teaching and trust-building. I had one recently that asked about being judged for every wrong word and deed. He wondered how that would work for Christians – aren’t they really “forgiven?” I responded with some Romans 8:1 kind of teaching about grace and works. Almost immediately I got a lengthy response of gratitude. I learned that he was in his 70s and had been a church of Christ member since he was 16. He had obviously been taught a version of Christian assurance with plenty of “I hope I’m good enough” involved. Now that he was nearing the end, he was fearful instead of confident. He wrote a wonderful note about how much the answer meant to him. My exchange with this one viewer made me think about how much good Know Your Bible does – in so many different ways. [KYB Sunday is coming in October, so be praying about your annual commitment.]