Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus' exhortation to honor what is holy evokes a dolorous passage from Jeremiah's Book of Lamentations,
The foe stretched out his hands
to all her precious things;
She has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary,
Those you forbade to come
into your assembly.
All her people groan,
searching for bread;
They give their precious things for food,
to retain the breath of life.
Look, O LORD, and pay attention
to how I have been demeaned!
Feminist scripture scholars tell us the phrase "precious things" which were stolen by the foe or sold for food refers to the sexual vulnerability of women and girls. The rape of Jerusalem is not just a metaphor for the Babylonian capture of the Holy City. Rape is a weapon commonly used to humiliate and subjugate captive nations.
How ironic, then, that "the secular city" which is not assailed by foreign invaders, has so little reverence for the sexual integrity of its women or men, girls or boys! It believes with a misguided piety that "consenting adults" is a sufficient guideline for maintaining personal integrity. "Adults" may surrender their "precious things" to whoever asks, without regard to consequences: physical, psychological, social, economic, or spiritual. If they "consented" there is no further discussion, entanglement or commitment. The transaction means nothing beyond the immediate moment. The relationship is not holy, nor is the body.
This new age principle is so deeply entrenched that nursing homes wonder what to do with their demented patients, strangers to one another until they meet in the facility, who are sexually drawn to each other. They seem to be consenting but are they competent?
Collegians ponder how long consent lasts; can it be terminated at the critical moment? Or is there a point of no return? What happens when they disagree about "what just happened;" as they sort through new, unfamiliar feelings of post-coital sadness?
Individuals may insist that "My standards are higher. I don't throw my pearls to just any swine," but they have little legal protection or social assurance to guarantee these personal standards.
A generation is being torn to pieces by adultery, fornication and serial divorce with their consequent issues of mental illness, drug dependence and suicide.
The secular city would do well to ponder Jesus' exhortation,
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.