Matthew 7:6

The Message

“Don’t be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you’re only being cute and inviting sacrilege.

Cross References

Proverbs 11:22

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful face on an empty head.

Proverbs 23:9

Don’t bother talking sense to fools; they’ll only poke fun at your words.

Proverbs 26:11

As a dog eats its own vomit, so fools recycle silliness.

Proverbs 26:4

Don’t respond to the stupidity of a fool; you’ll only look foolish yourself.

Matthew 15:26

He said, “It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.”

Philippians 3:2

Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.