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.
Do we treat our faith as precious? Do we recognize that we have in Jesus the pearl of great price? It important that we do so. If we treat our faith as common, if we approach attending Church and watching Netflix with much the same attitude, the world can see this. Then, rather than elevating the swine and making them human as they are drawn toward the pearl, we find ourselves more like the prodigal son, longing to eat what the swine eat because we forgot the beauty of our inheritance.
The gate is narrow. It is unique and distinct from all of our worldly pursuits. Only if we aim recognize our target can we aim for it, and only if we aim for it will we make it through. It isn't a matter of our efforts. It is, however, a matter of choosing one path instead of many possible others.
This is something Abram knows.
Please separate from me.
If you prefer the left, I will go to the right;
if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.
Because of his relationship with the LORD he doesn't overvalue things of this world. He is able to do to others what he would have them to do him precisely for this reason. He knows the value of his relationship with the LORD and doesn't treat it as equivalent to the good things of the world.
The gate is narrow, but if we move toward it we have nothing to fear. Jesus himself is the gate for the sheep (see John 10:9) and he is waiting to welcome us to the pastures of the blessed.
He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
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