Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder
Quick question – how much does a hot dog cost?
Okay, you caught me. It’s a bit of a trick question. The answer, as you may have guessed, depends on where you’re shopping.
If you head to your local grocery store and buy the supplies for yourself, you’ll probably spend between 75 cents and one dollar for each hot dog and bun. Ketchup, mustard, relish, and anything else you’d like to add on top aren’t included.
If you’re watching a University of Iowa football game at Kinnick Stadium, you might have to spend a few dollars more. If you’re fortunate enough to somehow get in the door for Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, don’t be surprised if one hot dog costs close to $15 (they were $12 each at Super LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles).
My advice is twofold. First of all, skip the hot dogs and get yourself a Chick-fil-A sandwich and some waffle fries instead. You’ll be happier, fuller, and you won’t have to spend too much extra cash.
Secondly, don’t assume that value is always clear-cut and easy to understand. There are a number of factors that impact how much something is worth, including what we believe it should be worth. As the old adage says, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Perhaps you’ve heard another popular saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:6 (NKJV), the inverse is also true: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
Keep in mind that we just finished hearing Jesus’ teachings on judging others (if you missed last week’s blog post, you can go back and read it here), so the topics of discernment and self-awareness would be fresh in Jesus’ listeners’ minds.
We should also point out that dogs and pigs were considered unclean animals during the time when Jesus lived. When the audience heard Jesus speaking about dogs, they wouldn’t have pictured their lovable, furry four-legged friends at home. They would have envisioned wild, angry animals who were often aggressive in their pursuit of food. As for pigs, if you’ve heard the story of the Prodigal Son who hits rock bottom when he finds himself taking care of pigs, you can understand why Jesus chose to mention them here as well.
Jesus’ point in sharing these things is to remind us that some audiences won’t be ready to hear or respond to His strongest teachings, but we shouldn’t allow that to cloud our view of their resonance or importance in our own lives. If we do, we could end up like the person who is torn into pieces by pigs or dogs. Not only would they fail to accept the message we have to share with them, but they could cause harm to us by bringing us down. Instead, we should uphold Jesus’ teachings in our own lives with the respect and value they deserve, while recognizing that not everyone will hold them to the same regard that we will. We must also make sure we are sharing our most prized information with those who also trust and value us.