“Do not throw pearls in front of pigs” - such a phraseological phrase is used when they want to say that it is not worth wasting time trying to explain something to people who are not able to understand and appreciate it.
The expression "Throwing pearls in front of pigs" came from the Bible, more precisely from the Gospel of Matthew. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ said: "Do not give holy things to dogs and do not throw your pearls before the pigs, so that they do not trample it under their feet and, turning, do not tear you to pieces."
Pearls and beads
The expression "throwing pearls in front of pigs" came into the Russian language from the Church Slavonic text of the Holy Scriptures. In the Church Slavonic language, the word "beads" had a different meaning. Now small beads are called beads - in the modern world they are glass, in ancient times they were usually bone. But in the Church Slavonic language, the word "beads" was used to denote pearls.
Thus, the Savior was not talking about beads in the modern sense, but about pearls. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a more thankless occupation than throwing such a jewel in front of pigs, expecting that the animals will be able to appreciate it.
The meaning of the expression
This quote from the Gospel, which has become a catch phrase, is capable of bewildering. In Christianity, unlike pagan religions (for example, Egyptian), there has never been any "secret knowledge" available only to a narrow circle of the elite. And the Christian faith itself is open to all people, regardless of their nationality - this religion does not know any discrimination. Therefore, it seems strange to compare some people with "pigs" before whom one should not throw precious pearls - the word of God.
Such a comparison is understandable for a Christian who has to communicate with unchurched and unbelieving people. In the modern world, any Christian is in such a situation - even monks have to at least occasionally deal with atheists.
A Christian, especially a person who has recently acquired faith, has a natural desire to share his joy with others, to bring them out of the darkness of unbelief, to contribute to their salvation. But there is no guarantee that those around, even the closest people, including the spouse and parents, will perceive such a desire with understanding. Very often, conversations on religious topics cause irritation and even greater rejection of religion among non-believers.
Even if an unchurched person asks a Christian questions about faith, this does not always indicate a true desire to understand something, to learn something. This can be caused by the desire to mock the person, to see how he will cope with tricky questions. After such conversations, a Christian only feels tired and empty, which is by no means good for the soul, since it easily leads to the sin of despondency. The unbeliever will triumph over the victory and will be convinced of his righteousness, it will also hurt him.
It was against such conversations that the Savior warned his followers, urging them "not to throw pearls in front of pigs." Of course, this does not mean that unbelievers should be looked down upon, comparing them to pigs - this would be a manifestation of pride, but explaining the word of God to a person who does not want to perceive and understand it is not worth it.
