Proverbs 9:7-8

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.

Most of us like to hit back. Trading an eye for an eye seems right. When someone attacks our faith or a moral position we hold, our tendency is to try to put them in their place. Who knows? Maybe we can help them see the light. Wisdom tells us: Don’t bother.

The mocker is a person who will not live by wise and moral teachings and is not content to let others do so without his cynical counter-punches. They demean and insult and belittle anyone who holds to a biblical standard. The wicked are those who propagate sin. They are trouble-makers, deceivers, and agents of division. Wisdom recognizes the folly in trying to rebuke or correct these kinds of people. Your time is a valuable resource and God calls you to steward it well.

“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”  Mth. 7:6

Many Christians might find this to be a difficult teaching. “What about sharing the Gospel?” they say. Certainly, every Christian is called to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Mth. 28:19), but evangelism is not what today’s passage is referring to. Rather, it is calling us to use our time wisely, because the time you waste on the mocker or the wicked person could be invested in the genuine seeker – the eager disciple – the wise person who will love you and appreciate you for sharing the truth with them.