“Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” (George Bernard Shaw). It is truly amazing to watch how Jesus Christ responded to all of those who wanted to pick a fight with Him. The obvious example is of Satan himself, but there are plenty of other examples as well. Whether it was Satan trying to get Jesus to transform rocks into bread or jump off the temple, or the scribes and the Pharisees asking Him to say which was the greatest commandment, or should the Jews pay taxes, or should a woman caught in adultery be stoned to death, time and time again we can see that the Savior will not be drawn into accepting the premise of their question. All of these pigs wanted Him to get into the mud and wrestle with them. They all believed themselves cleverer and wiser according to the wisdom of the world and they could with their logic and sophistry defeat Him, unlearned as He appeared to be, but to their constant disappointment and chagrin, He never stooped down to their level. He never fought them on their terms. He remained still and stood in Holy places. When Satan tried to get Jesus to turn stones into bread, He did not launch into a metaphysical discussion of how difficult it would be to make the transformation actually happen, or into an ethical discussion of whether or not the Holy power of the Priesthood should be used in such a self-serving and frivolous manner. He held fast to the Words of God and reminded Satan that He didn't need bread and would not be tempted into a discussion of whether He could or should miraculously produce bread from rocks. With the woman taken in the act of adultery, Christ did not delve into a detailed analysis of the historical complexities of why adultery was no longer enforced with the death penalty, to say nothing of the thorny issue of jurisprudence with the Jewish governing body being absolutely subject to Roman authority. If He had tried to make a case for either mercy or justice, the lawyers in the crowd were ready to roll out the charges of either blasphemy or sedition regardless of what He chose. But Jesus would not get into the mud and wrestle with them. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6). So often we feel that we have to argue or fight against this temptation or that intrusive thought. But we don't have to cast ourselves before swine to be trampled under their feet or rent upon their tusks. Satan wants us to be as miserable and as muddy as he is, and he is just as pleased if we give into his temptations or if we try to fight against them on his terms. But we are of the house of Israel. We wrestle with God, not with pigs. When tragedy befalls us, we can get down into the mud and wrestle with Satan about whether we deserve it or not or how we can escape from the pain and sorrow of our situation. Or we can wrestle with God and try to find out why He has chosen us for this particular challenge, and what exactly it is that He wants us to learn. One way leaves us dirty and more miserable than we started. The other way leaves us stronger and cleaner and more filled with hope and meaning. I hope we will follow our Savior's example and refuse to be drawn into fights for which there can be no victory.
