United Methodist Church crack-up gets more serious

I wrote in detail about the basics about 18 months ago. The crackup itself was ultimately not so totally much about theology — ie, gay marriage and clergy — as it was about other issues. One was financial independence, and, related to that, property issues. The other? Methodists require congregation clergy to rotate every three years; conservatives didn't want that. The reasons are largely the same reasons Catholics have similar — to prevent a local clergy power based.

Now? Things have hit a new level of seriousness.

The Texas Supreme Court said recently that the United Methodist Church can officially fight Southern Methodist's plans to set itself apart from the body on governance. SMU is the site of Perkins School of Theology, an official UMC seminary, among other things.

The sayings of Jesus: Pearls before swine

Matthew 6:6:

Doesn't make much sense to me for one BIG reason.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

Jesus is a Jew. One who's there to fulfill the law.

Setting aside the surely allegorical synoptic miracle story of the demon called Legion going into swine (set in the Decapolis and hold on to that)

He theoretically wouldn't have been around swine at all in the first place. 

So, what is he getting at?

Is this an affirmation of a gentiles-only mission? 

(2 Peter does talk about a sow returning to wallowing in the mud, but there's a good chance that book was written in the second century CE, after proto-Christianity and proto-Judaism had started separating.)

Luke doesn't have it, after all.