Matthew 12:33-37 "Look At The Fruit"

“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

 Have you ever known someone that stirs up dissention and arguments and division every place he goes?  Have you heard someone speak truth in a way that is hurtful and abusive?  Have you known people that always seem to leave a trail of hurting people in their wake?  Jesus explains why that happens.

Although we can not see or judge the interior motivations of other people's hearts, we are able to see the fruit of their lives.  And Jesus says that by the fruit, we will know.  Good fruit is produced on good trees.  Bad fruit comes from bad trees. 

Let's take Jesus' metaphor a step further.  Bad trees cannot produce good fruit, and good trees do not produce bad fruit.  A tree might be good, but lack adequate nurture -the fruit it produces will still be good, but limited.  On the other hand, a bad tree can be nurtured and pruned and watered and fertilized -but the fruit will still be bad.

We used to have to orange trees in our yard.  One was an old Navel Orange (good fruit).  It was not particularly well taken care of (as far as pruning and fertilizing, etc.) -but the fruit it grew was always sweet.  The other tree was a wild orange tree that was strong and healthy and beautiful to look at, but the oranges were always as sour as lemons.

This same principle applies to the fruit of our lives.  If we are genuinely seeking intimacy and right relationship with Christ, even in our struggles and hardships -in spite of setbacks and battles and fears -we will produce good fruit.  As we allow Jesus to prune and shape and water and fertilize (agape), we will produce even more good fruit.  On the other hand, if our relationship with God is based on rules and judgment and religious tradition (eros), the fruit is always going to be sour.  It simply can't be otherwise.  It is a law of nature.  Good trees produce good fruit.  Bad trees produce bad fruit.