The Fruit We Bear

Matthew 12: 33 NASB
“Either assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.”

This remark from Jesus was aimed at the Pharisees, who appeared to be good by their dress and their actions, but their hearts were far from good. Jesus was not just making a wise remark, he was actually giving them a challenge. The original Greek says, “Make the tree good and the fruit good, or make the tree bad and the fruit of it bad.”

A tree itself cannot determine if it is good or bad, nature and propagation determine that. If the tree is a good tree and has been propagated well, then it will produce good fruit in sight and taste. In this case, the allegory, the tree is the person. The person has to determine to be good in character and nature despite how the person was raised or what their environment was like.

Jesus was basically saying, “make an informed decision. Make your heart and life good and your fruit will be good but stop the pretense. If you are bad inside, what your say and do will be bad.” The problem with the Pharisees was, that they thought they were the ultimate of good in appearance, and in what they said and did.

Watch and listen to someone long enough and you can tell what kind of person they are by what comes out of their heart and their mouth. So, this begs the question, are we a good tree or are we a bad tree by the fruit we produce?

Prayer:
Lord, make me a person that produces the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Help me produce fruit that is profitable to build up my brothers and sisters in the Lord, and to share the good news with those who are lost.  In Your name Lord Jesus I ask, Amen!