This post is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:15-20, and the Sermon on the Plain, Luke 6:43-45. If someone comes into your assembly claiming to be a leader, check out his fruit or character and doctrine.
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
I. Scripture in Matthew’s Gospel
A. Matthew 7:15-20
15 Watch out for false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothes but inside are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them from their fruit. They do not pick grapes from thorn bushes, nor figs from the thistles, do they? 17 Thus, every healthy tree produces good fruit, and the unhealthy tree produces rotten fruit. 18 A healthy tree is unable to produce rotten fruit, nor can an unhealthy tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree not producing good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then indeed you will recognize them by their fruit. (Matt. 7:15-20)
B. Comments
See my post about the Lordship of Jesus:
1.. Verse 15:
Jesus selects an image of sheep, which appears often in the Old Testament, and which he picks up on in his teaching. He is the good shepherd (John 10:1-6). These “sheep” are really dressed in the clothing of sheep, but underneath or inside their sheep’s clothing they are vicious or rapacious or greedy wolves. Who can they be? Verses 21-23 will clarify this question.
The imagery is powerful.
2. Verse 16:
The recognition of them is done by fruit inspection. Now Jesus once again launches into clearly and deliberately absurd images, like a man with a beam sticking out of his eye (vv. 1-6) or the earthly father who doesn’t give his son a stone or a snake (vv. 9). Everyone knows that no one picks grapes from a thorn bush or figs from thistles. Yet that’s how stark the doctrinal and moral errors will be.
3. Verses 17-18:
Then Jesus states the truth from opposing angles: the positive and the negation. Every good tree produces good fruit, and every bad tree produces bad fruit. That’s the positive statement, without negation (“no” or “not”). No good tree produces bad fruit, and neither does a decayed tree produce good fruit. The “no” and “neither” are the negation. He covered all his bases and now everything is unambiguous. The test is certain, but not easy or quick (Carson, p. 228).
Carson continues:
Living according to kingdom norms can be feigned for a time, but what one is will eventually reveal itself in what one does. However guarded one’s words, they will finally betray him (cf. 12:33-37; Luke 6:45). Ultimately false prophets tear down faith (2 Tim. 2:18) and promote divisiveness, bitterness (e.g. 1 Tim. 6:4-5); 2 Tim. 2:23), and various kinds of ungodliness (2 Tim. 2:16). Meek discernment and understanding the dire consequences of the false prophets’ teachings are needed. But at the same time, censoriousness over minutiae must be avoided (Carson, p. 228)
That is a good word for some wacky Charismatics (not all Charismatics are wacky, not even close to all) and for those in a “discernment ministry” who apparently don’t know what they are talking about or do inadequate research and bear false witness against some genuine brothers and sisters in Christ.
Fruit also includes sound doctrine because unsound doctrine will eventually lead to bad character, especially if the church leader already had questionable character to begin with.
4. Verse 19:
This verse is about judgment, either here and now or on the last day. There is no “last day” here (but see v. 22), so let’s understand it to be judgment right now. 1 Pet. 4:17-18 says:
For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Pet. 4:17-18, ESV)
Judgment must begin right now in the household of faith. If we don’t allow God to judge us now, then our judgment on the last day will not be entirely pleasant. We will have to get an extended “teaching” or “dealing” from him.
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
“fire”: other verses speak of outer darkness (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). So some ask: how can the lake of fire, which produces light, coexist with farthest or outer darkness? They cannot. Therefore, some interpreters conclude that punishment in the afterlife takes on different dimensions: fire in one place, and darkness in another. Still another interpretation is possible.
5. Verse 20:
Jesus caps off this powerful lesson with clear imagery. By their fruit we shall recognize them.
And by the way, “fruit” in Greek is plural, so to be precise, every time fruit appears in this pericope, it could be translated as “fruits” (plural). It’s a multifaceted production of the good or bad trees. Let’s not focus on one side of a person’s walk with God.
II. Scripture in Luke’s Gospel
A. Luke 6:43-45
43 For a healthy tree does do produce rotten fruit, and neither does a bad tree produce healthy fruit. 44 Each tree is known by its own fruit. From thorn bushes they do not gather figs, neither from briers do they pluck a bunch of grapes. 45 The good person from the heart’s good treasure produces the good, and a bad person produces the bad. For from the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:43-45)
B. Comments
As noted, kingdom citizens can judge the fruit of the tree, but not the root. God alone can judge both the fruit and the root. Keep to you own jurisdiction and do not cross the line.
Begin a series on the nine fruit of the Spirit:
Here is one on the fruit of righteousness:
1.. Verse 43:
This section of Scripture should be carried over from the previous one. Don’t see them disconnected.
“healthy” could be translated as “fine” or “good.” Clearly Jesus is using this illustration to talk about character that works its way out into speech and observable behavior.
2. Verse 44:
The punchline is in this verse. Each tree is known by its own fruit.
“is known”: Word Study: Knowledge
“by its own”: this means that we should not overgeneralize about the whole orchard, just because one tree is unhealthy. As the modern saying goes, “One bad apple does not have to spoil the whole bunch of apples” (or words to that effect). Just take out the bad apple. Take each person on his own terms.
Later, Jesus will tell the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9). A vineyard owner planted it in his vineyard, and it produced no fruit. He told the vinedresser to cut it down, but the vinedresser implored the owner to let it live one more year, for he would take care of it and fertilize it. If it produces fruit, then well and good. If it does not produce any fruit, then he’ll cut it down. This goes deeper than rotten fruit. That tree is fruitless.
Further, in this verse Jesus uses hyperbole (extravagant exaggeration) to drive home his moral truth. It is impossible to get those fruit from those thorny plants. In fact, if the farmer were to look for them, he would get pricked, so he shouldn’t even bother. Does this mean that some people are so awful that they will never produce good fruit—they are the thorn bushes and briers? It is possible that men like Stalin, Hitler and Mao fit that description, but those are rare and extreme examples. Let’s not take the illustration too far, particularly when it is hyperbolic. People in our ordinary lives don’t qualify to be those thorny plants, at least not to our (limited) knowledge.
3. Verse 45:
It is implied that “the bad person from the (heart’s bad treasure) produces the bad.”
Here is the main point to this whole pericope or section. It is possible for a man to have basic goodness. We observe it all the time. Rich atheists with a bankrupt personal life give away millions. The theologians who emphasize man’s evil must not exaggerate. No, this does not deny original sin. No, a man’s goodness is not sufficient for him to strut into God’s eternal and holy presence (see Is. 6). He needs grace and to be invited through his Son. But here it is a moral truth about Jesus’s disciples and humanity in general. In the kingdom community, look for men and women who speak words of blessing and edification. In business endeavors, look for men and women who do the same. The ones who consistently and characteristically speak good words have good hearts and can be trusted. It’s a general principle. Exceptions may apply, however.
III. Application
A. Questions to ponder
1. How is your discernment level? Have you fallen prey to false teaching? How did you escape? Or how do you escape if you’re caught in one right now?
2. What kind of fruit should good leaders produce? What does it look like?
3. Jesus’s first point is self-examination. Study John 15:1-8. How does good fruit grow in your life?
4. Jesus’s other point is inspecting the fruit of others. If you are a church leader, how have you applied the principle of fruit inspection? How about in your own life?
SOURCES
To see the bibliographies, please click on theses links and scroll down to the bottom.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 