(Click here to read the passage)
I love trees. I can sit and stare at the big oak in front of our house for hours, tracing the branches, wondering at its shape, imagining how many leaves it has, and watching the wildlife that abides under its protection. In the fall, I am always taken aback by how many acorns the big tree produces. The deer that come daily to browse in our yard have spent entire weeks crunching on them, and still more fall. Squirrels gather and bury all day long, and never run out. Oddly, I don’t think of those little, capped balls as fruit. Fruit they are, however, and their abundance is annually amazing.
When Jesus talks about good and bad trees in this passage, I am intrigued. I don’t think of anything produced by a mature tree as “bad fruit.” However, Jesus indicates that there are clearly different kinds of fruit, and they are indicative of the quality of the tree that produces them. The trees all appear to be on equal footing – they are just trees. The fruit is the focus.
Good fruit? Apparently, something good to consume, based on Jesus’ examples. Figs and grapes were two fruits commonly enjoyed all over Israel and the Middle East in Jesus’ time, staples for people of all walks of life. Even now, grapes, at least, are common worldwide. Fruit generally denotes (at least to the palate) sweetness. It is also worthy to note that trees don’t eat fruit, they produce it to reproduce, or give life to others. Jesus’ example is one that speaks of other-oriented, nutritious, flavorful results that are regenerative in nature. That’s a lot for a single metaphor. It also sounds like it describes something akin to love.
It doesn’t end there. This product of life is indicative of the heart of the living being that bears it. In this way, Jesus metaphor is a means of self-evaluation, once again. Jesus’ point here is not to judge, necessarily, but to reveal. That revelation can be a public thing – others can note what fruit someone’s life produces, along with the person.
In particular, Jesus speaks of someone’s words, as noted in the final phrase of this passage. Just like trees produce some sort of fruit, people’s words are the fruit of their hearts.
Our current day and age overflows with words. Many are misused and misapplied. Many express emotions that we otherwise might not show. Anger (and its frequent motivation, hatred), specifically, seems to be often-expressed, especially in what we call “social media.” In its varied forms (disrespect, derision, sarcasm, mockery, judgment, etc.), angry speech seems to be the hallmark of modern expression. If our verbal and written expression is indicative of our heart’s state, we, as a culture, seem to be in terrible shape.
If we are those who take Jesus seriously, then our speech needs to be laced with mercy and love, rather than anger and hate. The counter-culture nature of loving or kind speech is sometimes more striking than the anger-speech. Christians have a choice, because of the power of God’s Holy Spirit in us. It’s time for some evaluation.
If the product of our hearts shows in our words, we can ask ourselves, “What about my heart?” What words have you been using lately? What do they tell you about the state of your inner being? If you are even mildly uncomfortable with the answers to those questions, maybe it’s time to reckon with what’s going on “in there.” Prayer is a good place to start. If your prayer time is troubled by your inner frustrations, maybe it’s time to sit down with someone you trust and talk it out.
It’s time, especially for those of us whose God is the Lord, to produce good fruit, no matter what kind of tree you are. Our world needs it.