Matthew 7:15-20

Matthew 7:15-20

Be on your guard from false prophets, who come to you all in the clothing of a sheep but on the inside they are utterly vicious wolves.  You all will recognize them by their fruit.  Is it really grapes that are gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every tree satisfying its nature makes good fruit and a tree of bad quality makes evil fruit.  A tree satisfying its nature is not powerful enough to make evil fruit, neither is a tree of bad quality powerful enough to make good fruit.  Every tree while not making good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Consequently, from their fruit you will recognize them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus warns us about false prophets.  Jesus isn’t talking about people who look into the future.  A prophet is someone who comes bearing the message of God for their contemporaries.  Essentially, anyone who speaks into the life of another person is acting like a prophet.  All Christians are called to do that!  But Jesus warns us to look out for false prophets.  Remember the context of this passage.  Jesus just got done talking about how difficult it is to find the narrow way.  Jesus is telling us to beware of the people who come to us trying to convince us that the narrow way isn’t quite so narrow!  Jesus is warning us to not pay attention to the people who want us to believe that the wide way can be the narrow way if we are just open to it!  Jesus is warning us about people who want to come into our life and convince us that rather than abandoning my ways and adopting God’s ways that I can simply live a modified Christianized version of my ways.

How tempted are you to listen to the sheep in wolves clothing?  Why is it tempting to listen to religious people who preach a “Christianized version of yourself” rather than listen to someone who speaks as Paul does of “being crucified so that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me?”

NOTE: People often read this passage and think that Jesus is talking about non-Christians who would lead us away from Christ when He talks about “False Prophets.”  This is just not true.  By using the word false prophets, Jesus is talking specifically about people who think they are godly but they just aren’t selling godly ways!

Second Thought:

If we carry the conversation about context into this next thought, we can see further parallel from yesterday’s passage.  In fact, today’s passage is just a retelling of yesterday’s passage.  Just as there are two ways – narrow and wide – there are two trees.  There are trees that produce fruit according to their spiritual nature and there are trees that produce evil, worldly fruit.  It is impossible for a person who has crucified themselves so Christ can live within them to bear evil fruit.  Christ does not bear evil fruit!  Likewise, it is impossible for a person who is really focused on living a Christianized version of their own life to actually bear good, wholesome, spiritual fruit.  Ever bite into an apple that looks good but has no flavor?  Ever see a tree full of fruit and it looks good until you get close to it and discover that the fruit is ugly, misshapen, and full of worms and rot?  That is what Jesus is talking about here.

Are you bearing fruit that lives up to your spiritual nature?  How do you know?

Third Thought:

Get the point of Jesus words here.  He says that you will know a tree by its fruit.  He doesn’t say that you will know a tree by its appearances.  People can look however they want.  People can dress nicely, clean themselves up, speak politely, and overall seem like their life is together.  But it isn’t the outward appearance that we should use as a basis for discernment!  Our discernment should be based on what comes out of their life!  Is a person living like Christ?  Is a person forsaking the world an embracing God’s ways?  Is a person willing to take on persecution and hardship to walk the narrow way?  Is a person capable and willing to make disciples?  Can you engage a person in a meaningful conversation about their God?  Do they engage others in meaningful conversations about God?  This is certainly not an exhaustive list.  But these are examples of what spiritual fruit looks like.

When people look at you, what will they see?  Will they be able to discern good spiritual fruit?  Or will they discern a person that looks healthy from the outside but whose fruit is diseased, evil, and not of God at all?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 7:21-23