“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits."
Matthew 7:15-20 (NRSVue)
How do we successfully determine who is bearing good fruit and who is bearing bad?
We must look at the words of Jesus leading up to this point. Those people who exemplify the Beatitudes, who refrain from judgment, who respect those without power or means - those are the ones more likely to bear good fruit.
As a quicker way to make this determination, I would turn to the great commandment found in Matthew's twenty-second chapter. Whosoever loves God with all their being and loves their neighbor as they love themselves is one who will bear good fruit for us. If the person does not do these things, it is more likely they are sowing thorns.
Fortunately, there is redemption, even for those who bear bad fruit. This comes from the very lesson in the sermon on judging others with the same measure with which we would want to be judged. I've made plenty of mistakes in my life and have been fortunate that I've been (mostly) forgiven for them. The problem is when I encounter someone else's faults, they always seem much worse than my own. They are worse offenders than I. Doesn't everyone else see that?
So I could forgive you up to a point, but I can only go so far. At least that's what Peter assumes, generously allowing for a seven-time offender to receive mercy. Jesus tells him he hasn't even started yet.
I'm glad Jesus is the one in charge of judgment!
But in the meantime, I need to watch out for those wolves. And make sure I'm not howling at the moon myself.
Prayer for the day: Merciful God, thank you for the beauty we find in following your way. Help us to make good judgments about who we're following. At the same time, when we are leading others, may we do so with the teachings of Jesus at the forefront. And when we find that both we and the people we follow are in the wrong, help us to start over with our eye on the fruit you would have us bear. Amen.
Photo by Erich Ferdinand via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment