Lesson Six: A Tree and Its Fruit
Devotion #4: Who Can We Trust?
Zach Honnen
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-20
Ever since I was a kid, I have struggled with one question, “Who can I trust?” I did not grow up with bad parents or anything like that, but I did grow up relatively sheltered, and as I grew up, I realized that not all people are trustworthy. I would share things with people in confidence and come to find out they had mismanaged my information. I was burned many times and eventually learned that not everyone values trust and not everyone can or should be trusted. So, back to my question, “Who can we trust?”
Jesus starts by pointing out the important truth that teachers, preachers, and people in general can act like sheep when they are really wolves. When we fully understand this, we can become very cynical, jaded, and maybe pessimistic about pastors, friends, and possibly even family. Many of us have experienced this in our own family, personal, or church lives. However, Jesus brings us a good idea of how to find out who we can trust. As Christians, we have a responsibility to “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). We are to be wise about who we listen to and trust but yet remain innocent. Whether we are looking at pastors, friends, or even our own souls, we have a command to be wise, but we also have a standard to know if we or someone is a sheep or a wolf. That standard is found in the rest of our passage.
Matthew 7:16-18 says, “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”
A tree with no fruit looks like it has potential, but we cannot build trust on potential. We cannot build relationships on potential. We have to build relationships and build trust in patterns. A pattern of good fruit is an indicator. A pattern of bad fruit is an indicator. A tree with no fruit has the potential for both good and bad, so we must look at the patterns.
Now comes wisdom. If we look at someone and see the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in them, then we know that they are sheep and have the Spirit of Truth in them. However, if we see the fruit of the flesh at work in them, then we know that they are not God’s sheep. If anyone is not with God, they are against Him (Matthew 12:30). So, who can we trust? Well, we can trust Jesus. He is perfect and will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus is the One we can ultimately trust. We can also trust those who look like Him, not those who only look good on stage, in a pulpit, or in front of others. It is those who are truly producing fruit that can only come from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 7:19-20 adds, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
Now that we know who we can trust, I want us to take a very important look at our own lives. Can we see “good fruit” in our own lives? I am not asking you to make sure there is no “bad fruit” in your life. I am talking about “good fruit.” The absence of “bad fruit” does not mean there is automatically “good fruit,” either. The standard is “good fruit,” anything less does not have the Holy Spirit. Anything less has not been changed by the Gospel of Jesus. When Jesus came to a fig tree that did not produce fruit, He destroyed it. When Jesus comes back on the final day, He will look for good fruit. Anything less will be thrown into the fire. So, let me ask you, “Are you producing good fruit? Is the Holy Spirit present in your life?” If you are struggling with this, I highly recommend you talk to your Location Pastor or Growth Community leader. Jesus wants all of us to be saved. He wants you, He loves you, and has given you a chance to be saved.