Seeds for 06/29/2023 - Matthew 7:15-20
Scripture: 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Observation: “Talk is cheap.” “Put your money where your mouth is.” “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Jesus’ wise test for false prophets is reflected in these and other modern sayings. Again, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, those He has specifically called, as well as those who have simply begun to follow and learn from Him, hungry for what He has to offer. Perhaps Jesus is referring to the Pharisees here. He’s already referred to their hypocrisy in other sections. Maybe He has others in mind too. In any event, Jesus is describing people who talk and look one way while acting differently.
They put on airs about their innocence (sheep’s clothing), however they are anything but. They are “ferocious wolves,” purposefully deceptive and intentionally misleading. They knew how to say all the right things in all the right ways, yet were far from God and in fact, opposed to Him.
I’m all for assuming the best until shown differently and defaulting to a charitable explanation unless there’s reason not to, and for good reasons. That said, I’m not naive. The Christian understanding of a sin nature in humans has great explanatory power when trying to make sense of the persistent presence of evil in the world.
A prophet is someone who speaks a word from God to the people. They are not judged as true or false based on the veracity of their words, but on the faithfulness of their lives. Truth and falsehood retain their definitions, of course. Words must be judged on their own merits. But a prophet promulgating a lie just may wrap it in a cozy blanket of truth in order to help it find purchase in more people’s minds and lives. So-called prophets require “fruit-checkers” more that “fact-checkers.”
A person’s actions and attitudes reveal the trustworthiness (or not) of their witness. “By their fruit you will recognize them.”
Paul provides us a list with which to evaluate a prophet’s character (or any follower of Jesus for that matter) in Galatians 5:22-25: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Are these present, at least in some measure? If so, let’s give them a hearing. If not, well, let’s wait a minute before we swallow the dish they’re selling. It just may be that it’s not resting on a plate but on a hook.
Application:
Are you quicker to assume the best or the worst when someone unfamiliar starts talking?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, grant me a charitable heart and a discerning mind. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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