Scripture: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33-37 ESV
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, Jesus mercifully heals a blind and mute demon-possessed man amid a crowd of eyewitnesses and the spying Pharisees. Marveling at his miraculous healing, the people exclaim, “Can this be the Son of David?” The Pharisees knew the implication of the astonished crowd’s question and swiftly dismissed such a notion and accused Jesus of acting under the authority of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (i.e., Satan).
Thus, Jesus reasons against their preposterous accusation using two short parables that reinforce Jesus’ assertion that a kingdom divided against itself will not stand. Having once again trumped the Pharisees’ machinations to incriminate him, Jesus proceeds to accuse them of two sins that will lead to their demise:
- You’re either for me and gather the lost flock or against me and scatter them (v.30).
- You are committing the only unpardonable sin: denying the hand of God working through the Holy Spirit, tantamount to blaspheming God, meriting capital punishment (v.31).
For today’s reading, Jesus now counters with his second offensive strike regarding their fruitless service to Yahweh. Rephrasing one of his teaching points from his earlier Sermon on the Mount (7:15-20), Jesus tells the Pharisees to examine their fruit (rather than be concerned about his actions). For a good tree bears good fruit, and vice versa. Lastly, Jesus addresses future judgment at the parousia, when all will give account for their careless words and face justification or condemnation (more said below).
Takeaway: In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cautions his audience to be discerning because of false prophets who present themselves as shepherds of God’s children, for they will face the fire of judgment (as reiterated above). But here, Jesus adds two more points:
- Our expressed words confirm our character (i.e., “the abundance of the heart” – verse 34b above). The Greek word for “abundance” is perisseuma, best translated as “overflow.” Thus, the mouth is a spout from which evil spews from the heart.
- Our careless words confirm our character. The Greek word for “careless” is argos, which, as theologian D.A. Carson contends, refers to words perceived as insignificant but equally revealing of one’s character (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, p.293).
Thus, Jesus warns that words are critically important and will reveal our sentence on judgment day: pardoned or condemned.
Our takeaway? Jesus’ half-brother, James, picks up on these points in his letter to the Hebrew church. In chapter 3, verses 2-12, James contends that the tongue bridles the body and does collateral damage (likening it to a fire that sets ablaze its surroundings). He adds that no human can tame the tongue, for it is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison” (v.8 ESV). Discouraging? It is disheartening if we refuse to confess that we desperately need a Savior to transform our minds and hearts and rule over our tongues. But when we confess and receive his forgiveness, out of the good treasure his Holy Spirit instills in us,we “bring forth good” (v.35a above).
So, what exactly is this good treasure? Substitutionary atonement. As Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). In short, our loving and gracious Father has imputed to us his Son’s good treasure of righteousness that we otherwise could not even come close to earning by our merit.
Our part? How do we bear fruit? By staying attached to the Vine (John 15:1-11). When we do, as Paul enthusiastically proclaims, “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV). Paul, like Christ, speaks of good people (made good in Christ) who share and bear: share the good treasure and bear good fruit! Share our Gospel of Grace working through us and bear godly peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who brought forth his good treasure to share with us so that we might bear his good fruit. We confess, however, that we sometimes hoard his treasure and fail to share it with those in need. So, please help us through the sanctifying work of your Holy Spirit to more consistently share and bear for the benefit of others and us. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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