A Tree Is Recognized by Its Fruit

[33] “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” – Matthew 12:33 (NIV)

When was the last time you questioned whether a plant, say an orange plant, was really orange the moment you saw the fruits? You know vividly that the most obvious way to recognise a tree is its fruit. That is why Jesus said that if you make a tree good, its fruit will be good. And if you make that tree bad, its fruit will be bad. The question is, what do you do to make a tree either good or bad? It’s simple — by how you take care of it.

For example, if you don’t plant trees in good soil and nourish them well, it’ll turn out bad. On the contrary, if you plant in good soil and provide all the necessary care and equipment essential for germination, it’ll turn out to be good.

However, Jesus spoke proverbially to the people because He addressed the Israelites, especially the Pharisees, about their behaviour, not necessarily talking about trees. Jesus was saying that those Pharisees, although they were pretending to be righteous, did not have any righteousness because they were not born again. In the same way, when a person is pretending to be born again and tries mingling with the church but, in essence, is not born again, that is hypocrisy. To spot such a person, you need to check their behaviour. Ensure that everybody gets access to the gospel of grace.

You are a blessing.