Today I want to look at verses 15-20 of chapter 7, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message.
Matthew 7:15-20
(15)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (16)You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (17)So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (18)A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (19)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20)Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
I was thinking yesterday after I had posted, that I really haven't been addressing the idea of who Jesus is speaking to in the last few posts. The leaders and the followers. Two distinct groups, yet with some similarities as well. Sheep and wolves. There were sheep and wolves both among the leaders and the followers. I think the wolves must have been hungry too, for there were probably more wolves than sheep, so not enough food to go around sometimes.
Jesus has been defining relationship with God, and it wasn't what the people were used to hearing. The wolves have had their way for a long time. The wolves look like sheep. They act like sheep. I think of Saturday morning cartoons, and how obvious it would look to me when the wolf put on sheep's clothes. But the sheep bought it. Silly sheep. Can't they see? Look at the paws, or the teeth. But there is a blindness among the sheep. A blindness to the truth. They act like sheep...to a point. They go to church, dress appropriately, speak right, etc., so what is this fruit that should make me recognize them? According to Jesus, it seems it should be pretty plain, since grapes don't grow on thornbushes nor do figs grow among the thistles.
I find it interesting when Jesus says, "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." This leads me to the belief that Jesus is not talking about actions alone here because a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit, yet a wolf can blend in doing many of the actions of a true sheep. They can give to the poor, go to church, even sing and praise God. In fact, this is what makes them so dangerous, because it allows them to blend in with the sheep. So what are the fruits that will cause us to recognize the sheep from the wolves? I find it a bit hard to explain, but it has to do with the way they do their deeds. We have already talked about how the leaders liked to do their actions to be seen by men, and that the only reward they got was the praise and recognition of men. The sheep just do it naturally. They love God and respond to Him constantly, and don't have to do it for an outward show or even receive any recognition. They do it from the shadows. Maybe they don't need to have their name on a wing of the church or a plaque on the wall. Maybe they don't need a fish on the back of their car. That is because they know that only what God sees matters, and God knows if one of His children is driving the car whether or not it has a fish on the back. Let the silly sheep praise the wolves. The real sheep know that doesn't impress God in the least.
It is not the dress, or the actions that identify them. It must be the spirit that dwells in them. The faith that cannot be denied. It is not the smooth talk or the fancy suit, but the very things that Jesus spoke of in the beginning of this message. Humility, meekness, mourning for the lost souls of men, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Not the righteousness that comes from our own efforts at following the law, but the righteousness that flows from Christ. They are pure. Peacemakers. Not the peacemakers who stage a sit in while smoking pot, but peacemakers like the strong, well equipped soldiers who guard the borders, willing to defend peace even at the cost of their lives. In other words, if you want to know who the real sheep are, read the beatitudes again.
Think about the audience. There were wolves who only had their own interests at heart. They relied on their righteousness, and it caused them to be arrogant and inconsiderate of others. I keep thinking of the Pharisee prayer his audacious prayer, even insulting the tax collector in the process. (Luke 18:10-14) He acted like a sheep, praying to God. But that prayer was full of arrogance and insult, its goal was to make the man look good to God and to others. Yet if we look at the words of Jesus in the beatitudes, we see none of those traits in this man. They are instead found in the tax collector. Poor in spirit, he could not even lift up his eyes to heaven, mourning his feeling of separation from God as he beat his breast, hungering for righteousness as he begged for forgiveness. It was evident that these two men, while similar in some ways, were also very different. Different as grapes and thorns, or figs and thistles.
Edited 2/14/2022
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