Look at the Fruit

We are in a series called Kingdom Wisdom, looking at the wisdom Jesus gives us for living in the Kingdom of God. Last week Jesus placed two ways before us. Two gates. Two roads. Two destinations. And He invited us to choose the way that leads to life.

This week, Jesus asks us to pay attention to something else. Last week He asked us to pay attention to the road. This week He asks us to pay attention to the fruit.

Jesus begins with a warning. Not everything that looks good is good.

That is what makes discernment necessary. If everything harmful looked harmful, wisdom would be easy. If every lie sounded ridiculous, nobody would believe one. If every destructive road had a sign saying, “This road will destroy your life,” very few people would take it.

But that isn’t how deception works. It can look attractive. It can sound reasonable. It may even sound spiritual.

So Jesus gives us a remarkably simple test: “By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Think about a tree you have never seen before. You might not immediately know what kind of tree it is. But then fruit begins to appear. Key limes? Key lime tree. Mangoes? Mango tree. The fruit reveals something about what has been there all along.

Jesus says lives work similarly. Don’t only listen to someone’s words. Don’t only look at someone’s image. Don’t only be impressed by someone’s gifts. Look at what their life consistently produces. Look at the fruit.

But there is another way we need to hear Jesus’ words.

It would be very easy to turn this teaching into an opportunity to inspect everybody else’s fruit. Yet Matthew 7 began with Jesus telling us to look at ourselves before looking for the speck in someone else’s eye.

So perhaps we should begin with a more personal question:

What fruit is my life producing?

What kind of person am I becoming? Is the way I am living producing more love? More peace? More patience? More kindness? More gentleness? More self-control?

And then we can go one step deeper. Fruit doesn’t begin with fruit. Fruit begins with roots.

Join Us This Weekend

We’ll explore what Jesus teaches us about recognizing fruit, what our own fruit reveals, and why the real question may ultimately be: What am I rooted in? Join us in person or online.