Eating From The Tree… pt. 02
What do you think Jesus meant when he said “you will recognize them by their fruit?” (mt. 7:15-20)
At first glance it seems pretty straightforward… He offers this idea within the context of warning about people who are going to claim authority within religious ranks, but then not turn out to be what they claim. He warns that even when something presents as one thing, its own claims are not really of much value. The only way to know the true nature of something is to see what happens to it over time. Does the peach tree produce peaches? Or apples? Because you guys, it’s not a peach tree if it grows apples. What he’s getting at here seems to be that if we’re going to follow in his way, we need to ask questions like this: “Does this persons reality align with what they claim?”
Jesus Cursing The Barren Fig Tree
You know that story about Jesus yelling at a fig tree? (mt. 21:18-22, mk. 11:12-25)
Yeah it’s a weird one. But, did you know that figs and fig tree leaves grow at the same time?
Leaves don’t show up on fig trees unless there are also at least immature fig fruits already growing.
So when Jesus saw a fig tree outside of fig season, he wouldn’t have expected it to have much (if any) fruit on it. But since it was full of leaves, he went over to it expecting figs and when he found none he got so angry, and he declared a curse on it, and the next day all of its leaves had fallen off.
The bible, ladies and gentlemen.
When something is claiming fruitfulness, but lacking fruit, that makes Jesus angry.
Have you ever thought about angry Jesus?
What kinds of things make our gentle (won’t even break a bruised straw reed) savior angry? (is. 42:3, mt. 12:20)
When he sees people, or institutions, (or apparently even trees) that claim “come and eat from me, satisfy your hunger” but then deliver nothing true on that promise, that… that makes him angry.
If Anyone Causes One of These Little Ones to Stumble…
He reveals to us where God’s anger truly exists… and it has to do with the mistreatment of the vulnerable… the needy… for instance, children.
At one point, his followers get into an argument about which one of them should rank highest and, like a Jedi master, Jesus takes the teaching opportunity to (1) expose the arrogance in their hearts while at the same time (2) revealing the true priorities of the father’s. He calls a kid over to stand in their circle, and he exposes their misunderstanding. They’re going to need to start over. This is a whole new life that they’re beginning. None of them are anywhere near worthy of respect or rank in God’s kingdom as they currently stand. They need to become like children, and learn to live again, from scratch. Learn to live kingdom life. A favorite songwriter of mine writing about this story in the gospels sang , “Lowly ones will be made first, to inherit the universe.” And I love to imagine that moment. I wonder if Jesus’ voice broke beneath him while speaking as he watched the child stand there listening to what he was telling his followers, as his heart swelled with compassion because he thought of all the ones he loved whom God’s own chosen people have taken advantage of. Maybe he even thought of Hagar and her son, mistreated by Sarah and his own father. If you cause a little child like this to sin, it would be better off for you if you had a huge millstone tied around your neck and you were cast into the open sea… God’s anger is fierce when he looks on at those who do not protect the vulnerable… those who claim care and goodness… those who take advantage… those who “cause sin.”
It’s the same anger we see in the eyes of the table-flipping Jesus… heartbreak and fierce protective anger about the way God’s glory is being manipulated and used to take advantage of the vulnerable and the culturally weak.
That is what makes him angry.
David the Fruit Inspector…
The Bible is full of meditations about this idea that something’s fruit is where we see something’s true nature. Like a stage in the round, you can “attend” to the Bible and watch that particular kind of story many times from each different angle. One of my favorites is found within the thrilling tales of David. David was called “a man after God’s own heart” and I often wonder exactly what the authors meant by that…
The story in question comes among the snakelike deceit that King Saul shows (the soon to be king) David while he’s living in the king’s house still. We know as readers that Saul wants to kill David. But David in the story is less aware than we are. Good story tension, right? You would think David has enough data, but he’s far more patient than we might be. David does something curious to really determine the nature of Saul’s intentions. He relies on Saul’s son.
It’s so interesting to me that David looks to Saul’s offspring… or in the Bible the language is “seed” in order to see the truth about Saul.
Why do you think this story is in the David saga?
David doesn’t make rash judgments. He doesn’t kill Saul after he tried to pin David to the wall with a spear. Multiple times. He assumes the best. He offers the benefit of the doubt. He waits to learn from the ‘fruit’ of Saul’s life what he’s really like. What his intentions truly are.
And at this point, I would warn my readers, dear friends, against misconstruing Jesus’ intent in his words of warning. Our gentle savior may use harshly violent language describing God’s anger or flip tables upsetting the daily economy of the temple to put that heartbreak on display, but he does not do so rashly. Jesus is not in these moments showing us exactly how long or short God’s fuse is, rather these are moments when we watch him zoom the camera right in on the end said fuse. Jesus doesn’t make rash judgements. In fact, as he rolls the curtain back and allows us to see his fury over sin and his heartbreak over mistreatment of God’s image bearers, he does so as a gracious and kind gift to each and every one of us. Like an eye surgeon he offers a corrective to our blurred vision. We don’t grasp the true gravity of sin’s destructive effect, and he wants us to feel the weight of his warnings. Judge a tree by its fruit, that’s what God will do. And if he finds deceit, falsehood, mistreatment, or especially false promises of care and provision for those in need… they’d be better off swimming with cement shoes than finding themselves in the hands of this righteous avenging God.
Do Not Judge?
And at this point you may be thinking… wait a minute. Isn’t Jesus the same person who said “do not judge?” And good job, gold star, he totally said that. And I understand the confusion. “You’ll know a tree by its fruit” and “do not judge” seem contradictory, no? Please accept my potential clarification before going any further. In the sermon on the mount Jesus says this to his followers:
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.” (Matthew 7:1–3, NET)
I find it helpful to learn some words as a brief aside. The Greek word for “judge” here is krino (κρίνω) which is best rendered “pass judgment on.” Subtle difference I know, but notice this distinction with me: Jesus calls his followers to not sit in the seat of judgment, to not declare a verdict, to not condemn, to not pass judgment on. He never calls them to forego right judgment in their thinking or understanding. He calls his followers to be people who understand the truth, but leave vengeance and judgment to God, fully aware that God has been overly gracious to us. He does not call us to ignorance. We need not live in false guilt for thinking ill of sinful actions. God is the judge of the living and the dead, and he is truly riled up when he sees people mistreated and taken advantage of. Jesus (and the whole counsel of scripture) calls us to have good judgment about right living, and to take his warnings about the wages of sin sincerely, but also to allow God to sit on the judgment throne, like his servant David did.
The Narrow Road
But don’t think that because David does it “the right way” that it goes easy for him. At first glance it would’ve been a far easier road for him to simply kill Saul when he had the early chances. But while potentially easy for the strong warrior David, that would not have been the “right” road. Jesus doesn’t offer his millstone warning with a smile. If I know my savior at all, I know he offers it in tears. Wishing that the perpetrator he is describing would have just come running back to the father, instead of facing the father’s necessarily swift and heavy judgment. “Terrible danger awaits the person through whom stumbling blocks come…” David mourns the loss of Saul when he finally dies. Jesus warns with grief in his heart against following in the footsteps of those who cause the helpless harm. Grief as he thinks of the helpless, and grief as he thinks of the perpetrator’s fate. David knew what the kingdom is supposed to be like. And he longed for it. He describes it this way in Psalm 85:
Our country is home base for Glory! Love and Truth meet in the street, Right Living and Whole Living embrace and kiss! Truth sprouts green from the ground, Right Living pours down from the skies! Oh yes! God gives Goodness and Beauty; our land responds with Bounty and Blessing. Right Living strides out before him, and clears a path for his passage (Psalm 85:10–13, MSG)
Maybe that’s what they meant when they said he had a heart “after God’s own.” That he longed for truth and love to meet together. For righteousness to fall like rain onto lands ready to receive and sprout up, green with humble-truth.
I want that same heart. I feel the weight of his warnings. Of David’s desires. That justice would flow. That the vulnerable would be protected. That those in the line of God’s fire would turn from the ways in which they think they’re right; to turn away from anything that neglects those in need. That those claiming fruitfulness falsely would wake up and take warning. God takes you seriously. Don’t tempt him to anger. State your spiritual poverty openly, run to the forgiving source of life and stay a while, eat and drink, and acknowledge your child-like state in his kingdom. And whatever you do, don’t tell people you have the answers to their pains when you are a figless tree yourself. Christ may curse and remove your leaves in his love for the needy walking by you.
May we heed the warnings of our gentle, gracious, angry Rabbi. May we fear for God’s anger if we were to take advantage of the helpless. May we recognize the reality when others are doing so, even if their claims seem so pure. May we recognize harsh truth even within ourselves. Give us eyes to see fruit. Give us hearts to protect the vulnerable. Give us humility to recognize who the true judge is. Let us join Jesus in warning people about our the righteous anger of our gracious God. And let us run to him whose arms are open to the contrite, ready to show grace, ready to redeem, ready to teach us to walk in his way. May God have mercy, and may God bring judgment. And may we who follow him be like him.
May that be true.
(Photo of figs by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash)