A lesson on a tree and it’s fruit

Luke 6:43-45

What can a follower of Christ learn from a lesson on a tree and it’s fruit?  Our Creator and Lord Jesus Christ, the One John the apostle tells us was the Word and He became flesh, which was from the beginning and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  That Jesus put into the heart and mind of Dr. Luke to share this message about a tree and it’s fruit, and it becomes very clear, Jesus is using the tree and it’s fruit as an analogy of good and evil in people.  In the Gospel according to Matthew, in the seventh chapter, we find Jesus again talking about trees and fruit, and this is what Jesus said: “So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.”   

These are the words of Jesus from the gospel of Luke: “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”  (Luke 6:43-45 ESV)

In the Texas hill country we have a thing called oak wilt disease, and the fungus is spread from diseased to healthy trees by insect vectors or via connections between tree roots.  Once it begins you must remove the diseased trees and dig a trench around the area of its roots to keep the disease from killing all the trees in an area.  What happens when a follower of Christ becomes diseased by pride, and arrogance or a sinful life style?  If you turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, you are going to read the church is one body with many members, our roots connect.  So can the diseased Christian have the same effect on a local body of believers as oak wilt has on all other oaks its roots connect with?

In Matthew’s account in chapter 7:15-16, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You   

will recognize them by their fruits.”  The Proverbs tell us what mother often repeated about bad company corrupts good morals, one example is found in Proverbs 13:20, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” 

So what does the instruction book on Life tell us we should do when we find disease within the body of Christ, the church?  In Luke 17:3, Jesus had this to say to you and me; “Pay attention to yourselves!  If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”  Our first goal is to look into the mirror, before looking to correct or help a brother, 2 Corinthians 13:5,
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”  After that the apostle Paul gave us this council:

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice