The Tree and Its Fruits

{{Short description|Parable of Jesus}} Jesus' parable of the '''Tree and its Fruits''' appears in two similar passages in the New Testament, in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke's Gospel.<ref>''Jesus in the first three Gospels'' by Millar Burrows, 1977 {{ISBN|0-687-20089-X}} pages 122 and 195</ref><ref>''Matthew'' by Douglas Hare 2009 {{ISBN|0-664-23433-X}} page 34</ref>

==Texts== '''From Matthew 7:15–20 (NRSV):''' :"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits."<ref>{{bibleref|Matthew|7:15–20|NRSV}}</ref>

'''From Luke 6:43-45 (NRSV):''' :"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks."<ref>{{bibleref|Luke|6:43-45|NRSV}}</ref>

In contrast, the Fruit of the Spirit is holy and will be evident in the life of a true prophet.

In Matthew's Gospel the context relates to testing a prophet. In Luke's Gospel the connection is less obvious. Scottish minister William Robertson Nicoll suggests that "the thread is probably to be found in the word ὑποκριτά, ''hypokrita'', applied to one who by his censoriousness claims to be saintly, yet in reality is a greater sinner than those he blames".<ref>Nicoll, W. R. (1897), [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/egt/luke/6.htm Expositor's Greek Testament] on Luke 6, accessed on 17 July 2020</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.rc.net/wcc/parabl33.htm The Parables of Jesus: The Tree and its Fruits]

{{S-start}} {{S-hou|Life of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount or on the Plain|||}} {{S-bef|before=Discourse on the Two Ways in the Sermon on the Mount}} {{S-ttl|title=New Testament Events}} {{S-aft|after=Parable of the Two Builders in the Sermon on the Mount}} {{end}} {{Jesus footer}} {{Sermon on the Mount}} {{Parables of Jesus|state=expanded}}

Category:Gospel of Matthew Category:Doctrines and teachings of Jesus Category:Sermon on the Mount Category:Trees in Christianity