THE THING ABOUT FRUIT

Jesus had a thing about fruit. He was always looking for some. He once said: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit (John 15:2).”

The morning after His dramatic entrance to Jerusalem, riding on the colt of a donkey, Jesus saw a healthy looking fig tree by the side of the road. Hoping to find some fruit, He went over to it but alas, there was none to be found. Only leaves. So Jesus cursed the tree and it quickly withered away (Matt 21:18,19).

I always thought that was something of an over-reaction, especially since it was not even the season for figs (Mark 11:13).

Fruitlessness in people made Jesus really angry but He often expressed this anger vicariously, in parables.  In Luke 13:6-9, the owner of a vineyard gets angry with a fig tree that bore no fruit for three years. “Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden.”

In another parable, the wicked vinedressers, the owner sends servants to collect the fruit but they kill the servants and refuse to hand over the fruit. The parable ends with the landowner destroying those vinedressers and employing new ones who would give him the fruit when it was due (Matt 21:33-41).

Fruitless fruit trees and trees that only bore bad fruit are harshly judged in Scripture. John the Baptist said: “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matt 3:10).”

God has every right to expect our lives to produce good fruit, especially when all we have to do is to abide in the good vine that is Christ (John 15:4).  If we do not produce good fruit, God says that the Kingdom will be taken from us and given to others who will produce fruit (Matt 21:43).

I suspect that we sometimes read the gospels through a salvation lens, as if salvation was the only thing that mattered. But a more honest reading shows that God is looking for fruit. Next week, God willing, we will consider more about what it means to bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God.