May 8, 2007

Fruit Inspectors

Read Luke 6:43-45

"Each tree is recognized by its own fruit." vs. 44

I do a lot of the grocery shopping in our household. One of the reasons I do so is because picking good fruits and vegetables requires patience and when it comes to tasks like groceries my wife lacks this virtue (I must note that my wife abounds in patience in other things like dealing with our children...). I will spend ample time investigating the fruit I choose before I put it in the cart. Some fruit must be squeezed, some must be smelt, others simply need to be free of brown spots and dents. There is nothing that frustrates me more than getting home, taking a bite of a piece of fruit and realizing that I got ahold of a bad one. The converse of this is there is something special about an apple that pops in your mouth, a grape that is still firm, or a watermelon that is perfectly ripe. In a way, I guess you could say that I am judging the fruit.

Prior to today's passage, Jesus talks about judging others, a topic that we will take up tomorrow. But immediately after walking through that often misquoted passage, he helps us recognize that the worth of our lives is determined by the type of fruit we bear. What comes from us? Are our actions, attitudes, conversations, tempraments firm, ripe, juicy and a delight to anyone who gets ahold of them? Or when people get close to us are they disappointed because they find a character full of brown spots and dents?

I have often stated and totally believe that the most qualified fruit inspectors in our lives are those closest to us, family members, children, best friends. Many of us are great about putting on a show in public, but when we get home and the doors shut and the curtains are pulled, what kind of fruit are we bringing forth. Those closest to us "know our hearts." According to Jesus, a good heart brings forth good fruit and an evil heart bears rotten stinky fruit. It might be time to set down with those near and dear to you and simply ask them, "What do you think of my fruit?" If you are concerned that they will be judging you, you are correct. People can't help but make judgments about a person's character. If you are concerned that this is unbiblical, we will deal with that tomorrow.