When my children and I were younger, we would occasionally drive a couple hours to go fruit picking in the State of Michigan. Some of the orchards were small, and had only one type of fruit tree, generally apples. There was one orchard, though, that was rather large, and it had a variety of different fruit trees. Apples over here, peaches there, pears that way, and cherries over yonder. If I wanted peaches, I wouldn’t be looking for them on the apple trees. Nor would I expect cherries to be hanging from the pear trees. The tree brings forth the type of fruit that it is. As we read from the Gospel of Luke today, Jesus has several lessons for us, one being what type of fruit are we bearing. Let’s look at these lessons.
Our Gospel reading this week continues with Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount. During this well known extended message, Jesus gave a number of teachings. One of them was that just as a tree or bush is known by what type of fruit or nut they bear, and flowers by what type of blossom they produce, people can also be known by what type of behavior and speech they show (vs. 43-45). Just as we could tell where we were in the orchard by the type of fruit and the type of leaves the various trees were bearing, Jesus tells us we can tell what people are like by what they bring forth from their hearts and mouths. On the outside everything can look good, but the fruit that is produced might not be what we are expecting, nor as pleasant as the outward appearance. A good and godly life that follows Jesus’s Word will bear good fruit. One that doesn’t obey Him will bear bad fruit.
The orchard owners and workers would always be inspecting the trees to make sure they were healthy and bearing good fruit. They needed to be protected from diseases, blight, and invasive insects. The roots needed to be strong and healthy. What kind of roots are we putting down? Are people being drawn to God through us, or are they turned off to Jesus because of our actions and words? We can only make a difference in this world for Jesus Christ if we are abiding in Him (John 15:5). Our speech says a lot about us. What is stored up in our heart will come out. Is our heart filled with complaints and cursing, or with praise and wisdom?
Sometimes people like to associate themselves with some popular philosopher or religious leader, but then aren’t too keen about sticking to their teachings. This is often the case with those who claim to be Christians, but their lives, words, and actions show anything but that. Jesus has told us He has left us an example of what we should be doing (vs. 46). Those who claim to be Christians should be carrying out His directions, fulfilling His commands, and following His instructions that are found in the Bible. If we aren’t, then it doesn’t matter how many study groups we go to, or how many Scripture verses we memorize. If we aren’t doing what Jesus told us to do, then all of our religious rituals mean nothing.
Jesus spoke against those who called Him “Lord” but don’t truly follow Him, obeying His Word (vs. 46). A “lord” in previous centuries was someone who had authority and power over others. They were frequently great landowners who had serfs or laborers who were bound by the feudal system to work on the estate. Later when the feudal system was abolished, many continued to work on the estate for wages, and still called the owner Lord out of respect. Today, in some societies, noblemen are still called Lord this or that out of respect. We call Jesus as “Lord” to show we acknowledge Him as our Master, the One who has authority over us. When we entreat Jesus as “Lord” we must be prepared to obey Him without resistance or pretense. He is the One who rules over us for our good.
Jesus ends this passage with comparing those who obey His Words as those who build their homes on solid rock, in contrast to those who do not obey God’s Word being like those who build their homes without a good foundation, and the building falls (vs. 47-49). Occasionally we have seen homes, many in the western part of the U.S., which were built on a scenic cliff. However when heavy storms came the homes came crashing down. They might have had a spectacular view, but no solid foundation. Without Jesus and the Bible as solid foundations in our life, we are just like those homes. The world system might give us seeming pleasure for the moment, a “spectacular view” so to speak, but then we are left with nothing when it all crashes down. Lives built without a firm foundation, people who do not heed Jesus’s instructions, cannot weather strong storms. God’s Word, the Bible, is the only sure foundation for life.
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