fruit inspectors

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees in these verses.

Matthew 12

33 "A tree is identified by its fruit.

If a tree is good, its fruit will be good.

If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.

34 You brood of snakes!

How could evil men like you speak what is good and right?

For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart,

and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."

John Savage says that we cannot NOT show each other who we are.

Basically, that's what Jesus is saying here.

I've live too long & seen too much – I've come to not completely trust words people say until I see actions that are consistent with words.

We don't need to allow ourselves to be deceived by words that may tickle our ears, play to our prejudices, or encourage our “righteous” retaliation.

We need to balance whatever can be spoken at us to engender our support or compliance with whether the life & behavior of the person is consistent with what that person is saying.

Too many times I've seen people talk the talk & deceive other person or groups into believing the talk is genuine – that is, until a closer examination is made of the overarching behavior of the speaker.

Too many times those two components have not matched up – iow, the talk & the walk were not the same.

I've learned the hard way that most of the time, there's a WHOLE LOT more going on than what meets the eye.

In a world of instant communication & a plethora of technological connections, it might behoove us to take the advice my grandmother (who lived to be 108!) once gave me...

It wasn't original with her, & we've all heard it a gajillion time...

“Don't believe a thing you hear, & only half of what you see.”

Jesus tells us to examine the fruit of the lives of people around us.

If we watch closely, we'll see who they really are & what they're all about.

We cannot NOT show each other who we really are.

Just a thought...