Rooster's Crow

Repeatedly throughout the Bible we read about trees, branches, vines, and fruit. Agriculture was a big part of life in the earlier portions of human history, and because people readily understood how nature worked, metaphors referring to the growth of trees and vines were easily understood. I often wonder how much of the impact of these comparisons is lost on a world glued to its phone screens.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:43-46 ESV)

In this passage, humans are being compared to trees, and fall into one of two categories: good trees or bad trees. There are only two options listed, and they are polar opposites. The deciding factor on who belongs to which category is based on the fruit that is produced; “for each tree is known by its own fruit.”

A tree is not categorized by the fruit produced by the other trees it is surrounded by. If it is producing figs, but surrounded by trees producing apples, it will not be classified as an apple tree because it is surrounded by apple trees. It is still a fig tree. Likewise, if the tree produces good fruit, it will not be considered a bad tree if it is surrounded by trees producing bad fruit. It will be classified based on the fruit it produces.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.” Jesus spoke these words, so there is no denying the truth behind this statement. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. We can see the fruit He is referring to in the previous passages.

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:37-38). “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (6:27-38). “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return…be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (6:35-36).

This fruit sounds a lot like the fruit Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Pay particular attention to the word fruit. Notice that it does not say fruits plural. It’s not a buffet where you get to pick and choose which ones you want. It is the fruit of the Spirit, as in it is all or nothing.

Jesus also refers to good fruit and bad fruit in the singular. The fruit is either good or bad. It has become commonplace to believe that a person can have good and bad fruit, and still be considered a good tree. It is as if a tree can magically transplant itself to the middle of the good trees for an hour and half a week and be considered “good” even though the rest of the week the tree is smack dab in the middle of the other bad trees. Explain how that aligns with what Jesus said. Spoiler alert – it doesn’t.

Jesus said “out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and…out of his evil treasure produces evil.” It all has to do with what is in the heart. Whatever state the heart is in, that is the state of the fruit that will be produced. There is a difference in acting patient, gentle, and kind to someone in comparison to those characteristics being an outpouring of what is in the heart.

Jesus said that sinners can love others who love them, do good to those who do good to them, and lend to others expecting to get the same back. That seems like pretty decent people by today’s standards, and if we are being honest, there are plenty of people filling pews in churches that cannot not even claim to manage those three areas. People that cry “Lord, Lord” but do not follow His instructions.

But your fruit is not judged when everything is good. It is judged when the deck is stacked against you. It is when your enemies are trying to make you stumble, when you are being cursed and abused, when you are being treated unfairly, when it seems like you are in the middle of a storm and your boat is sinking. That is when your fruit is judged and tested. Why? Because good fruit comes from a good tree, and the fruit is not going to change because it is raining. The fruit is an outpouring of what is in the heart. It doesn’t change because of temporary circumstances.

“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:47-49)

The storm revealed what the house was built on, what the fruit was, what was actually in the heart. It is either good or bad; there is no in-between. In Revelation 3:15-16, we read about the church in Laodicea. “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Somehow, “Christians” have decided that you can be lukewarm and still hold the title of “Christian.” But Jesus said there are good trees and bad trees. He didn’t say anything about okay, good enough, or not-so-bad trees.

The good enough or not-so-bad are part of the lukewarm crowd that is going to be spit out of His mouth. Good enough to get into heaven or not bad enough to end up in hell are not realities. It is polarized. There is hot or cold, good or bad, light or darkness. “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (I John 1:5-6)

The Master of the house is coming back, and we need to be about His business. The mindset that the Master is delayed and that it is a time of drinking and partying is a clever trap of the Devil. He knows you are not a threat if your heart does not produce good fruit. The Master’s return is imminent. You do not want to be hanging your head in shame when He asks what you have been doing for Him. Or worse, hear the words, “I never knew you.”

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (Mark 13:32-37)