Matthew 7:18

Thursday, 13 February 2025

 

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Matthew 7:18

 

“Not it is able, a good tree, bad fruit to produce, nor a rotten tree good fruit to produce” (CG).

 

The previous verse conveyed Jesus’ words concerning how trees bear fruit. Good trees bear good fruit while bad trees bear bad fruit. He now restates the matter for complete clarity on the situation, beginning with, “Not it is able, a good tree, bad fruit to produce.”

 

It was noted in the commentary on Matthew 7:16 that this thought takes the reader back to Genesis 1 where every tree was created after its own kind. An apple tree bears apples with their seed inside. When the seeds are planted, thorns don’t come up. Rather, another apple tree is the result.

 

In fact, as Jesus rightly notes, an apple tree (a good tree) cannot produce bad fruit such as mistletoe figs. Rather, they will always produce apples. Likewise, Jesus continues with, “nor a rotten tree good fruit to produce.”

 

Jesus is restating things in various ways to make sure nothing is misunderstood. Just as a good tree will not produce bad fruit, a rotten tree will not produce good fruit. A sausage tree (a tree with inedible fruit) will never produce good fruit like the durian. It will always produce inedible fruit.

 

As noted in the previous commentary, Jesus’ words are dealing with type. It is true that an apple tree can have bad fruit on it, such as being eaten by bugs or sprouting on a defective limb. This isn’t what He is referring to. The type of tree produces the type of fruit.

 

The false prophets are equated to a type of tree. They cannot produce good fruit. The meaning is that what they teach will always be false. It cannot be converted into something that is later acceptable.

 

Those who follow after false prophets are obtaining bad fruit that will never be palatable for life. Likewise, when a person is teaching properly, his fruit will produce good fruit with seeds that are good and the richness of more good doctrine for those who pursue it will result.

 

Life application: The doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses says that Jesus is not God. They claim He is the archangel Michael, a created being. Jesus’ words concerning trees can be applied to the Jehovah’s Witnesses as being a bad tree. They deny the deity of Christ. The resulting fruit from such a tree can never bring life because the fruit is bad.

 

No matter how many times such doctrine is replanted, a bad tree will always spring up from the seed. It is the tree itself that must be removed in order for the ground to yield something else that will produce good fruit.

 

This is true with any false teaching from any false prophet. The message will always stand against the truth. Jesus is dealing with types. We need to identify the bad types. No one who goes to obtain fruit from a Hebrew Roots Movement church will ever receive good fruit. The tree itself is bad.

 

Know which doctrines are wrong. Know which churches teach the wrong doctrines. Stay away from such churches. These things are important. Only a fool would knowingly try to eat a passionflower fruit. But the person who doesn’t know it is bad may do so. Knowing what is bad will keep you from filling yourself with that which can never provide health and life.

 

Lord God, we are saved by grace and not by any works of our own. There is nothing we can do to merit it. But we are also saved by You through Jesus. As salvation is of the Lord, we know that Jesus is Lord. Such key points of doctrine are set and must be acknowledged as we pursue You. Help us to learn what is right and what is false. Yes, help us in this, O God. Amen.