The Two Fruit Trees Facts for 9-13 Year Olds

Categories: Sermon on the Mount

• The end of the Sermon is coming near.
• So Jesus is showing his disciples the choices they have to make: are they ready to follow his teachings, or not?
• Remember, he just talked about the wide and narrow gates. Most people have chosen to go through the big entrance.
• The people he’s talking to now found and entered the narrow gate. They made the right decision, but now there is another one to make.
• First, Jesus warns, “Watch out for false prophets.”
• “Watch out” literally means, “Keep holding your mind from…” false prophets.
• Generally, false prophets are those who appear to be something that they are not.
• True prophets speak for God; they are God’s messengers to His people.
• False prophets speak for themselves, often telling people what they want to hear.
• Jesus continues, “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
• A key phrase is that “they come to you.” They have taken it upon themselves to come to you; they have not been sent by God.
• “Sheep” is frequently used as a metaphor for discipleship or believers.
• Its origin comes from the shepherd watching his flock.
• Typically, the shepherd dresses in “sheep’s clothing.” Based on his dress, people can identify him as a shepherd.
• Over time, the sheep’s mantle was worn by prophets, and it, too, identified them.
• But Jesus warns that not everyone dressed to look like a prophet is, in fact, genuine or real prophet.
• Some will really be “ferocious/ravenous wolves.”
• Wolves have sharp teeth, are very cunning, and kill without mercy. They are a natural enemy of sheep.
• The danger comes because the false prophets play a role—they look like sheep, but their actions are wolf-like.
• If they looked like wolves, there would be no problem. People could tell they should keep away from them.
• Jesus tells his disciples how to tell the difference between a true and a false prophet: “By their fruits you will recognize them.”
• Jesus reassures people that they will be able to know the true from the false: you can tell by watching what they produce.
• Jesus makes this clearer to his listeners by talking about fruits trees they would know.
• The trees represent the small community that found and entered through the narrow gate. Some people may look good on the outside, but they will have a bad message for others, which could hurt others.
• Jesus asks, “Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?”
• There was an ancient bush that produced small black berries that looked like grapes but were completely inedible.
• Likewise, a particular thistle would produce a flower that resembled a fig, but was, again, inedible.
• From a distance, people might mistake these items for the real thing, but upon closer examination, they would discover the truth.
• The same is true with false prophets.
• A prophet, typically, gives up everything to preach the word of God.
• But some use their looks and words to cheat communities out of money, make themselves look good, or avoid learning a working trade to support themselves.
• Rather, they use their teachings to make their own lives easier.
• Jesus tells his disciples, “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”
• If the fruit is good, the tree that produced it is healthy and good.
• The reverse is also true: if the fruit is bad, the tree is decayed and worthless.
• Jesus repeats his point: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”
• This is true in nature and also in people.
• Here, “bad fruit” refers to unrighteous deeds; “good fruit” refers to righteous deeds.
• “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
• Jesus is not advocating violence towards the false prophets; he is warning people to ignore their message (what they say).
• He ends by repeating the earlier statement, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
• People are being asked at this point to be fruit inspectors, not to judge, but to inspect.
• Scholars believe “fruit” in this section could refer to both the message and the life of the messenger.
• The good are good; the bad will eventually reveal themselves.
• Character matters.
• The test is not how they they look, but how they are.
• What kind of influence does their teaching and life have upon a community? Do they make it better?
• Do they encourage the narrow way (which is God’s way) or say that anything goes (which is not a good choice)?
• Do they teach the love of God, or do they say, “God loves me and I can do whatever I want?”
• Basically, the difference in this group is between the people who have a good message and those who have a bad message.
• But they are all part of the group that chose the narrow gate. So just because they went through the right gate doesn’t mean they can misbehave.
• You still need to be moral, to do the right thing.
• The people standing at this point are the ones who chose the narrow gate and who are speaking the right message, producing the good fruit.