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Luke 6:43–45
“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” (v. 45).
The Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6 contains much of our Lord’s teaching on how we are to evaluate and judge others. Jesus talks about the manner of judgment—that it is to be tempered with mercy and that we are to apply the same rules to others that we apply to ourselves (Luke 6:35–38). Christ also addresses the order of judgment—we must deal with our own sin before we take on the sin of others (Luke 6:39–42). In today’s passage, Jesus tells us the evidence to weigh in exercising judgment.
Our Lord’s principle is simple: we should base our evaluation on the fruit that we see from people. Just as a thornbush does not produce figs or a bramble bush grapes, a bad heart will not produce good fruit. We can weigh what people do and use that as a clue to discern the real state of their hearts (Luke 6:43–45).
Jesus refers to the mouth speaking as one place to measure fruit. Our Lord is not saying that a person is sound simply because his life might reflect some praiseworthy qualities. Such qualities are a starting point, but a non-Christian who is kind and loving is not thereby to be received as a sibling in the faith. A teacher of heresy is not acceptable if he is generous and forgiving. Right judgment of others, especially of teachers, must be based on ethical qualities and on what they say. People who deny essential Christian truth are not sound teachers or fellow believers no matter how morally upright they might appear to be (2 John 4–11). John Calvin rightly cautions us, “Believers ought to examine carefully what kind of doctrine is taught by those who profess to be the servants of God.”
Based on Jesus’ teaching on our need to temper judgment with mercy and to apply to others the same standard we apply to ourselves, we should be quick to show the judgment of charity that assumes the best about people, especially fellow Christians (Luke 6:36–38). That does not mean, however, that we should be credulous. When bad fruit is evident, we are right to take notice. People show us the true character of their faith by their works (James 2:18).
Yet this call to look for fruit is not limited to judgment of others, for we should also evaluate ourselves by the fruit of our lives. As we grow in Christ, we should see in our lives the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23) and an increasing hunger for the truth of God’s Word (Prov. 23:23). We are looking not for perfection but for sincerity in these areas both in ourselves and in others.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We cannot see into the hearts of others, and we even have difficulty judging our own hearts. Yet we can see the fruit produced by the hearts of others and ourselves, and we can make a sound evaluation based on it. The true character of a person will show itself over time in what that person says and does, so we should pay close attention. Today, let us look at the fruit we see in our own lives and ask ourselves whether it is good fruit or bad fruit.
for further study
- Isaiah 27:6
- Ezekiel 15
- Matthew 7:15–20
- John 15:1–17
the bible in a year
- Judges 1–2
- Luke 7:1–35