Matthew 7:17-20
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse emphasizes that the fruit isn't what makes the tree good; rather, the tree's inherent nature determines the quality of its fruit. A genuinely good tree naturally produces good fruit, just as a corrupt tree can only produce bad fruit, revealing the true state of its core.
Jesus is warning his listeners about false prophets who disguise themselves as godly people. He's explaining that their true nature, whether good or bad, will be revealed by the "fruit" of their teachings and actions. Just as a healthy tree naturally produces good fruit and a diseased tree produces rotten fruit, people's inner character inevitably shows itself in what they produce.
Ever notice how a plum tree always gives plums, never apples? Jesus uses this everyday observation to reveal a profound truth about us.
Jesus is drawing a direct line between what's inside a tree and what it produces. A healthy tree, by its very nature, bears good fruit. A diseased or corrupt tree, likewise, can only produce bad fruit. This isn't about occasional slips or perfect harvests; it's about the fundamental character of the tree.
Think about it:
Jesus uses the terms 'healthy' and 'diseased' (or 'corrupt') for trees. What does that really mean for us, and how do we tell the difference?
When Jesus calls a tree 'healthy' or 'good,' He's not just talking about physical well-being. He's pointing to something fundamentally sound, aligned with its intended purpose. For us, this means a heart and life surrendered to God, transformed by His Spirit – a 'tree of righteousness,' as the prophets say.
Conversely, a 'diseased' or 'corrupt' tree is one that's rotten at the core, unproductive, or actively harmful. It's characterized by a heart that's far from God, leading to actions and attitudes that are out of sync with His ways.
Understand the original words
agathos · Greek Adjective
Used metaphorically to describe a person's inner moral or spiritual condition. A healthy tree represents a person regenerated by God, producing righteous deeds.
sapros · Greek Adjective
Refers to moral or spiritual corruption. In this context, it describes the inner state of those who are spiritually dead or hypocritical, inevitably resulting in sinful conduct.
pyr · Greek Noun
A figure of speech for judgment, divine wrath, or the final destruction of the wicked. It represents the inevitable end of those who do not produce fruit consistent with repentance.
This passage directly contrasts the 'works of the flesh' (bad fruit) with the 'fruit of the Spirit' (good fruit), highlighting how our inner disposition naturally produces outward actions, just like the tree and its fruit.
Luke 6:43-45This parallel passage in Luke explicitly links the fruit to the nature of the tree, stating that 'you know them by their fruits' and that 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and the good person out of his good treasure brings forth good things, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things.'
Jeremiah 17:5-8This Old Testament passage speaks of trusting in man versus trusting in the Lord, describing the outcomes as cursed (bad fruit) or blessed (good fruit), illustrating how a person's core allegiance (the 'tree') determines their life's production.
John 15:1-5Jesus uses the imagery of the vine and branches, emphasizing that true connection to Him (the vine) is essential for bearing lasting fruit, while being disconnected leads to unfruitfulness.
barnesMatthew 7:17: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."
A corrupt tree - The word "corrupt" here does not signify, as our translation would seem to indicate, that the tree "had been" good, but had become "vitiated;" but that it was a tree of a useless character, of a nature that produced nothing beneficial.
bensonMatthew 7:17: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."
Matthew 7:17-20 . Even so — As grapes are not reaped from thorns, or figs from thistles, but the fruit will always be agreeable in its nature and kind to the tree that produces it; so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit — Scriptural doctrine, declared by holy men called of God to the work of the ministry, will certainly be more or less instrumental in turning men from the evil…
This verse emphasizes that the fruit isn't what makes the tree good; rather, the tree's inherent nature determines the quality of its fruit. A genuinely good tree naturally produces good fruit, just as a corrupt tree can only produce bad fruit, revealing the true state of its core.
Jesus is warning his listeners about false prophets who disguise themselves as godly people. He's explaining that their true nature, whether good or bad, will be revealed by the "fruit" of their teachings and actions. Just as a healthy tree naturally produces good fruit and a diseased tree produces rotten fruit, people's inner character inevitably shows itself in what they produce.
Jesus is warning his listeners about false prophets who disguise themselves as godly people. He's explaining that their true nature, whether good or bad, will be revealed by the "fruit" of their teachings and actions. Just as a healthy tree naturally produces good fruit and a diseased tree produces rotten fruit, people's inner character inevitably shows itself in what they produce.
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"So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. T…" — This verse emphasizes that the fruit isn't what makes the tree good; rather, the tree's inherent nature determines the quality of its fruit. A genuinely good tree naturally produces good fruit, j…
