Matthew 7:17-20
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This verse isn't just about obvious good or bad actions; it emphasizes that the nature of the tree, its very core, determines the fruit. It’s not about performing good deeds to become good, but that a truly good core naturally produces good. Conversely, a rotten core will always yield bad, no matter how it tries to disguise itself.
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)
Jesus is warning his followers to be on guard against false prophets who appear harmless but are inwardly destructive. He's emphasizing that their true nature will eventually be revealed by the "fruit" their teachings and actions produce, just as a tree's health is known by its fruit. This metaphor underscores that genuine character and intent, whether good or bad, inevitably manifest themselves outwardly.
Ever notice how an apple tree always produces apples, never oranges? Jesus uses this simple, everyday truth to reveal something profound about spiritual reality.
Jesus is drawing a clear line between inner reality and outward expression. He says, 'Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.'
When Jesus calls a tree 'corrupt' (or 'diseased'), it's not just about a temporary sickness. It points to a deeper, foundational problem.
The word Jesus uses for 'corrupt' doesn't imply a tree that was good but has become sick. Instead, it describes a tree that is fundamentally flawed, rotten, or worthless from its core.
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Jesus isn't just talking about trees; He's talking about people and, crucially, about false prophets. The 'fruit' is the evidence that exposes the truth.
This teaching, especially in the context of Matthew 7, is a powerful diagnostic tool. Jesus is telling us that while people might try to disguise themselves, their true nature will eventually be revealed by the 'fruit' they produce.
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 highlights the same idea of inherent nature determining outcome, comparing rebellious people to branches and their destructive deeds to their fruit.
Luke 6:43This verse is a direct parallel, stating the same principle that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit, reinforcing the connection between inner character and outward actions.
Galatians 5:19-23This passage contrasts the 'acts of the flesh' (bad fruit) with the 'fruit of the Spirit' (good fruit), showing the tangible results of two fundamentally different spiritual natures at work in a person's life.
John 15:5Jesus speaks of Himself as the vine and believers as branches, emphasizing that apart from Him, they can do nothing, and that true fruitfulness comes from abiding in Him, the source of all goodness.
Malachi 3:18This prophetic passage promises a future day of discernment where the difference between the righteous and the wicked will be clear, much like distinguishing good fruit from bad, showing God's ultimate judgment on outward actions reflecting inner states.
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 isn't just about obvious good or bad actions; it emphasizes that the nature of the tree, its very core, determines the fruit. It’s not about performing good deeds to become good, but that a truly good core naturally produces good. Conversely, a rotten core will always yield bad, no matter how it tries to disguise itself.
Jesus is warning his followers to be on guard against false prophets who appear harmless but are inwardly destructive. He's emphasizing that their true nature will eventually be revealed by the "fruit" their teachings and actions produce, just as a tree's health is known by its fruit. This metaphor underscores that genuine character and intent, whether good or bad, inevitably manifest themselves outwardly.
Jesus is warning his followers to be on guard against false prophets who appear harmless but are inwardly destructive. He's emphasizing that their true nature will eventually be revealed by the "fruit" their teachings and actions produce, just as a tree's health is known by its fruit. This metaphor underscores that genuine character and intent, whether good or bad, inevitably manifest themselves outwardly.
"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 isn't just about obvious good or bad actions; it emphasizes that the nature of the tree, its very core, determines the fruit. It’s not about performing good deeds to become good, but t…
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Last reviewed October 2026
