Luke 6:43-45 43For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44For each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes harvested from a bramble bush. 45The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Jesus uses three more short parables to illustrate the needed character qualities of his followers. The first gives the vivid image of good and bad fruit. Those who have grown fruit trees can easily picture the difference between a healthy tree and its fruit and a sick or dying tree and its fruit. A healthy tree will be strong and produce big and juicy fruit. Such a tree becomes a treasure to the grower. But often such trees do not grow accidentally but require care, fertilizer, and pruning. A the fruit of a bad tree is often small. An untrimmed tree that has gone wild will not produce good fruit.
The second illustration extends the first and stresses identifying the fruit by its tree. The fruits Jesus mentions in verse 44 are common in Israel. Figs and grapes grow well in that climate and were an essential part of people’s diets. The Bible has many references to these fruits. The contrast is sharp and vivid between these good fruits and thorns and bramble bushes, which are also common in Israel. The point is clear that a plant will produce fruit consistent with its nature.
The implication of the second illustration leads to the third illustration. The fruit indicates the health of the plant that produces it and is consistent with its character. Likewise, the behavior of a person will indicate the spiritual health of that person. The issue is the condition of one’s heart. The heart in the Bible refers to that part of a person that makes decisions about attitudes and values. An evil heart indicates the presence of sin and is the cause for judging others. The image of treasure shows the significance and pricelessness of having a good heart. The fruit that a good heart should produce is love (Galatians 5:22), which should be and will be shown in how a person acts. In comparison, the bad fruit produces by and evil heart may lead a person to judging others, fighting back, defending one’s rights, and doing things out of selfish ambition, which are opposite of what Jesus talked about in his sermon on the plain.
The last line gives a summary statement and the cause for either the good or bad action. The abundance of the heart indicates the spiritual condition of a person. What is inside will overflow and influence the outside. A person may be able to fool people for a while, but eventually, the behavior will reveal and sometimes betray the heart. What we say reveals what we think. We may be able to fool people sometimes, especially strangers, but those who are closest to us will know the truth about us. Our words and actions should be good because our hearts are good.
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