What is the meaning of Matthew 7:17? Likewise Jesus has just warned His listeners about false prophets, saying, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). “Likewise” ties verse 17 directly to that warning, offering a simple, observable test: look at the fruit. In Luke 6:44 He gives the same principle: “Each tree is known by its own fruit.” The word signals continuity—what He is about to say is the logical extension of what He has just said. Every good tree Here the “tree” pictures a person whose heart has been renewed by God. Scripture consistently uses this imagery for the righteous: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season” (Psalm 1:3). Jesus expands the image in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches… whoever abides in Me and I in him will bear much fruit.” A “good” tree is not innately good; it has been made good by the life of Christ within it. Bears good fruit Fruit is the outward evidence of an inward reality. Paul lists the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. James joins in: “Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead” (James 2:17). When God changes the root, the fruit inevitably changes. Good deeds, godly attitudes, sound doctrine, and persevering obedience all spring from that transformed root. But a bad tree bears bad fruit The contrast is absolute. Just as a thornbush cannot grow figs, an unregenerate heart cannot produce righteousness. Jesus reiterates this in Matthew 12:33: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” Peter warns of false teachers whose “destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1) reveal their true nature, and John writes, “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God” (1 John 3:10). Bad fruit exposes bad roots. Summary Matthew 7:17 teaches that inner character and outward conduct are inseparable. A life truly rooted in Christ will naturally display Christlike fruit, while an unchanged heart inevitably shows itself through corrupt behavior and teaching. The verse calls believers to examine fruit—first in ourselves, then in those who claim to speak for God—confident that Scripture’s test is simple, reliable, and anchored in the unchanging truth of Jesus’ own words. |
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