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Luke 6:43-45 meaning
The parallel Gospel accounts for Luke 6:43-45 are Matthew 7:16-20 and 12:33-35.
For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit (v 43).
Here, Jesus uses the analogy of a fruit tree to reveal to His disciples the relationship between the exterior nature of a person compared to their heart. He says for there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. The good and bad trees represent good and bad men. The fruit will be revealed in verse 45 to be what the mouth speaks—our speech and words. A broader application can also include a person’s external works or deeds. This agricultural truth is self-evident. Clearly a good tree will not produce bad fruit, and likewise a bad tree will not produce good fruit.
An interesting insight into this analogy comes from looking at the parallel passage in Matthew 12:33,
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.”
(Matthew 12:33)
In this passage, Jesus goes into greater detail about the fruit tree to describe that the tree is the producer of and is therefore the cause of the fruit, not the other way around. We either praise or blame the tree for the quality of its fruit. If someone desires good fruit, he will have to first make the tree good. It would be futile to try to make the tree good by making its bad fruit better. In this analogy, the tree is a man’s heart, and the analog of the tree’s fruit are the words that man’s mouth speaks, as Luke 6:45 will reveal. In order to speak good words, the heart must be first made good.
For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush (v 44).
Jesus continues with a straightforward statement: For each tree is known by its own fruit. Good men produce good fruit (good works). Bad men produce bad fruit (bad works). To further emphasize His point, Jesus states that men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. It would be against their nature for good works to come from a bad man, or bad works to come from a good man.
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil (v 45a).
Jesus elaborates and explains his fruit tree analogy and proverb with another analogy. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil. It is the nature of the heart inside the man that is the source of his works. A good man will bring forth what is good out of the good treasure of his heart. Likewise, out of the evil treasure of his heart the evil man will bring forth what is evil. The conclusion to this teaching is centered around a person’s words and speech.
For his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart (v 45b).
Jesus then states the principle of His fruit tree analogy: For his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. Just as fruit is the produce of the tree, the words that proceed from the mouth of a man are the produce of the heart of that man. Jesus may very well have had Proverbs 10:11 in mind as He said these things:
“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
(Proverbs 10:11)
Interestingly, this same analogy and teaching from Jesus is also found in Matthew 7:15-20. Yet in this passage, Jesus is specifically teaching His disciples how to identify false prophets who claim to speak for God:
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
(Matthew 7:15-20)
Even though false prophets appear like you and pretend to be like you, they are not like you. How can you detect them? Pay attention to their works, and as Luke 6:45 says, their words as well. You will know them by their fruits. If their works and words are bad, they do not represent God.
This passage, like the one in Matthew 7, is sometimes used to justify judging whether or not a person is a believer in Jesus, “If they don’t have good fruits, then they are not a Christian.” But this is an incorrect interpretation and application of this scripture. By looking at the extended context provided in Matthew 7:15-20, this passage’s purpose is to equip disciples with how to recognize and avoid false prophets and false teachers. The fruit test is given only in this context.
This passage does not apply to the general population. It applies to judging teachers, preachers and others who claim to represent or speak on behalf of God. Just a few verses earlier in Luke, Jesus explicitly condemned judging others (Luke 6:37-38). He is not reversing Himself here by saying, “Judge others.” He is only saying if someone claims to speak for God, then pay attention to what comes out of their lives before following what they say. Test their fruit to see if it is good. If it is rotten, then do not follow them into the fire of God’s judgement. It is also important to remember that God Himself is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). And His judgement fire will apply to the deeds of believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).