This is part of a year-long series. Learn more about this series here.

Matthew 7:15-20 (ESV)

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 

This passage comes towards the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He gives a clear and concise contrast of false prophets and how to recognize them by using an analogy of trees and fruit. The concept is simple: good trees bear good fruit; bad trees bear bad fruit; mixed-fruit trees do not exist; thus, you will recognize them (false prophets) by their fruit.

Jesus’ illustration is simple, but it is also generic. In fact, the simplicity and generic nature of this passage almost leaves us feeling like there is too little to go on. What exactly does “bad fruit” look like? Other New Testament writers talk about false prophets / teachers (2Peter 2; 1John 2:18-27; and 2John 7-11 come to mind), but they deal with characteristics of false prophets; they don’t really provide a definitive, comprehensive, end-all-be-all list of “this is what bad fruit looks like.” For example, in 1 John 2:18-27, John is writing to a specific audience about specific individuals within their context. Does he intend his comments in this letter (1John) to be the definitive / universal criteria for false teachers for all time? It is difficult to say.

What can we say then? Circling back to Jesus’ illustration in Matthew 7, I think we can say Jesus intends us to evaluate the messages coming from prophets and teachers. I think we can also say this evaluation should be made with wisdom. Our evaluation shouldn’t be riddled with anxiety, but with patience — patience born from a confidence that God will open our eyes, illuminate our minds, and convict our hearts when we cling to the desire for His truth.