Matthew 12:33-35 ESV 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. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
Jesus is still talking to the crowd about the Pharisees who accused Him of using demonic power. The Pharisees had a reputation of being devout men. Unfortunately they were devout to the wrong thing. They strictly adhered to their interpretation of the Law but lost sight of the God that the Law was supposed to draw them to. Following the Law became their religion rather than using the Law to follow God.
Throughout His earthly ministry different Pharisees argued with Jesus. The tragic irony is they were actively looking for the Messiah to arrive, yet when they met Him face to face they were offended by Him. Their opposition towards Jesus was the fruit that proved the tree bad.
We should all examine ourselves to see the fruits our mouths speak from the treasure in our heart. Do we speak truth even when it is inconvenient or are we willing to “fib” if necessary? Are we quick to complain or do we praise God even in our difficulties? Does our speech build others up or do we tear them down?
Don’t just examine what you say out loud. What do you say to yourself? Would you be ashamed if people knew the thoughts in your head? God does know those thoughts and He knows your heart.
While God knows our heart, we often don’t. The Bible warns us that our heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) which makes it imperative that we examine it regularly. We can be deceived into thinking we are fine but our mouth and our thoughts are much more reliable judges.
Many of those Pharisees who opposed Jesus believed they were good people defending God’s Law against a heretic. They were deceived by their own hearts. We need to be careful not to fall into the same trap.
Heavenly Father, give me clear vision to see the truth of my own heart. Grant that I will not be deceived into believing a lie. Let the treasure in my heart be good so that my mouth will bring out what is good and pleasing to You!