Decorative Fruit

Luke 6:43-45
Jesus gives us some characteristics of two kinds of people: good and evil.  He then finishes it with telling us that according to these characteristics one can be identified and labeled as to which one he is.  These characteristics can be grouped into two main categories: attitudes and words.  First let us look at the attitude that characterizes good and then evil.  Jesus tells us that the attitudes of a good person are spiritual poverty and hunger (vs. 20-21), weeping and mourning (vs. 21), social exclusion and rejection (vs. 23), unconditional love for all, which negates any type of revenge, whether verbal or physical (vs. 27-29), freely lending without every expecting a return of any kind (vs. 30-31, 34), mercy (vs. 36), and personal holiness (vs. 42).  These attitudes are necessary for a person to be labeled a good tree bearing good fruit.  We can of course manipulate these outward actions and appear to have these motivations and attitudes and appear to be obeying Jesus' words.  That is when our speech, our words betray us and expose us (vs. 45).  Our words cannot help but reveal our hearts.  So let us ask, what is our speech like?  Do we talk of the glory and love of Jesus, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, the plight of the poor and needy, our own spiritual convictions and faults?  Or is our conversation more seasoned with talk of the mundane, the worldly, personal preferences and indulgences, judgement and gossip of others?  Are we performing "godly" acts while the whole time we are talking of worldly, carnal, trivial things?  This is characteristic of a bad tree producing bad fruit, under the disguise of good fruit (II Corinthians 11:13-15).  We have interpreted obeying Jesus' commands as simply performing the acts and works that he has commanded us to do.  Clearly this is not the case here.  True obedience to Jesus involves performing those acts and works with the foundation of a proper motive and heart attitude.  Performing these works with improper attitudes is like a man building his house without a foundation (vs. 49).  Our "righteous" acts do not pass the test and the house we have built (our religion and reputation) does not stand and crumbles and is a spectacle for all to see (vs. 49b).  Now let us look, then, at the characteristics of those bad trees with decorative fruit.  They are self-indulgent, desiring life's better things (vs. 24), satisfied in the world and indifferent (vs. 25), reputable and cultural (vs. 26), loving towards the lovable (vs. 32), generous towards the friendly and kind, unwilling to associate with the difficult and shameful (vs. 33), good "investors" (vs. 34), judgmental and self-righteous (vs. 41-42).  Do we see the deception here?  Both people lend, love, help their brother, give, are concerned for spiritual things.  Both have a house built and both have a tree bearing fruit.  One lasts for an eternity and shines forth the glory and light and mercy and love of God, while the other sparkles and shimmers and glitters and cracks and crumbles, ultimately incinerating in God's holy fire (I Corinthians 3:10-15).  Let us ask ourselves: is our fruit real or decorative?  And this is a question that must be asked, because decorative fruit is not fruit.  In fact it is evil and sinful and opposes God and his work, and deceives to the point of damnation (Matthew 7:21-23).  And it is determined, not by outward appearance and performance, but in the attitudes of our heart and what lies within and only God can show us this, we cannot decipher this ourselves (Jeremiah 17:9-10).  Who are we in Luke 18:9-14?  Who are we in Matthew 25:31-46?  Who are we in the beatitudes?