The Fruit:
(Genesis 1:11-12/Matthew 7:15-20/ Matthew 12:33-37)
In the Genesis creation story, the vegetation was good, the trees were good. Take an extra look at how and why they were “good” in Genesis 1:11-12: “God said, “Let the earth produce plants—vegetation that produces seed, and trees that bear fruit with its seed in it—each according to its own kind on the earth,” and it was so. The earth brought forth plants, vegetation that produces seed according to its own kind, and trees that bear fruit with its seed in it, each according to its own kind, and God saw that it was good.”
God didn’t just create vegetation and trees, he created vegetation and trees THAT bears fruits and seeds.
This correlated so well with my readings in Matthew. (Matt 3:8 and Matt 7:17-20).
I got goosebumps! God created us to bear fruit too, fruits with seeds inside of it. Jesus is very direct in the Matthew 7 account. Our Old Adam self, who is full of sin, is a dying diseased tree just waiting to be chopped down. But our New Adam self, who is made anew because of Jesus, is growing into a strong lush and fertile tree. This new tree needs to be water by the Spring of Life (Jesus, the Word) so that we may bear fruits. I picture in my head a blacken dead tree, inside of it grows a new green bud. This new bud needs to grow taller and higher, for it is shadowed by the dead tree surrounding it. Others may walk by and see the great dead tree, and exclaim: this obscene dead tree should be cut down! They are wrong, it is not dead, it just needs water and sun, it needs more time soaking in Jesus and His Word.
All of us are at different places in our faith journey, sometimes we take a vacation, sometimes we just slow down the pace. It is not for us to see if this tree is dead or not, but to help those around us receive the water they need to keep growing in the Word. How great we will rejoice when we start to see someone’s fruits ripening before our very eyes!
מגן השביל 