Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
— Matthew 7:21–23
Following the Call—Chap. 50: Lord, Lord
Fruit inspection. Good impressions, more temptations. More than a name. Your turn.
To do his words is to enter into vital relation with him, to obey him is the only way to be one with him. The relation between him and us is an absolute one; it can nohow begin to live but in obedience: it is obedience. There can be no truth, no reality, in any initiation of at-one-ment with him, that is not obedience.
— George MacDonald
Fruit Inspection
I grew up in northern California eating lots of fresh fruit. I had fruit trees in my backyard—apricot, cherry, pear, and fig. There were fruit stands along the side of the roads. Except for apples, my mother rarely bought fruit from the store. Apricots were (still are) my favorite.
After college, I moved to Denver. That’s when I discovered how tasteless fruit could be. The fruit in the stores looked alright, sometimes even better than the fruit on the fruit stands back home, but it simply didn’t have any taste.
In the previous passage (Matt. 7:15–20) Jesus has just warned against false prophets and told his disciples to recognize them by the kind of fruit they produce. He tells them not to be fooled. Those who bear good fruit do God’s will. Those who claim to speak for God but do not do what he says are false—even if they profess and exalt Jesus’ name, even if they are able to prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles.
In the Bible, it is not usual for someone other than God’s people to do mighty works (the magicians in Egypt do wonders aplenty in Exodus 7–8). It’s what’s below the surface that determines whether someone belongs to God, not just what is shown or professed in public. A disciple of Jesus practices his teachings and does not just perform them. The only fruit that matters is doing what Jesus says.
Good Impressions, More Temptations
The power of performance, the impressiveness of getting results, and the public display of the supernatural are all very alluring. They catch your attention, and catch a following. This is why we can easily become blinded by them.
Note how in this passage false prophets emphasize how it was they who prophesied, they who drove out demons, they who performed miracles. God is left out of the picture. With results comes the temptation to believe that we are important, that God’s blessing is upon us, and that God endorses what we do.
But with all these things comes the temptation to compromise and make excuses. Even if we bend the truth a little here or a little there, even if we can’t exercise self-control in this or that area of life, even if our attitudes and behavior at home don’t quite match the impression we make elsewhere, despite these failings, great things are still happening. God is on our side. Right?
A former student and friend of mine used to pastor a megachurch in Colorado. It seemed as if everything he touched made a huge impact on people. Young adults flocked to his church. Those with wealth gave to it. My friend inspired hundreds of young adults to go on mission trips, where they built homes and witnessed dramatic conversions. Back in Colorado his church worked with an inner-city ministry that helped countless addicts get off of drugs, and gang members to get off the street.
And yet I knew, and my friend did too, that his marriage was in trouble. He and his wife were steadily drifting apart. He was at odds with his parents and siblings, who were huge financial contributors to his church. He obsessed over how good his sermons were. His life was ridden with anxiety. How could he keep the church growing? What new and exciting programs could he come up with?
The day came when my friend’s life imploded. He couldn’t live with himself any longer, and so, under the guise of doing a mission trip to Africa, he left the church. A year later he divorced his wife and then married another woman—a woman he had had his eye on for years.
Was my friend a false prophet? Was he a fake? I don’t know. But I do know that he was a tormented man, estranged from God and others. What he professed he could not put into practice. He proclaimed Jesus, but I’m not sure he really knew him.
More Than a Name
Allowing Jesus to shape our lives is the only thing that honors his name. If what we do does not arise from a living, ongoing encounter with him, if in all our good works we fail to abide in him, and he in us, we will not bear good fruit. We are like a branch that may have been part of the tree at one time but has been cut off and thrown away (John 15:6).
Our task is not to do “great things,” even if they are done in Jesus’ name. Our task is to honor his name with our very lives. In God’s kingdom greatness is turned upside-down. Those who are “great” go unnoticed. They take up the towel and wash feet. They welcome little children. They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison. They stay close to Jesus, the lowest and least of his brethren, because they love to serve him.
Jesus never commanded his disciples to prophesy, drive out demons, or perform miracles. He told them, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Indeed! Let us rejoice. For on that day, Jesus will gladly say, “I know you!”
Your Turn
What does bearing “good fruit” mean to you? To leave a comment just reply to this email.
Josh, what you write really touches on an important point. I don't think we're supposed to be spending a lot of effort inspecting fruit. Jesus' point is that false prophets bear bad fruit (not just "no" fruit). For me, the fruit he is speaking of lies less in what is or is not being "accomplished" but in the kind of spirit that is displayed and furthered. Anyway, I appreciate the reminder that our biggest enemy is our own egos.
Well said. Fruit that remains is difficult to discern but undoubtedly it is the work of Gods spirit and not our strength alone. I have been sobered often by the Providence of God. It seems I cannot judge “good” fruit. Maybe it’s simply our job to do the work of a Gardner, to till, plant, water, prune…keeping our eyes always to the ground instead of inspecting the fruit? Sometimes we give tremendous effort and nothing is given, other times, with seemingly little effort great fruit comes forth. I am grateful for the simplicity that comes when I am robbed of my ego.