“13 Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits” Matthew 7:13-20.
Few verses in the Bible are as sobering as these. Jesus challenges us to look at life from the perspective of where we are headed. The stakes are extremely high, and the prospect of how things may turn out is not a little unsettling. Notice the roads leading in and out of walled cities through gates.
Then life is described as a choice between two ways. This is a black-and-white view of human conduct where we either decide to follow God’s way or we follow our own way, and there is a great difference between the two. I think of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had to decide between the way of obedience and the way of disobedience, one symbolized by the tree of life (Gen. 2:9) and the other by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that threatened death (Gen. 2:17).
I also think of Moses who set before Israel the path of faithfulness that brings blessing and the path of rebellion that leads to a curse (Deut. 30:15–20). The motif of the two ways in Jesus’ teaching takes the form of the broad and narrow ways (Matt. 7:13–14). No doubt Jesus is telling us that determination and acceptance of life’s difficulties are necessary to reach this end, for the entryway is tight and a concerted effort is required. Because the road itself is constricted, there is the need for sustained moral focus, so that we do not veer off course by making choices that lead in the other direction.
Opposite the narrow way is a broad and comfortable road that brings travelers through a wide and spacious gate. Here movement is easy and even heavy volumes of traffic can drift along without a problem. But the cost is simply dreadful, for this road ends with destruction. Jesus sees many being swept along in this direction. He is warning us against the currents of a sinful and selfish world that would carry us away from the kingdom the Lord has prepared for us (see 25:34). [7:15] If destruction is the ultimate peril that Christians must avoid, then deception is a more proximate one. Jesus thus puts us on guard against false prophets who would steer us away from life. These folks look to be Christians on the outside, for their sheep’s clothing enables them to blend with others in the Lord’s flock. Nevertheless, appearances can be deceiving, for they are really wolves, predators on the hunt for prey (see Acts 20:28–30).
The false prophets may claim to speak for God, but their teachings are at odds with the gospel. Of course, their presence within the Christian community is no basis for denying that there are genuine prophets and teachers (see 10:41; Acts 13:1; Eph. 4:11). But Jesus warns that counterfeits will arise even within the Church (13:24–30).
How, then, are we as the community of believers to know a true prophet from a false one? Jesus tells us to examine their behavior. We are to evaluate the fruits of their lives. If their actions and their character show forth good things such as grapes and figs, then the prophet is a good and trustworthy tree. However, if the works of the alleged prophet produce prickly thistles or a harvest of bad fruit, then he has blown his cover—the self-styled prophet is really a rotten tree that cannot be trusted. J
In Matthew, we discover that good fruit stands for repentance (3:10) as well as good things that are spoken from the heart (12:33–34). It would seem, then, that Jesus has in mind that we are to guard both our speech and conduct, making sure they are consistent with the gospel.
So go to prayer today asking God for grace in your speech and in your conduct.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Let your speech and conduct always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” Colossians 4:6.
“Turn away from wrath” Ephesians 15:1.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account” Matthew 12:36.
Thank you!