Each Tree Is Known By Its Own Fruit

This meditation is based on a passage for May 19, 2011 in the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Luke 6:39-49

Reflection and Question: This passage concludes a section in the gospel of Luke that echoes the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. However, in this passage, Jesus’ teachings have a distinctive twist. For example, Jesus in Luke expands on the image of good fruit and bad fruit in a slightly different way from in Matthew. He speaks of the diversity of trees, figs, thorns, grapes and brambles and of producing good or evil out of the abundance of our hearts. This is a lesson for each of us since we know that the line between good and evil runs through every heart. When have you born figs, and when have you born brambles?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, inspire us to build our spiritual house upon the rock of following Jesus. We seek, out of the good treasure of our hearts, to do good. When we bear thorns or brambles instead, prune us as You see fit, making us Yours. Amen.