Matthew 7:15-20

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a 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 is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Commentary

Vs. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

The Lord Jesus Christ having instructed us in the way of life and true Christian discipleship, warning us that it will be difficult, for we who believe in Him will be hated by all nations for His Name sake (Matt. 10:22; 24:9). Even one’s closest family members will become ones enemies (Matt. 10:16-39, vs. 36). And so the Apostle Paul was very honest, faithful, and true when he similarly declared that we who love the Lord Jesus Christ must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), because true Christian discipleship will involve enduring the ongoing hostility and rejection by those of this world. And so it is against that backdrop of entering the Kingdom of God by the narrow gate that we must now consider the Lord Jesus Christ’s warning to beware of false prophets, who as the Lord say’s will come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. First then is that these false prophets are not God’s prophets, nor are they His Apostles, preachers, or teachers, though they will claim as much, and so just as the Lord Jesus Christ says of them, they will come to us in “sheep’s clothing”, which is a metaphor for their outward appearances or demeanour; which may be charming, charismatic, personable or simply appealing to ones eye. Nonetheless it is not by these things that one can discern their true nature, which the Lord Jesus Christ’s describes as being ravenous wolves.

Vs. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”

Therefore the Lord Jesus says you will know them (that is false prophets) not by their outward appearances and demeanor but by their fruits (vs. 16). That is what is the produce of their persons and lives, what kind of fruit do they produce? Are they simply self-serving individuals who use and manipulate those people around them to serve their own ends and desires? For as the Lord Jesus says: “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” In other words if an individual is expounding God’s Word and yet is bearing bad fruits contrary to it then such an individual is one that we should steer clear of. Because false prophets will always pray on ones basest desires, whether this is your own greed or lust or whatever, false prophets will prey on you, and will promise you wealth and ease of life if you follow Christ through their ministries, seeking your financial support to pay for their own ease of life. Therefore false prophets will inevitably expound and do those things that are contrary to God’s Word, and so just as the Lord Jesus Christ says, by their fruits we will know them. Not by their testimonies, not by their having letters of commendation (consider 2 Cor. 3:1-3), not by what others say of them, but only by their fruits can you truly discern what kind of person they are. For God’s prophets truly care about God’s people, wanting to see us all keep Christ’s commandments, but these, they only care about themselves and their own interests, using God’s Word to forward that end. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ asks us to consider: “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” And so if their persons and lives are bearing bad fruit then you will know that they are not God’s prophets, in this consider (Isaiah 56:11; Ezekiel 34; 2 Cor. 2:17; 2 Cor. 11, vs. 13-15, 19-21; 1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude; Rev. 2:20-23 etc.)

Vs. 17-18 ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

The Lord Jesus again uses an easily observable and understandable metaphor to bring home His truth that people are known by the fruits they bear, for as Jesus says a good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Now this is Spiritual because only those who have been born again by God’s Spirit will bear the good fruit that the Lord Jesus Christ is referring to here. And not only will we bear the good fruit of Christ’s Person and Spirit in our person and lives, but we cannot bear bad fruit, which does not mean that we will be sinless, but it means that we will always default to who we really are. Similarly then a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, for inevitably they too will always default to their true natures, and who they really are.

Vs. 19-20 ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Now the consequence of not bearing good fruit is that those who do not (in context the false prophets), will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Which means hell fire as the Lord Jesus Christ warns will happen to all who do not bear good fruit elsewhere (Matt. 3:10-12; 13:40-43, 47-50; Rev. 21:8 etc.). The Lord Jesus Christ in concluding His Word on this then reiterates to us that by their fruits we will know them. 

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.