Matt. 7:15-17

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" Matt. 7:15-17

Have you ever read MacBeth? MacBeth was an interesting character of our friend William Shakespeare. He was unlovable, unlikable, unconscionable, and unforgivable. But he didn't start out that way. He was a conquering general, and a favorite of King Duncan. Great favors were heaped upon him, and more were to come. But, out of his own greed, his own imagination, his own unholy thoughts, MacBeth killed his king. And, like all murderers, he left behind some evidence. Two bloody daggers were found with the king's two drunken bodyguards - both later killed by MacBeth supposedly out of revenge for killing king Duncan.

Unfortunately for the inhabitants of Scotland, there were no crime scene investigators and the rudimentary evidence collected pointed in the wrong direction. MacBeth was honored by being made king of Scotland in Duncan's place. But that is not the end of the story. MacBeth could not stand what he had done. He became paranoid and his paranoia caused him to eventually die.

Why do I give you a lesson in Shakespearean literature? I do it to show you that the evil man will be known by his fruit. I truly believe that the problem with the perfect crime is that the criminal cannot be satisfied with just one. Greed eventually drives the perpetrator to commit another, and another, and eventually he makes a mistake. That mistake brings and end to his crime spree.

Jesus agrees. He encourages us, while not being judgmental, to be inspectors of peoples "fruit." By that He means that our actions show what is in our hearts. Granted, our acts of kindness will never buy us free passes to heaven. But, our free pass to heaven WILL cause us to do good deeds.

Anyone can do something good - perhaps even on a regular basis. But, like our greedy criminal, eventually we will show the true color of our hearts and some word, some action, some indicator of our sinful nature will show it's ugly self to the world. There is no way around it. Only a cleansing in the blood of Jesus will remove that sin and cause our fruit to always be fresh and good. And that goodness, or lack thereof, will tell the brothers and sisters of the faith volumes about our spiritual lives.

Now, don't rush out and condemn anyone who commits a sin. We all do that. Instead, Jesus is telling us to be wary of our leadership (the prophets of today's verses) lest they be ravenous wolves setting out to destroy the flock of Jesus. How can we tell the difference? By their fruits. What fruits? The works they perform, whether they are good and wholesome and wise. Or whether they are self-centered, overpowering, and destructive.

We must all be fruit inspectors - and we can do it without judging - as long as we do not condemn a man for his works, but pray for his salvation out of a sincere love. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.