Today’s Reading: Matthew 7:15-19 and 21:28-32 New RSV
“You will know them by their fruits” Matthew 7:16a
[And the son said to his father], “I will not, but later changed his mind and went” Matthew 21:29
What we have here in these two passages is Jesus teaching a simple but vital truth. A life of faith is measured not by what we think or say but by what we do. As the old adage states “It’s not what we say but what we do that counts”. Being a Disciple of the Christ is not about theology or preaching but about embodying and expressing the love of God in our relationships with others.
We are living in a time when many voices declare how things are going to improve. But as Jesus observed there are many false prophets, and the true test of their validity is their actions. When we see compassion enacted then we can listen and hear and believe. The true prophet lives out the values they proclaim. Their actions bear witness to their truth and produces “good fruit”. The false prophet produces “bad fruit”. So, we are called to “wait and see” before we support the person.
As we conclude this Lenten Season with the celebration of the Resurrection we are exposed again to this truth as God expressed it. The risen Christ is the fruit of God’s actions in our world. It is the promise that we can experience the love embodied in this event time and time again as we face the many kinds of death we experience in life [losing a job, divorce, an actual death of a family member or friend, etc.] Thus, are we called to seek first the Kingdom of God within our hearts and then live accordingly. Let us celebrate this love by allowing it to live in us and be expressed by what we do that we might bear “good fruit” with our lives.
Reflections 