Jesus talked
about bearing fruit on multiple occasion. He cursed a fig tree when it had
nothing for him to eat when he was hungry as an illustration of the barrenness
of the temple ritual. (Mark 11:12-21) In one instance he said the quality of
fruit in a person’s life would indicate the character of the person. (Matthew
7:15-20; Luke 6:43-45) In another situation he talked about fruit that endures
beyond a momentary season. (John 15:2-8, 16-17)
We have our own
sayings that carry the message Jesus tried to convey. “Your actions speak
louder than your words” and its twin, “Your actions make so much noise I can’t
hear what you’re saying.” Being transparent is a modern oft repeated phrase.
What you see on the outside is what you have on the inside.
This talk
about fruit, or results, should lead to a self-examination that includes the
question what do people see when they look at me. Do they see good fruit, bad
fruit, or no fruit at all? What am I trying to produce? Jesus put a high
priority on fruit that made a positive difference.
A
significant part of this self-examination is evaluating how we spend our time.
What kind of fruit do we produce through the way we spend our time? Are we just
busy or are we taking care of priority business?
An interesting
comparison exists between a honey bee and a mosquito. We look at the honey bee
making his thousands of trips between field and hive and feel admiration. He
works with a group to produce food for kin and us. Leave him alone and he
leaves you alone. He’s just an all around good guy busy taking care of
business.
The mosquito
is also busy. He is constantly pursuing that perfect meal, your blood. He is
never more than a few feet away from your bare neck, arm, or leg. He rarely
lands until he is ready to take a bite.
We praise
the honey bee. We squash the mosquito. Why? Because of their fruit, their
priorities.
Being busy
does not mean you are producing fruit that is good or enduring. God calls us to
examine our time, this valuable thing called life. We need to look at our
fruit, the results of our efforts, and compare them to what God sees as having
value.
You can get
real graphic in comparing the honey bee and the mosquito. The bee makes honey.
He stores it to be available for the queen and the long winter nights. Then we
come along, rob his hive, and we eat off his labors for months to come.
Hopefully we say thank you along the way.
The mosquito
is only interested in food for its own reproduction. It leaves us with a red
whelp that itches and a question about whether it was carrying West Nile bugs.
It takes for its own selfish reasons. It won’t share its bounty drawn from our
veins with other mosquitoes or anybody else. It is focused on one thing only,
contributing to the survival of its species.
We cheer the
honey bee. We squash the mosquito.
Jesus said
his disciples would produce fruit that would endure, remain, abide. It would be
good fruit coming from a good tree. Everything he said about the fruit produced
by his disciples was positive.
The passage
from the fifteenth chapter of John describing fruit is in the context of the
new commandment Jesus gave his disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love
one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) There is purpose here. There can
be no enduring fruit where there is no love. And not just any love. Jesus used
his actions as the example.
Jesus showed
his love in his teaching, his healing, his proclamation of God’s love, and his
own self-sacrificial death. “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay
down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) He was willing to lay down his
life to provide hope of eternal life for all who would call him friend. That is
bearing fruit for eternity.
