A Study of Matthew: Rotten Roots, Rotten Fruit

Matthew 12:22–37 ESV

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Last week, we saw the first real showdown between Jesus and the religious leaders. Up until now, the Pharisees and their students have shown up to listen to Jesus, see what he’s doing, and to see if he was going to join their team. They wanted him to reinforce their system, the way they did religion, which was all about following rules the way they interpreted them.

The religious leaders looked good on the outside, but their hearts were greedy for power and recognition. When Jesus first came on the scene, they were curious. When Jesus began to gather followers, they tried to use his popularity to their advantage. But when it became clear that Jesus was not going to join their team, the religious leaders turned against him.

The problem is, Jesus can do things they can’t. He teaches with an authority they lack. And he backs up his teaching with miracles. People are getting healed. Here’s another thing: Jesus works his miracles in ways that go against the Pharisees’ laws. He touches people who have been declared unclean; but instead of Jesus becoming unclean, the people he touches become clean! Jesus touches dead people, and they come back to life! He even has authority to command demons, and he delivers people from demon possession.

And that is what happens in our story today. Jesus encounters a man who is blind and mute. But more than that, this man is possessed by a demon who is tormenting him. Jesus cast out the demon and heals the man. All the people who see this happen are asking themselves if he could actually be the Messiah.

Well, the religious leaders hear this talk, and it threatens them. They don’t want Jesus to be the Messiah. They want someone who will tow the party line and reinforce the authority of the religious leaders. So they have to discredit Jesus.

They decide to tell people that Jesus has authority over demons because he is a servant of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.

Jesus points out two problems with this accusation. First, a servant of Beelzebul would not work against his master’s demons. That would be working against his master. Beelzebul’s servants would be trying to get more and more people possessed, sick, and turning away from God. Jesus is healing, setting people free, and turning people TO God. So that’s one problem with the Pharisees’ accusation.

The second problem goes deeper. These men claim to be servants of God. They claim to be seekers of truth and God’s representatives to mankind. However, they have seen a man delivered from a demon, and they claim it to be a work of the devil. I have said before that Jesus, even though he is the Son of God, has set aside his Godhood to function as a normal man. The miracles taking place in Jesus’ ministry are not the result of him being God made flesh, but rather the result of the Holy Spirit working in his life.

By denying the Holy Spirit’s work and attributing it to the devil, these men are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It would be one thing if they were ignorant about God, but they have been studying scripture their whole lives. They know better, but they refuse to call the work of the Holy Spirit for what it is because they are not able to do the same things. And they can’t do the same things because they refuse to let the Holy Spirit work in their lives.

Jesus goes on to talk about good and bad fruit. You won’t find good fruit growing on a diseased tree. Even if the tree looks healthy, if it is not producing quality fruit, there is something wrong with the tree. A fruit tree that does not produce good fruit is a bad tree. The tree may look good on the outside, but that doesn’t mean that the roots aren’t diseased. The root is what feeds the tree. If the roots are feeding from something toxic, that toxicity will spread throughout the tree, affecting the fruit.

The Pharisees did everything they could to present themselves as the ultimate authority on righteousness and Godliness, but they were only concerned with maintaining their prestige and their power over the people.They played political games and used strategies to make their opponents look bad in public. They were rooted in this rotten world, and the result was rotten fruit.

Jesus calls these men vipers. Vipers are poisonous, and only care about self-preservation. They strike to kill anything that is perceived as a threat. And that is a perfect description for these Pharisees. Jesus has clearly pointed out that they are not nearly as righteous as they claim to be. Jesus has exposed the self-aggrandizing motives and practices of the Pharisees. When they try to argue with him, Jesus answers back with the truth of Scripture—usually putting it in the form of a question that would force them to give an answer that will contradict their argument.

They have tried to make Jesus look bad by pointing out that he spends time with “the wrong crowd.” This doesn’t work, because Jesus keeps getting the “bad crowd” to publically repent and submit to God. They have tried refuting his miracles as just tricks, but they keep proving to be authentic. So the only thing left for them to do is accuse Jesus of witchcraft. All this does is further point out the evil in their own hearts.

Verse 34 reads, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Let’s read that whole last part of today’s scripture.

Matthew 12:34–37 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

It doesn’t matter how good or impressive somebody looks. You need to look at the what they are producing. Rotten fruit comes from rotten roots.

And the same thing goes for us. We need to check our hearts and motives for what we do. If we are working from a heart of bitterness and hurt, the fruit of our work will be bitter and hurtful.

If we are working from a heart that views Christianity as going to church and maybe saying a prayer rather than a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ, then the fruit of our work will reflect that.

We talk about what we are passionate about. People will rave over some meal they had a restaurant they really like. People will complain to the world about the horrible service they got at such-and-such business. But, for some reason, we feel awkward about sharing what God has done in our lives.

Do you remember the woman who brought the alabaster flask of oil to pour on Jesus’ feet? That oil was worth a year’s wages, but she poured it all out on Jesus’ feet. She cried while she did it, and her tears mixed with the oil, washing Jesus’ feet. Then she dried his feet with her hair, and finished by kissing his feet.

That woman had a reputation throughout her city as being sinful. Knowing the scandal she was about to cause, that sinful woman showed up at the house of a Pharisee because Jesus was having dinner there. The pharisee was appalled as he watched this wicked woman come into his house and cause this awkward scene.

This woman was willing to risk making her already bad reputation worse by barging into a Pharisee’s house. She was willing to waste a year’s wages—wages probably earned through shameful acts. Why?

Because out of the abundance of her heart, she expressed her feelings about Jesus. Jesus said she was forgiven, and she believed it. Jesus told her she didn’t have to continue bearing the shame of her past. Where the pharisee saw a scandalously sinful woman, Jesus saw his perfectly pure bride. That woman had an encounter with Jesus, and it changed her life. That woman’s once calloused heart was now overflowing with love and gratitude, and she wanted to express her feelings for Jesus.

What has Jesus done in your life? Did he save you from sin? Did he rescue you from hell? Did he give you a new reason to live?

What is Jesus doing in your life today? Is he helping you overcome years of addiction? Is he breaking chains that used to bind you?

Think about what Jesus has done and is continuing to do for you. What is it worth to you? Do you talk about what Jesus has done for you as much as you talk about Yvonne’s amazing homemade cheesecake? “You haven’t lived until you’ve had one of Mary’s desserts!”

We have no problem gushing about our favorite team. Why is it so hard to talk about Jesus?

And not just talking. Do you live like someone who is passionate about Jesus? For that matter, how passionate ARE you about Jesus? How you feel about Jesus does come out in the way you live your life.

Rotten roots, rotten fruit. But GOOD roots, good fruit.

Let’s pray.