Matthew 12:33 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.

Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees here for being bad trees and producing bad fruit. Their bad fruit is primarily their words – their blasphemy against the Son of Man, the poison that comes from their mouths. They are serpent’s children, and they speak like the serpent, lying and poisoning with their words.

Jesus is also exhorting His disciples, us, to be good trees and to produce good fruit. But we should remember that when Jesus talks about us producing fruit, He is talking in the first instance, always, about Himself.

He is the good tree, the tree of life, the tree of knowledge, the vine in which we are grafted, the olive tree rooted in the fathers and now producing oil that will light the nations.

Jesus is the tree, and He produces good fruit. He is the tree endowed by the Spirit that produces the fruit of the Spirit without measure. Because He possesses the Spirit, He can overcome Satan and He can give life.

The tree imagery Jesus uses is relevant to what we happens at this table. Here at the Lord’s table, His table, He offers Himself to us as nourishing, delightful food, as nourishing delightful fruit. He is the good tree, and He offers us the fruit of the tree of life – Himself and His words, His words that give life instead of poison.

When He does that, He is also calling us also to produce fruit. He is the good tree, and He calls us to be made into good trees, trees that will produce the fruit of good works, and especially the fruit of good words. We can fill our mouths with bread and wine at this table, we can eat from the tree of life, and bring condemnation on ourselves. We can fill our mouths with the fruit of the Good Tree, and still have poison flow out of our minds. And if we do that, then Jesus has this warning: “By your words, you will be condemned.”

As we receive this food, this fruit, in faith, however, we are being strengthened to produce good fruit, fruit of lips, fruit of words. As we receive the fruit from the tree of life, we are being rooted more and more deeply in the true Vine. And Jesus offers this promise to those who fill their mouth in faith: “By your words you shall be justified.”