“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” ( Matthew 12:33-37 NLTse)
I would venture to say that there is a good chance that for most of us who read this passage our thinking goes something like, “This doesn’t really apply to me. I’m a pretty good person. I attend church and tithe my ten percent and even give a little extra for missions and youth. And I’m even nice to that nasty old so and so who’s always off key and just wants everyone’s attention. Yep, I’m good. This passage is for those overly judgemental religious people like that mean old pastor of ours who’s always preaching right at me.”
The pastor’s version of thinking might be something like, “I know who needs this sermon. That old busy body, who sits second row, organ side, always telling me what I ought to be preaching. Then there’s that worship leader. I know he ain’t doing things right. He doesn’t agree with me on anything.” And the worship leader’s thinking, “That pastor of ours just don’t have a clue. He’s mean, he’s too old fashioned. And we really need a new sound person; someone who understands physics and technology.”
And to make it even more interesting all of these people are talking to each other about each other, as well as talking to others about each other. I’ve watched it happen probably ever since I was a kid. (Folks, kids see a whole lot more than we realize. Not to mention, you just never know whose watching, and listening.) I’ve seen pastors complain about their congregation, congregants complain about the pastor, ministers complain about other ministers, and the list is probably endless. Sometimes we even complain just because that’s all we know how to do anymore. But in the midst of all of our running each other, and everyone else, down have we ever stopped to listen to ourselves? For people who claim to follow Jesus Christ we can be some real jerks. I’m including myself here too, people. I’m guilty of carelessly speaking words that hurt, teardown and destroy just as much as those who have done it to me. If I’m really honest I’ve even been guilty of lying to make myself look good or to make another person look bad. And I have to ask myself, “Where is the grace that I was supposed to give?”
As I’m writing this I am reminded of a phrase I heard in an anger management course I went through once. The minister, Dr. Teresa Davis, who led the program, reminded us more than once that “Hurt people hurt people.” Let that sink in for a minute. Hurting people hurt other people. In spite of all our claims to the contrary, I suspect we have not really allowed God to heal us, so that we can stop the hurt. I’m sure we meant it when we asked forgiveness and for God to rule our lives, but for some reason we may not have allowed Him to begin the true healing. So we claim to belong to Jesus, but we hold on to the hurt. Which means we then go on to hurt others. It’s a vicious cycle. One that I cannot break on my own. And, frankly, neither can you. But there is hope. If I want to be capable of producing good fruit, I have to be good fruit. I have to let go of my hurts and give them to Jesus. I have to allow the Holy Spirit to have complete control. When we allow God to cut away the hurts and the rough edges, he can actually remove the rot, the sin, the anger, the hatred and make us to be good, holy fruit.
When we allow the Holy Spirit to make us into what God desires, then we can stop hurting others. We learn to pray for each other, lift each other up before God. That nasty and mean person who may still hate us becomes someone we pray for. You can’t pray for someone you hate. I know; I’ve tried it. It just doesn’t work. You also can’t change someone else. But you can pray that they will let God truly transform them, as you continue to allow Him to transform you.