THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Gen 15:1-2, 17-18

Ps 105

Matt 7:15-20

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop, and Martyr

Beware of false prophets

Many of the images Jesus uses in the gospels have a striking quality to them. Such is the case with the image in today’s gospel reading(Mt 7:15-20) of a wolf disguised as a sheep. The wolf was the enemy of the sheep.

 In John’s gospel Jesus speaks of the hired hand who, in contrast to the shepherd, leaves the sheep and runs away when he sees the wolf coming and, as a result, the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The contrast between appearance and reality could hardly be expressed more forcibly than with that image of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, an image that has made its way into modern parlance. 

Jesus then shifts imagery from the animal world to the plant world, declaring that the quality of the fruit reveals the quality of the tree that produced it. In other words, going back to the animal imagery, even if the wolf appears in sheep’s clothing, eventually the wolf will out. The pretense cannot be kept up indefinitely. The quality of our hearts will be revealed in the quality of our lives. Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If this kind of fruit is visible in human life, then it is evident that the person’s core is sound. Their heart is in some way in tune with the Lord’s own heart.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may I bear good fruit for your sake and reject whatever will produce evil fruit. Amen.

+Remain blessed