Can a tree talk?

This is repost from my blog. Someone ask me to post it so here goes.

Can a tree talk
Last week I was visiting someone in Oak Glen Ca. Its a small mountain community known for its vast apple orchards. I noticed this one tree at this persons home. This had to be the ugliest tree I have ever seen. The trunk had been split, the branches were skinny and gnarled. Even the leaves were ugly. So I asked my friend about this hideous tree. It was a lemon tree. He told me this was the best tree of all his trees. It produces an abundance of perfect fruit. Even when it shouldn't, it still yields lemons. They did look perfect to me. What was funny is that I didn't notice the fruit, at first. Just how ugly the tree was.
I think, as Christians, we have a tendency to do that to other people. There are allot of "fruit inspectors" in the church. Most of them use the verse from Matthew 7:16, "and you will know them by their fruit". I don't really think it means we should inspect their fruit, but many do. I just cant help but wonder how many "fruit inspectors" actually don't get passed the trunk or the branches or for that matter, the leaves. I think we take that verse in Matthew (from the sermon on the mount) a bit to far at times. If we go back a bit to Matthew 7:1 Jesus says this;

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

I suppose a tree can talk. I wont be inspecting any fruit in the near future, unless its in my fridge...tink

Personally I've never quite understood what to do with 1 Cor 5:9ff. on that interpretation:

Quote :

1 Corinthians 5:9 - 6:1 "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves."

Is it "judging" to say fruit inspectors are wrong?
Is it "judging" to say those who judge are wrong?
Maybe Jesus meant "do not judge anyone, unless they are "fruit inspectors?"

We can help a brother with a speck in his or her according to Jesus, if we focus on ourselves first: "then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." This part of the verse is often overlooked.

The Bible doesn't say "anything goes" or that behavior of any kind, no matter how outrageous, violent, etc. should never be commented upon or dealt with. That is not what judgment means in the Bible. Some 40% of the NT is exhortation material (telling believers what they should and should not do; exhorting individuals for doing the wrong thing).

Quote :

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles -- that a man has his father's wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

I personally don't spend much time inspecting fruit in my home, unless it is so rotted that my kitchen is completely filled with flies and the stench becomes utterly overwhelming. Exhortation is not judgment. Neither is rebuke:

Quote :

2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Saying something is wrong is not judgment (e.g. saying "you are wrong in how you are judging").

Neither is saying a person is wrong a judgment.

Observation is something quite different from judgment. No one can decide not to observe. Discernment is something quite different from judgment. If
we see a pedophile who is preying upon children in a Bible school, we discern that this is wrong. That is not judgment, in the Biblical sense. Judgment in the NT is not the mere expression of opinion, but a judicial decision that a condemnatory action is mandatory, such as "that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you" in the passage above. Speaking the truth is also something quite different from judgment. Saying "that's not right" is not a judgment in the sense of a judicial verdict with judicial consequences upon a person (cf. blocking someone from an internet forum is an example of a judgment). If it were, merely saying "do not judge" or "judgment is wrong" would be a judgment; it would be self-contradictory. I would judge a pedophile worthy of removal not only from a local Bible school, but from society. If any Christian feels on the basis of Jesus' statemement that they cannot say "pedophilia is wrong," or judge a pedophile as worthy of removal from teaching children's Bible class, I think something is lacking in their Christianity. That is fruit inspection. If any Christian thinks telling someone suicide bombing is wrong is a judgment and therefore never be uttered, there is something deficient in their Christianity. Judgment is something different from observation, discernment, or speaking the truth. The Bible speaks the truth in such a fashion repeatedly.

Quote :

Galatians 2:11-13 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

Was this not fruit inspection?

Quote :

Revelation 2:20 "But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray..."

Should the church have tolerated Jezebel after all?



Titus 2:15 "These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you."

sirhemlock shakes ice gently in glass... (the sound of sirhemlock calming down); sorry about that Tink, pet peeve of mine. Having gotten that off of my chest, I think I should admit there is still a lot of value and truth in what you said at the end of the day. ;-)

This fits your lemon tree analogy, I think:

Quote :

1 Corinthians 12:23-25 23 "and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, 24 whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another."

as does this:

Quote :

1 Samuel 16:7 "...for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

and the last thing I think Christians should be is harsh. Judgement should be the last resort, not the first thing that comes to mind or tongue:

Quote :

1 Corinthians 13:1 "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."

Wow. All I was trying to say was you cant cant tell a book by its cover.

I was responding more to the implication that Christians should never be fruit inspectors.

I like the analogy Tink. Excellent work.

Cheers,

Ian