A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Matthew 7:18
Dear members and friends,
One thing that we should not do after reading Matthew 7:18 is to equate “tree” to “human.” Consequently, it would be a big mistake to understand this verse as “a good person cannot do bad action, nor can a bad person do a good action.” When we reflect on this verse carefully and mindfully, it becomes clear that this teaching should be understood spiritually and symbolically. In nature, there is no such thing as a good tree or a bad tree; instead, there could be a healthy tree that bears healthy fruit or an unhealthy tree that does not bear much fruit or no fruit at all. Of course, Jesus was fully aware of this fact. Therefore, what Jesus points out is that there is something within us that has an unavoidable connection to cause and effect. Good trees and bad trees symbolize the state (or quality) of our mind that is directly related to the quality of our actions.
Emanuel Swedenborg emphasizes strongly the importance of intention to our thoughts and thus to our actions. Of course, people could do things that appear to be good without having good intentions. That is why we have expressions like “hypocrisy” or “pretense.” However, essentially and spiritually these pretended good actions are not good to the doer at all–they only cause either a deep and critical conflict in one’s mind, or a total rejection of sincerity and charity as its origin might have been for selfish gain. According to the Bible, a good action is an action done with the intention of nurturing and supporting others in the form of kindness and gentleness, and thus is a state of being connected and united with the Creator.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment of prayer this week. Let us pray to our Creator to be present in our heart and mind. Let us pray that the state of our heart is revealed to us. And let us pray that we could genuinely intend the wellbeing of others.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee