Luke 6:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,

NIV: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

NASB: For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit.

CSB: "A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit.

NLT: A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

KJV: For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

NKJV: “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

In the context of the Sermon on the Plain, this section has two different applications.

The initial purpose explains how Jesus' followers should treat their enemies. Jesus has explained that His followers will be persecuted for following Him. They will be reviled and abused. Their reputations and their livelihoods will be threatened (Luke 6:20–23). He also explained what He expects of His followers. They will not seek revenge against those who harm them because they follow Him. They will love and forgive their oppressors and pray that God will bless them (Luke 6:26–27).

Now, the people have a choice: are they the type who will follow Jesus, or are they the type who will abuse His followers? He makes incredibly difficult demands on His followers that can't be agreed to lightly. Their choice will demonstrate where their heart is (Luke 6:45).

The second application has to do with good and bad influences. Christ has explained that for people to have a good impact on others, they need to train under a good teacher and take time to contemplate their own sin and misconceptions. A "bad tree" will value worldly wisdom which will lead followers into a pit from which they can't escape (Luke 6:39–42).

The assertion that good fruit proves a good heart has been twisted to defend toxic Christian leaders. Just because a ministry or church grows quickly and changes lives doesn't guarantee every associated leader is godly. A person who lives in unrepentant sin can lead a successful ministry—they should not, but God often uses desperately broken people despite their flaws (Jonah 1:1–3; Judges 14:1–4). It is not the heart of the leader, in and of itself, which produces good fruit; it is the redemptive grace of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 6:43–45 further explains Jesus' call to self-examination (Luke 6:39–42). A teacher cannot effectively lead another if he is blind to truth. He must overcome his own faulty teaching and disobedience first. If he doesn't, he proves he is evil and his words will be, too. If he examines himself and chooses to follow Jesus, his life will be fruitful and his teaching truthful. Next, Jesus reveals how people can fulfill His hard teachings: base their lives on Him (Luke 6:46–49). Matthew 7:15–20 applies the tree and fruit to false prophets. In Matthew 12:33–34, Jesus applies the metaphor directly to Pharisees.

Luke 6 contains two main sections of teaching and calls to discipleship. Luke 6:1–16 continues the pattern of Luke 5. The two ways in which Jesus sets aside tradition—this time by taking authority over the Sabbath—are paired with His call for the Twelve disciples. Luke 6:17–49 records Jesus' teaching on the ''level place,'' or His ''Sermon on the Plain,'' and a call to a crowd for general discipleship. Much of this material has parallels in Matthew 5 through 7, but it's not clear if the two accounts are of the same event. As a travelling teacher, Christ likely gave the same general message multiple times.

Luke 6 completes Jesus' call for disciples and followers that started in Luke 5. Luke 5:1—6:16 consists of three calls for disciples, each paired with two revolutionary teachings about Jesus' authority that increasingly infuriate the religious leaders. Luke 6:17–49 continues the theme with a general call for followers and a description of their responsibilities. In Luke 7:1—8:3, Jesus interacts with the other: Gentiles, women, and even the dead. This is followed by another general call (Luke 8:4–21), a series of miracles (Luke 8:22—9:17), and a final call for the Twelve to follow Him even more deeply (Luke 9:18–50).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.