For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Jesus’ enemies had some very harsh words for Him. But their condemning words didn't indict Jesus as much as they exposed their own heart trouble.
Jesus didn’t need an echocardiogram to diagnose the condition of their hearts. He simply listened to them. Their own words provided a perfect diagnostic!
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Many times we are reluctant to go to the doctor for fear of what we’ll find out. There is an uneasy comfort in not knowing what might be wrong with us.
But the Teacher insists on a checkup! He demands we pay attention to our words, because they are indicators of our spiritual health. The lips may be moving but it’s really the heart talking!
Thankfully, our Teacher can heal and transform our hearts. But first we need to spend some time listening to ourselves. A self-administered heart examination!
As we pinpoint specific areas of weakness, we turn to Jesus for treatment. Then we continue to monitor the progress of our recovery by simply checking our words.
Don’t be afraid to get a checkup. Early detection and proper treatment can save lives.
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.
This is the second time Jesus mentions "a tree is recognized by it's fruit."
ReplyDeleteMostly, I have equated "fruit" with actions. Interestingly enough, in Matt 7:16 when Jesus is mentioning "by their fruit you will recongnize them" he is speaking of false prophets - prophets who speak falsely.
Here in Mt 12 Jesus is again speaking about people who are "speaking" and "fruit" can be equated with "words."
So maybe "fruit" is more words than actions.
But as Denny mentioned, Jesus says our words indicate a condition of the heart. What are behind our words? Our thoughts, our attitudes, our preconceptions, our hearts. Those who had accused Jesus of evil here had contempt for Him in their hearts, which was made evident in their words.
"Oh be careful little mouth what you say!"