Key Verse: Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” One of my favorite ever movie quotes comes from Batman Begins. There is a moment in the movie where Bruce Wayne, who is Batman, is talking to the love of his life. He is trying to convince her that there is more to him then the billionaire playboy facade that he puts on in public. Rachel, who does not know that Bruce it Batman, looks back and says, “It’s not who you are underneath, its what you do that defines you.” I believe that this quote is so true in life, and it is also true for Christians. So often we want to be known as a mature Christian, or simply just a Christian. However, we would do well to apply this quote from Batman to our lives. We are defined by what we do. We would do even better to apply Jesus’ teaching here in Matthew 12 to our lives. Here we are reminded that if we are a true follower of Jesus our behavior will show it. We are known by our fruit. This does not mean we will not make mistakes. All of us make mistakes. Real followers of Jesus make mistakes. But a true follower of Jesus through the strength of the Holy Spirit overcomes sin and temptation in their life. In the context of Matthew 12, Jesus really seems to be speaking about the words we use. If you keep reading through V.37, you will discover that what Jesus is actually teaching is that our relationship with Him, as well as our spiritual maturity can be seen in the way we speak. A person who is always using foul language likely doesn’t know Jesus or is very immature spiritually. The same is true for the person who tells dirty jokes, and speaks in a crude manner. Our language matters and it is often a gauge for our own spiritual health. Jesus also reminds us of another spiritual truth regarding the words we use. The words we use show what is truly in our hearts. We are told the following: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” We talk about whatever our heart is set on. If it is set on wickedness, then that is what we will talk about. If its set on Jesus, then we will talk about Him! You are known by your words!
