The fact is if I went to a garden store and bought a tree they said would grow pears, and, after I planted it fertilized it, watered it, and did all the work to grow my pear tree to maturity so that I could eat my own pears, I would be quite upset if that tree I worked on all that time started producing lemons!
A tree reveals its true identity when it produces the fruit.
And that is true of us as well. Our choices, our priorities, and our actions all testify to the kind of person we are inside. We can’t hide our true nature forever. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” And you can’t fool God any time!
So, what you “plant” in your heart and head “grows” into the icon of who you are! That means IF you are wise, you will pay attention to what goes into your head and heart AND you will be as patient with others as God is with you!
Look at our lesson today in Luke 6:37-45:
The Lord said, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
The Lord demands that we FIRST deal with our own darkness before we try to help another! The Lord insists we are not really free to help another with a “speck” in their eye if we have a “log” in our own eye. But we must be actively engaged in our own life of repentance to be of any use to those around us. If we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, the greatest gift we can give our family, our children, our community, our society, and our world, is our own life of repentance!
But then the Lord ends the passage with the common sense He always brings to these excellent insights – A “good” tree produces “good” fruit. A “bad” tree, well, you get it. If I see an apple tree growing pears, I am not free to still call it an apple tree! But I am free to say what is – a tree bearing pears is a pear tree; it isn’t an apple tree. But I must FIRST turn that insight on myself BEFORE I am free to “help” my brother! Spiritual delusions always start in our minds and they infect everything and everyone. It is finally confronting my own delusions that allow the Spirit and I to cooperate and “prune” the “dead” and “diseased” thoughts and actions from my life SO THAT I can “grow” the healthy spiritual fruit of the Spirit!
St. Dionysios the Areopagite was a well-respected and well-educated member of the judicial court that met on Mars Hill in Athens. In Greek, this place is Aeros Pagos. That’s why he was called “the Areopagite. He heard St. Paul give his famous sermon there recorded in Acts 17. He became a believer in Christ after hearing St. Paul and then became the second bishop of the great city of Athens. His learning and his reputation as a wise man earned the respect of the people of Athens and many came to Christ during his ministry. He was present at the Dormition of the Theotokos and parts of the hymns that we sing on that featsday are taken from his records of the event! His wise and sober ministry exemplified the spirit of humility, patience, and love. He lived in such faithfulness to Christ that those around him didn’t need to be corrected by him, but his holy life drew them away from “the speck in” their own eyes. He died a martyr’s death in 96 AD. To this day, we are enjoying the “fruits” of this great hero’s life!
Today, what kind of fruit is your life producing? Is it the fruit of repentance? Is your life a source of nourishment for the world around you? We will not “save” our world through the small practices of debate tactics or policies or passing laws. The surest way for us to save our children, our homes, and our society is by FIRST inspecting the “fruit” of our own lives and then taking responsibility in embracing reality! That’s living a Normal Orthodox Life!
P.S. Since you had been instructed in uprightness thoroughly and were vigilant in all things, you were clothed with a good conscience as befits one holy. You did draw from the Chosen Vessel ineffable mysteries; and having kept the Faith, you did finish a like course, O Hieromartyr Dionysios. Intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
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