Matthew 3:8

Sunday, 1 September 2024

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, Matthew 3:8

“Produce, you, therefore, fruits worthy of reconsideration” (CG).

The previous verse cited John the Baptist’s words to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming to him as he was immersing people. He called out to them, “Vipers’ offspring! Who disclosed to you to flee from the coming wrath?” With that stated, he now continues his chiding of them, saying, “Produce, you, therefore, fruits.”

The word is karpos, fruit. It is that which is plucked and used for food. It is to be taken figuratively in passages such as this to indicate that which comes from an individual or an entity based on effort, faith, etc. 

Both testaments use the fruit symbolism. In the New Testament, Jesus used the metaphor, helping to explain the meaning for us when He said –

“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. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” Matthew 12:33-35

The state of a tree will determine the state of the fruit the tree bears. The state of a tree will be based on its location, soil, amount of sun, and so forth. As for John’s word, some texts say the singular karpon, fruit. Others say the plural karpous, fruits.

In English the word fruit can be singular or plural depending on the reference. A banana is a fruit, many bananas are still fruit. However, bananas, apples, and oranges are fruits. As such, when one is speaking in an uncountable form, he will say, “I eat fruit.” But when referring to a countable amount, the word fruits is used, such as, “The basket is filled with amazing fruits like pomegranates and durian.”

In this case, John is speaking to a group of people, “Produce you (plural), fruits.” This may make more sense than the singular because he certainly isn’t expecting each person he is addressing to produce the same type of fruit (“You all need to bear fruits, each according to the type of tree you are”) unless he is referring individually to all of them (“Each of you is to bear his own fruit in a worthy manner”). Then it may be that he is speaking in an uncountable manner.

This may be hair-splitting, but each possibility is worth considering. As for the fruits John refers to, he continues saying that they should be “worthy of reconsideration.”

The point of John’s baptism was for people to reconsider their state before God, “We have been acting in this manner and it is not worthy of our calling as the people of Israel, we need to reconsider our ways and then turn to the path of what is right.” This is the immersion that John heralded. He was preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah by turning their hearts back to the Lord.

The KJV blows this translation when it says, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” The archaic word “meet” signifies that which is suitable or fitting. In this, there is an ambiguity that can destroy the intent because it can mean, “When you come to be baptized by me, you are professing reconsideration,” as if the external act defines the reconsideration.

That is somewhat like the idea of infant baptism which essentially says, “This rite sanctifies this child for salvation.” Even later in life, Catholics will often say, “I am in a good place! I got baptized when I was young.” They treat the baptism as if it is something that produced good in them. This is not the intent of John’s words.

Rather, one reconsiders and then is baptized in John’s baptism. In Christ, one believes in His completed work and then as a symbol of that belief, he is then baptized. The believer’s reconsideration is about who God is and what He has done in Christ. Only after that comes a change in life based on the knowledge that is obtained as he grows in his faith.

Life application: In Galatians 5:22, Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The word fruit there is singular. Though there are many types of fruit, they are all of the Spirit. As you can see, the use of the singular and plural takes consideration.

In the parallel passage to Matthew 3:8 which is found in Luke 3:8, the word is again plural, “Produce, therefore, fruits worthy of reconsideration...”

As you go through the Bible, don’t hesitate to hesitate! Stop, think about what is being said, and consider what you are reading. Of course, various source texts may be different, and even translations will divert from what the source text says. As such, it is good to read multiple translations.

If you have the patience, get a parallel Bible and read two or more translations side by side. It can open your eyes to variations in translation. From there, you can then seek out why there is a difference in them. You can also weed out incorrect or ambiguous translations, such as the KJV referenced above.

These things will help you to get a better understanding of Scripture. But don’t just read the word. Be sure to bear fruit in your mind as you take in what is being presented to you from the mind of God.

Glorious God, what a treasure it is to be in Your word daily, tasting its delights and rejoicing in its truths. Our days are better when we start there, and our lives are so much better off as we continue to search it out and apply its precepts to our lives. Yes, Lord God, thank You for Your word. And thank You above all for Jesus our Lord, the One who is so beautifully presented to us in it. Amen.