Grapes on a Thorn Bush

After telling the disciples to “Beware of false prophets,” Jesus said something that may sound peculiar to us. He asked, “Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles (Matthew 7:15-16)?” One needs not be a gardener to know the answer: of course grapes do not grow on thorn bushes, and figs do not grow on thistles. But that doesn’t mean that we never see grapes or figs on thorns. 

Just imagine a gardener going out to pick his grapes or figs. He may have a basket or a satchel near his waste where he drops in his recently-picked fruit, and as he worked, he could easily drop a few along the way. If he dropped a grape, it could fall and be impaled on a thorn or thistle. From a distance it may look as if the thorn bush is a producer of fruit, when it reality it is only fool’s gold. If we were to observe the thorn bush over time, we would realize that the fruit we saw was not a sign that it was a genuine fruit producer, but was just a fluke. 

This is what makes some false teachers so hard to identify. While some are obvious frauds—like the ones selling miracles, asking for large donations as a “seed gift,”—others may look like they are producing the fruit of righteousness. The pastor who stands up in a nice suit, opens a Bible, and preaches the cross seems on the surface like he is a man of God. Just because someone has a large congregation, reaches the best-seller list, or wins a Dove Music award is not proof that their ministries are solid and their messages are sound. We need to evaluate them by their fruit, yes, but we also need to evaluate their fruit over time. Just because they said something good doesn’t mean they are from God. It may just be that their fruit was only a grape on a thorn bush.    

We need to beware because this is so important. Jesus said the end for these false prophets is to be cut down and cast off, and that goes for their followers as well. We need to evaluate what we hear against the Word of God, not what is popular or what we have always heard. 

These false teachers will be the ones on Judgment Day saying, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do great things in your name?” They preached, taught, wrote, sang, and did many other things, but they were not doing the will of the Father in Heaven. The most tragic part is the ones who follow these ravenous wolves will suffer a similar fate. Each person must enter by the narrow gate, making sure they are basing their salvation on the words of Jesus in the Bible. There is too much at stake to listen to the wrong people.