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my words are the fruit of my tree

At that time a demon-oppressed blind and dumb was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb speaks and sees. And all the people were amazed, and stated, “Perhaps this is the Son of David?” (Matthew 11: 22, my translation)

Three things were wrong about this person who was brought to Jesus. Those three apply to most people. Demons within. Inability and unwillingness to see and to pray. All were dealt with. All the people thought he might be the promised Son of David, the Messiah. In fact the listening Pharisees said, “This man doesn’t cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the chief of demons.” The Pharisees were certain that Jesus was empowered by the highest of evil beings to cast out the lowest demons. And they said so. In fact, knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is ruined, and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. And, if the enemy casts out the enemy, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”
For Jesus’ part, their certainties were nonsense.	.
“And if I myself by Beelzebul cast out the demons, your sons – by whom do they cast out? Through this, they themselves will be your judges.” I suspect that “their sons” did nothing of the kind. Nor did the fathers. “If in fact by the Spirit of God I myself am casting out the demons, then the kingdom of God is arriving upon you. Or - how does someone have power to enter into a strong man’s house and plunder his vessels, if he may not first bind the strong man and then plunder his house?” If Jesus has the power to save people from their inner demons, who is he? “The one not being with me is against me, and the one not gathering with me scatters. Through this I tell you, any sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to human beings, but the blasphemy of the spirit will not be forgiven. And if anyone may say a word against the Son of Man it will be forgiven that one, but if anyone may say [a word] against the Holy Spirit it will not be forgiven that one, either in this age or in the age to come.” There are only two possibilities: either one is with him and gathering with him or one is against him and scattering… “Either make the tree good and the fruit of it good, or make the tree awful and the fruit of it awful, because the tree is known through the fruit.” Same thing, a second time: either a good tree with good fruit or an awful tree with awful fruit… “You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? Because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The honourable person out of his honourable treasure brings forth honourable things, and the evil person out of his evil store brings forth evil things.” The Pharisees had said: “This man doesn’t cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the chief of demons.”. Thus, the tree was awful – as awful as its fruit (the fruit being what they had said). A few years earlier Ovid, the Roman poet (BC 43 to AD 17), had used the same words translated “you generation of vipers”, in his Metamorphoses, to speak to cunning, malignant, wicked men. “I state to you, in fact, that any worthless statement that they will speak, human beings will repay concerning each word in a day of judgment.”
And here am I, thinking that my throw away lines don’t matter…	.
“Because from your words you will be pronounced righteous, and from your words you will be declared guilty.” Given that this is the case, how incredibly serious are my words and my own individual inner attitude towards Jesus of Nazareth - towards he who died in the place of others so as to be able to forgive those others who spoke, took action against - and killed - him.

Sinner Syvret

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