Shiny, Red Apple

[Jesus said,] “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit.” – Luke 6:43-44 (NRSV)  

In apple-picking season around the U.S., the lure of fresh fruit overshadows a common shortcoming: most of us don’t know how to pick fruit.  

Sure, we might wander into an orchard with our own fruit-picking methodology. But we employ the wrong senses to discern what good fruit is. We pick by color alone or by reachability. Often we pick our fruit by manhandling it. This is not effective. (And yes, I’m just as guilty as the rest of us.)  

What happens when we eat bad fruit? It messes up our insides. It makes us sick. It can even kill us.  

Bad fruit, to Jesus, is spiritual poison.  

But there are those who peddle bad fruit to us all the time. Just listen to a political ad in a hotly contested place. The airwaves are rife with toxic fruit, poisoned apples polished to a high gloss.  

Don’t pick your poison. Choose life. Choose love. Good fruit is love.  

How do you bear good fruit?  

You love. You love first. You love powerfully. You love before you do anything else.  

Prayer
May I be known for my love, O God. Thank you for your rapturous fruit. Amen.

About the Author
Kaji Douša is the Senior Pastor of The Park Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, in New York City.