SM#45: Wolves in Wool

Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will know them. No one gathers grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. Likewise, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but a diseased tree bears evil fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear evil fruit, and a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will know them. ~ JESUS (Matthew 7:15-20)

BEFORE WE DIVE IN:

1. We now have an email update mailing list. You can subscribe on the front page of this site.

2. Please "like" (heart) and comment! Your engagement helps other people find this post. (Hail the almighty algorithm.)

3. This is a personal and important post for many of us. If you know someone it might help, feel free to copy the link and share it with them.

Okay! Let's go!...

Prefer to listen rather than read? Click this pic for an AI audio overview.

CORE

(The heart of the message)

Looks can be deceiving. You can't judge a book by its cover. All that glitters is not gold. And deadly wolves sometimes appear like fellow sheep.

Jesus calls his disciples to discern so we won't be pulled off the narrow path. It's time to do a wolf check at the sheep gate.

CONUNDRUM

(Raising questions skeptics might be asking)

Hey Jesus.

First you tell us not to judge. Then you tell us to start identifying fake Christians. Sounds pretty judgemental to me! Thanks for telling us it's all about their "fruit" - but that's kinda unhelpful if you're not going to tell us what you mean by that. Aren't you creating a paranoid, judgemental bunch of spiritual hypochondriacs, always tearing apart the body of Christ?

What gives Jesus?

CONTEXT

(What’s going on before and after this passage)

As we established in our last study, Jesus has finished the main body of his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and is now giving his conclusion in the form of a series of warnings.

Jesus began the sermon with tenderness and now ends with toughness.

Jesus uses vivid imagery to deliver his warnings:

• entering the wide or narrow gate

• walking the broad or constricted way

• listening to true or false prophets

• recognizing healthy or unhealthy trees

• being a genuine or performative Christian

• becoming a wise or foolish builder

Alongside Jesus' current warning about false prophets, we can add other passages that address the same issue for the New Testament Church:

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ~ JESUS (Matthew 10:16)

Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ~ JESUS (Matthew 24:11)

(Also, although it is too much to quote here, see Acts 20:28-30; 2 Corinthians 11:3-5, 12-15; 1 Timothy 4:1-7; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-6; 1 John 4:1-2; 2 John 7-11; Revelation 20:10; as well as the entire books of Galatians and Jude.)

Interestingly, these passages seem to describe two extremes of false teachers:

1. Those who are hyper liberal. They abuse grace as a license to sin and spread their permissive ways while they abuse God's people.

2. Those who are hyper conservative. They spread misinformation and misunderstanding through their zealous promotion of the rules and regulations of religion. They treat the Bible, especially the Torah, as a rule book rather than what it really is: a manifesto of liberation, the story of our exodus out of slavery and into the freedom of Christ.

Note that Jesus' primary concern in the Sermon on the Mount is warning us against the second kind of falsehood: excessive external religiosity that is fueled with pious zeal but lacks the compassionate and humble heart of Jesus toward all people. Jesus is opposed to religiously induced shame culture, coercion, manipulation, and misuse of power. Jesus is less concerned about his disciples being distracted by wild and debaucherous living than with the way of religious rule-keeping or Bible-as-law-book biblicism that has a form of godliness but lacks the actual power of love.

According to Jesus, the real danger for his flock are not people carrying weapons or dangling enticing temptations, but those who carry study Bibles.

Earlier John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees that were coming to see him (possibly to affirm John and get baptized!). John told them:

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ~ John the Baptist (Matthew 3:8)

But the Pharisees were exceptionally conservative in their moral stance. "The Bible says it, that settles it, I believe it, let's do it" would be a motto they could rally around. But the Pharisees lacked the humility, mercy, and compassion of Christ. Recall Jesus' central theme of the Sermon on the Mount of going beyond religious righteousness to real righteousness:

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of the heavens. ~ JESUS (Mathew 5:20)

These warnings about false prophets became especially relevant to first century believers. Just before and during the Jewish revolt of the 60s that led to Israel's defeat by Rome and the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, many false prophets did arise promoting war and promising a God-blessed victory against Rome. Those who followed them realized too late that they were false prophets.

Ancient Roman relief from the Arch of Titus depicting Roman soldiers carrying spoils from the Temple of Jerusalem, including a large menorah, following the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Historians believe that some of the false prophets and zealots who led the revolt (such as John of Gischala) are also depicted here being led in captivity back to Rome.

After this passage, Jesus will go on to describe a judgement day scene involving false believers who claim to have spiritual gifts, like prophecy. The two passages inform one another and we should keep them together in our minds.

The Old Testament tests for a true or false prophet were straightforward. There were two tests - the prophet was false if either of these things were true:

1. The prophet's predictions did not come to pass (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

2. Even if their prophecies came true but they used that notoriety to lead people toward other gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

Perhaps these Old Testament tests are a helpful backdrop for our New Testament discernment, but we should also consult the New Testament scriptures for our definition of "fruit".

CONSIDER

(Observations about the passage)

Beware... The Greek verb (prosechó - which sounds like it should taste good on bread with brie) means to pay attention, to be aware - beware! Here the verb is in the present imperative, meaning disciples of Jesus should always be in an ongoing state of alertness. Think of a lifeguard constantly scanning the waters - not being anxious or in a panic, but with constant caring vigilance. What a challenge: we are not called to be hyper sensitive accusatory jerks, but neither should Jesus followers stick their heads in the sand and ignore potential dangers or threats from dangerous, self-important, would-be religious zealots.

Be on the alert.

False prophets / sheep's clothing / ravenous wolves... Wolves may be beautiful animals, but toward sheep, they are nothing but trouble. Jesus usually uses the image of "sheep" to refer to his followers, which is an image of Israel in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 34). Today we use the idea of being "sheep" as a kind of insult: "You're just a bunch of sheep!" But Jesus uses this image, not to comment on the stupidity of the animal, but the fact that sheep survive by staying together, under the care of a strong and loving shepherd. That's what sheep and humans have in common - both species are just not designed to do well independently. Lone wolves can do just fine. Lone sheep are dead sheep. This is a lesson for all of us. Jesus goes beyond saying these false prophets are mere goats in sheep's clothing. Because of their influence and power, they are wolves, destructive to the Church. They are "ravenous", which comes from a Greek word meaning greedy or grasping. These leaders are more parasitic than pastoral. Jesus is the first recorded Jewish teacher to use the image of wolves in sheep's clothing, but he may be drawing from Aesop's fables. Aesop was a Greek slave who lived hundreds of years before Jesus and, although our written records of his fables are late, most historians believe his stories were widespread by the time of Jesus. So it may be a familiar image to Jesus' audience because of this story - Aesop's fable of the wolf in sheep's clothing:

Once upon a time a wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order to secure food more easily. Having found a discarded sheep hide, he encased himself in the costume and pastured with the flock, deceiving the sheep and even, it would seem, the shepherd. In the evening the shepherd shut up the wolf along with the sheep in the fold; the gate was closed, and the entrance made thoroughly secure. The hungry wolf couldn't have been more pleased. But soon after, the shepherd returned to the fold to obtain meat for supper and mistakenly caught up the disguised wolf and butchered him. For those who seek to harm will find harm.

If Jesus' original audience or Matthew's original readers were aware of this parable (which is quite possible), Jesus' use of the image might also remind his hearers that ultimately the wolves will not win and the Shepherd will judge them. These pretenders, these pseudo-prophets (Greek, pseudoprophétés), these wolves (Greek, lukos), are eager to devour, dismantle, and destroy the sheep: those grace-giving, mercy-offering, peace-loving, enemy-embracing, Jesus-following people who are walking the narrow way and can, with Jesus' help, see through their performative piety.

Healthy tree, good fruit... Most English translations talk about the "good" trees that produce "good" fruit, but two different words are used for the "good" (and again for the "bad"). The first word for good (agathon) describes the tree and means something that is intrinsically good. In this agricultural imagery, a good tree is a healthy tree. The second word (kalos) describes the fruit and means something that is good because it is useful or valuable or beautiful. A truly good tree produces useful and valuable fruit that will bless others by nourishing their souls. We should be asking, "Does this spiritual leader's ministry and teaching nourish people, helping them understand, follow, and become more like Jesus?"

The question is: Does their ministry nourish my soul? Does their life and teaching help me understand, follow, and become more like Jesus? Say no to plastic fruit.

Diseased tree, evil fruit... Like the words for "good", Matthew uses two different words for "bad". The first word (sapros) means to be diseased, decaying, or rotting. This is a tree designed for a better purpose, but it is corrupted and deteriorating. Some disease has set in and it is becoming more and more unhealthy, moving further away from what it is meant to be. It's a sad word for a sad scenario. Jesus says posing and performative spiritual leaders who have gone down this path will end up producing fruit that is pure evil (Greek, ponéros). This is the same word translated "evil" when referring to the devil and his influence (Matthew 5:37; 6:13), the evil eye (Matthew 6:23; 20:15); and even calling all of us, in one sense, "evil" (7:11). When a spiritual leader goes off course and begins to deteriorate, their wider influence makes it a problem for more than just themselves.

Grapes / thornbushes / figs / thistles... Jesus continues his agricultural illustration and he is emphatic: Good trees cannot bear evil fruit, and diseased trees cannot bear beautiful/valuable/good fruit. This makes the passage harder to interpret, because life seems rarely to fall into this extreme binary reality. Even the worst spiritual leaders sometimes, even by accident, produce helpful results, and even the most sincere spiritual leaders sometimes go off the rails and create damage. Jesus is also planting linguistic breadcrumbs to lead us back to the Garden of Eden story. The image of trees and fruit are foundational to the beginning of the human story. Figs remind us of Adam and Eve's fig leaf fiasco, and thornbushes/thistles remind us of the consequence God pronounces over them. As we saw in our last study, Jesus is using imagery that supports his claim to be leading his followers back to the garden, back into what Adam and Eve lost.

Cut down and thrown into the fire... Diseased, decaying, or dead trees are good for nothing except to be used for firewood. There is a Judgement Day coming. Shockingly, in the verses immediately following, Jesus will picture that day with himself sitting on the throne of divine judgement. (More about this in our next study.) Believing in Judgement Day is part of Christian Peace Theology. We don't judge and we don't condemn and we don't punish and we don't use violence to enforce justice for many reasons, and one of them is that we can trust Jesus to take care of justice in his own way on his own day. Jesus is the judge, and his judgment is restorative rather than retaliatory. Also notice that, although the diseased trees will be cut down, disciples of Jesus are not called to be the lumberjacks. Again we are left to ponder what Jesus means by this "fire". If Jesus has in mind the fires of hell, then three interpretive options exist:

a) eternal conscious torment.

b) the destruction of the soul.

c) a purification that burns away sin, making someone ready for heaven.

Good and godly saints have held all three views since the earliest years of the Church. Some scholars believe this may not be a reference to eternal judgement but a warning about the impending Jewish war against Rome. Those who fail to follow Jesus' way of peace will have their way of life brought to ruin, which is precisely what did happen. Another possibility is that this fire refers to a refining judgement that happens in this life, not only to expose and condemn their actions, but to purify and restore here and now.

Remember that "God is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus reminds us that God is the God of second chances and fresh starts:

A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ~ JESUS (Luke 13:6-9)

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ~ John the Baptist (Matthew 3:10)

We are not the lumberjacks, and that's okay.

By their fruit you will know them... This phrase appears twice in this passage forming an inclusio and providing emphasis. Jesus wants us to underline this thought in our minds and our Bibles. We can and should assess spiritual leaders, not by the clothes they wear but by the fruit they bear. And Jesus has confidence in his disciples successfully using fruit-inspection as their diagnostic tool. There is something meaningful about the image of fruit worth exploring. Fruit-inspection must go deeper than mere appearance, since on the surface these wolves look like sheep. And yet Jesus does not say we should dig so far beneath the surface as to presume to know their heart - he does not say "by their root you will know them." Only God can see and judge the root, buried in the soil of any soul (1 Samuel 16:7). So Jesus says, don’t speculate about their root and don’t be dazzled by their suit; instead, get close enough to inspect their fruit. But what does fruit inspection look like, and what qualities should we be looking for in the fruit? Like with all passages, our starting point for understanding, interpreting, and applying this teaching should first of all be the immediate context: in this case, the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, Jesus has just finished talking about the narrow gate, which he will later identify as himself (John 10:1-2). So, like the second of the Old Testament tests mentioned above, our first test for a true teacher of God is a narrow focus on Jesus - the one Thomas calls "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Does the spiritual influencer help others narrow their focus onto Jesus, the narrow gate and the constricted way, or are they trying to widen everyone's view to consider Jesus as just one option among many. Beyond this immediate context, the rest of the Sermon on the Mount helps us understand what Jesus would consider good and bad fruit. For instance, according to Jesus, bad fruit would include things like a lack of humility, a sense of self-importance, a lack of gentleness, always pointing outward in judgement rather than hungering and thirsting for one's own righteousness, a lack of mercy, lack of singular focus on Jesus and his way of living, a lack of the pursuit of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation in all things, and, we might add, success from this kind of attitude rather than the persecution that the counter-cultural way of Jesus can bring. And we have only just walked through the Beatitudes! The rest of the Sermon on the Mount continues to help identify good vs evil fruit. To this we could add Paul's list of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and other New Testament passages we will cover in the Commentary section. We must admit: Making this kind of identification is difficult the further away from a person we are. Fruit inspection cannot happen from a distance. From far away, these false prophets look like sheep. Many of these fruit-level qualities may partially reveal themselves in the public ministry of a false prophet, but they are mostly observed when we are able to draw closer. Also, fruit takes time to ripen. This cautions us from making snap judgements from a distance - Which is what most judgemental people tend to do. (Again, more on this in the Commentary section.)

"Fruit takes a while to mature, and it is wise to test any new idea or movement which is ambiguous in its genuineness, not on the initial, usually sweet smelling blossom, but on its maturing fruit." ~ Charles Price (Matthew)

In sum:

• Root = hidden, inner source (heart/motives → God’s domain).

• Suit = surface-level appearance (clothing, presentation → deceptive).

• Fruit = tangible outcomes (actions, relational impact → discernible).

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. ~ James the brother of Jesus (James 2:26)

COMMENTARY

(Thoughts about meaning and application)

How can we apply this passage today? How can Christ-followers identify false prophets in sheep's clothing?

Almost every well known Bible teacher has been called a false prophet or false teacher by some segment of the Christian world. From John MacArthur to John Wimber to John Piper to Joel Osteen to Billy Graham to you name it - some Christians use passages like this to become full-time heresy hunters.

But the point Jesus is making through his fruit inspection approach to discernment is twofold:

1. We can't judge the roots, only God can.

2. We also can't judge from a distance, because from a distance all we see is the silhouette of a sheep, or a fruit tree. (This is especially important in a culture of online charisma and clicks, as well as the backlash of cancel culture and performative moral outrage.)

Fruit inspection suggests more than looking at the fruit. The sheep-suit image cautions against surface level assessments. Fruit inspection requires waiting for a tree to mature and then engaging with the fruit - touching and tasting, not just looking and listening. That means if we are at a distance and not close enough to really engage with the person in question, our job is to sit down and shut up. Real fruit inspection requires proximity (closeness) and engagement over time.

"We cannot know a tree's identity from a mile away. We must get close to it, and we won't know a tree's quality until the seasons have passed. Properly identifying a tree's fruit and quality requires time and proximity." ~ Skye Jethani (What if Jesus was Serious?)

And we should remember, Jesus is talking to his disciples together. Fruit inspection is a process of community discernment. This is good news! No one individual has to carry the burden of figuring it all out by themselves. So we can arrive at somewhat of a fruity formula. Fruit inspection (spiritual discernment) is a matter of...

Proximity plus Engagement multiplied by the Community over Time.

We can make this principle look very intelligent by writing it out this way...

We are all probably aware of the many illustrations that remind us that the best way to spot a forgery is to become exceedingly familiar with the real thing. So, since Jesus says we can recognize true or false prophets by their fruit, let's take time to get familiar with the beautiful fruit of the Spirit.

Here are some of the New Testament fruit lists...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ~ The apostle Paul (Galatians 5:22-23)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ~ JESUS (Matthew 5:3-12)

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ... For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~ JESUS (Matthew 12:33-37)

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.... For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ~ JESUS (Luke 6:43-45)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~ The apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ~ The apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ~ The apostle Paul (Colossians 3:12-15)

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ~ The apostle Paul (1 Timothy 6:11)

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ~ The apostle Paul (2 Timothy 2:22)

Through Jesus then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. (Hebrews 13:5)

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. ~ James the brother of Jesus (James 3:17-18)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. ~ The apostle Peter (2 Peter 1:3-9)

Using these passages, here is a boiled down fruit list to ponder, pray about, and look for whenever we need to discern whether or not we should trust a particular Christian leader and their ministry.

1. Love

2. Joy

3. Peace/peaceful/peacemaking

4. Patience

5. Kindness

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Self-control

10. Poor in Spirit

11. Merciful

12. Not envious

13. Humility, not boastful or proud

14. Respectful, does not dishonour others

15. Serving, not self-seeking

16. Not angry

17. Forgiving, Keeps no record of wrongs

18. Does not delight in evil

19. Rejoicing in truth

20. Protective

21. Believes the best in people

22. Hopes for the best in people

23. Perseverant

24. Compassionate

25. Thankful

26. Righteous

27. Godly

28. Considerate

29. Submissive

30. Impartial

31. Sincere

32. Freedom

33. Praise

Because Jesus elsewhere equates spiritual fruit with the "words" or teaching that comes from spiritual wolves (Matthew 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-35), we may be able to identify wolfish teachings easier than actual wolves. That's the truth test, and we know that Jesus himself is the Word of God, the ultimate truth (John 1:1, 14; 14:6). So, true teaching should be both Christocentric and Christotelic (centred on and leading us toward Jesus).

Wolves (or at least wolfish words) include cutting others down as a way of lifting oneself up. Ministries that make a name for themselves by primarily pointing out what is wrong with everyone else are not actually promoting Jesus the way they think they are. James seems to have this teaching of Jesus in mind when he writes:

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. ~ James the brother of Jesus (James 3:9-12)

This raises the question - what is not on this list of spiritual fruit? Many things, including...

1. Judgementalism: Not only is judgementalism not a fruit of the Spirit, it is a divisive tool of the enemy used to tear the church apart. The leader who rushes to judgement manipulates vulnerable sheep through fearmongering and the weaponization of religious power.

2. Legalism: Legalists demand hoop-jumping behaviour; use these words, say this phrase, keep this tradition, act/worship/study/believe just like us. Arguing about words, a sin, is one of their badges of honour (1 Timothy 6:3-4).

3. Anger and Outrage: Jesus says anger and outrage are murder; they are consistently identified as sin in Scripture; watch out for the performative moral outrage of pseudo-Christian leaders. It can appear like zeal for truth, zeal for righteousness, and zeal for God. But in the end, it's just a bad temper often used as a coercive power maneuver.

4. Divisiveness: We are only practicing mutual submission when we prioritize unity over getting our own way. When a leader is too quick to walk away in angry, legalistic, judgementalism causing division, they are ticking off too many wolf boxes.

5. Pride: It takes an unhealthy level of chutzpah for a Christian leader to think that they are God's mouthpiece at a given time on a specific issue and to advance their cause in a way that does damage to the church, the gathering of the sheep. Mutual submission is a high New Testament value. Self-importance is an evil fruit.

6. Moral laxity: When a prophet, pastor, or any believer thinks grace gives us a license to sin, a free pass to do whatever we want without consequence, they are setting themselves and others up for a rude awakening.

7. Moral Perfection: Jesus doesn't expect his church to be perfect in morality; he desires that we be perfect in mercy. Of course we deserve to see moral care and ethical behaviour from our leaders. But we are setting ourselves up for disappointment, and setting others up on a pedestal, if we are expecting moral perfection or any kind of imperviousness to moral failure.

It was in reference to the judgemental, Bible-thumping, self-righteous, sinner-condemning religious conservatives of his day that Jesus said:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ~ JESUS ( John 8:43-44)

These Sons of Satan (bike gang anyone?) emulate the Devil's desire to destroy without letting the truth get in the way. These false prophets with bad fruit are not as interested in the truth (which includes the grace, mercy, and peace of Christ) as they are in whatever can create a clear "us vs them" between their in-group and every other out-group. Like their father the Devil, they want blood, not understanding. Condemnation, not healing.

They prioritize:

• Law over love.

• Justice over mercy.

• Punishment over forgiveness.

• Erasure over reconciliation.

• Exclusion over embrace.

• Banishment over restoration.

• Religion over relationship.

When we see these wolves in sheep's clothing, it's time to go the other direction.

If first-century religious leaders were a bike gang.

So, enough about discerning the fruit of others. One final question for this section:

How do we grow good fruit?

Jesus tells us in John 15. Rather than focus on producing good fruit, Jesus says we simply need to focus on staying close to Jesus.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain/stay/abide/dwell/make yourself at home in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ~ JESUS (John 15:5)

CONFESSION

(Personal reflection)

I confess that whenever I think about false prophets, fake teachers, and spiritual wolves in sheep's clothing, I wonder if this could be me. I feel like the disciples at the last supper: "Is it I Lord?"

Is that weird? Maybe. But I'm finding out it is more common than I first realized.

I recently talked to a pastor who was preaching on another New Testament passage that warns about false spiritual leaders and he confessed to me that every time he teaches on passages like this, he wonders the same thing as me: Could this be me?

Anabaptist theologian, Scot McKnight thinks a little self-doubt in the face of these serious warnings of Jesus is appropriate. In writing about this topic, he says:

"I would urge you to turn the text into a mirror to let it ask you a simple question: Am I the false prophet of this text?" ~ Scot McKnight (Sermon on the Mount)

In fact, perhaps this self questioning is the most healthy response to the topic of wolves in sheep's clothing. Remember when Jesus tells the disciples at the last supper that someone will betray him, and they all ask "Is it I Lord?" Notice that Jesus never rebukes their question; he answers their question, which is to say, he honours their question. Because, according to Jesus, asking that question is so much better than everyone pointing across the table asking "Is it him Lord?" It seems that the disciples were humble, and ready for Jesus to help them with the plank-eye process before pointing a finger at anyone else. I call that a success.

Later, the apostle Paul would tell one of the early church congregations:

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! ~ The apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 13:5; also 1 Corinthians 11:28)

So now I'm thinking: maybe my self-questioning is a good thing, a sign of getting more healthy and less afraid to ask the hard questions. Maybe it is how we should all respond to the teachings, encouragements, and warnings of Jesus. Maybe we should always start with ourselves before we turn outward and think about others.

I'll go first...

I start by asking the question: Do the wolves know they are wolves? Are false prophets self-aware? Do false teachers know they are false teachers? Or do destructive religious leaders believe their own press enough to cast themselves as the heroes in their own minds? Do they think they are on a mission from God to judge or expose or teach or lead people into the light?

Along the same lines - do fake religious leaders start out that way? Or is this a kind of disease that can affect even the most sincere among us? If it is the latter, there is an extra cautionary tale embedded in this teaching of Jesus.

My initial hunch is that a wolf falls into one of two categories of self-questioning:

1. They know they are faking their spiritual identity and they are taking advantage of their undercover life.

2. They don't know or even suspect they are wolves because they are confident they are doing God's will and proclaiming his truth.

I have read about and personally spoken with self-aware wolves. These were Christian leaders who knew they didn't believe but were using the religious system for money, sex, or power. I once spoke with a former pastor who admitted "I wasn't even a believer. I was just posing because this was something I was good at and my way of getting what I wanted."

A similar story is told in the 1972 documentary "Marjoe", about a non-believing evangelist who finally decides to come out to the world. I remember seeing this as a young adult and it profoundly shaped my spiritual skepticism ever since.

Although there are clear examples of #1 above (wolves who know they are wolves), I think the vast majority fall into the #2 category (wolves who don't have a sweet clue about the damage they are doing). Believing this, I want to be able to clearly address what I think it wrong in a way that is nonjudgemental and tries to believe the best about people's motivations.

At this point in my processing, I don't think I, nor my friend, fall into either category above. Wolves either know they are wolves or they have no idea they are wolves. But one thing wolves don't do... Wolves don't spend a lot of mental energy wondering if they are wolves.

So if you are wondering and worrying that you might be a wolf, you probably aren't. If you're asking, "Is it I Lord?", you're exhibiting disciple-like behaviour, not wolf-like behaviour.

Now, back to the question of "Is it I Lord?" in my situation...

When I try to do an honest assessment of my own soul over the years, I can confidently conclude a few foundational truths:

1. I began Christian ministry with complete sincerity and a desire to live right and serve others with integrity. I served as an evangelist throughout my teens and twenties, doing street evangelism, door-to-door evangelism, tract evangelism, musical evangelism, and every kind of evangelism I could think of. In junior high at my Christian school, I got the "Most Inspirational Christian" award two years in a row. Then in my secular high school, I began and led the Christian club on campus, very eager to share the Gospel with everyone who might have ears to hear. I formed and sang lead in a Christian music band (remind me to play you our demo tape sometime), again for the purpose of evangelism. When I became a senior pastor at a Baptist church, I resonated with young pastor Timothy who the apostle Paul also described as an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). And all I can say is that I know that young version of myself, and my heart was fully and sincerely given over to following Jesus and helping others join us on the journey.

2. I believe this base setting of wanting to be the best version of myself in order to give my life in the service of others never went away. I didn't become someone else. Something happened that I wasn't prepared for. Something that I have been taking years of therapy, spiritual direction, and personal reflection to try to understand. But at least I can say that I'm still me. Still someone who sincerely wants to follow Jesus with all that I am.

3. Through my catastrophic moral failure, I clearly became something different than I ever intended. I devolved into a hypocrite of the first order. The desire to do good, the desire to serve others, the desire to lead others to Jesus - these never went away. I was still producing fruit, but now every piece of fruit had a worm.

   
   

So now I wonder - was I a wolf? Or was I a sincere believer who lost his way?

Or... can a sincere believer end up playing the role of wolf for a period of time?

Remember that shortly before this passage, Jesus refers to some people as dogs and pigs (see this study here). He does this, not because these people are intentionally brutish and will forever live in that state of being anti-Gospel, but because that imagery describes where they are at spiritually at that stage in their lives. So I wonder if the same can be said about people, pastors, and prophets who have become "wolves" for a season of time.

Perhaps wolves in sheep's clothing, diseased trees producing evil fruit, are spiritual leaders who started well but have lost their way, and now they are particularly poised to unwittingly do damage within the body of Christ.

It is possible that we should interpret this warning as being against people acting like wolves. But that would not mean someone is eternally condemned to being a wolf in their irreversible identity. Put in philosophical terms, these may be existential and not ontological wolves. Being a wolf is not their identity, but their current effect.

Since Jesus is using a vivid metaphor, he may be talking about a principle more than a person, about a phenomenon we might all experience in different situations more than a specific category of religious leader.

For instance, whenever we are using fellow sheep to nourish our own egos, we are feeding on them like ravenous wolves. We might not be dramatically destroying the sheep in any observable way, but we are feeding on the energy, the attention, and even the admiration we receive from the sheep. It may be a slow and subtle meal, but we are eating in greedy and grasping ways.

Whenever we come to a Bible study or a church service or any spiritual interaction in order to be seen and admired - perhaps for our amazing insights or impressive Bible knowledge or musical talents or performative humility - we are using the church for our ego enhancement rather than serving the church in other-centred love. A ravenous wolf may not be a full-time category of person, but a kind of selfish, ego-centric mentality that can plague any of us for periods of time.

Perhaps we all have the potential to become "wolf men" in certain contexts.

If this is true, we can apply this teaching of Jesus - watching out for leaders with this kind of self-blinding sickness and identifying their "evil" fruit - without condemnatory judgement, since Jesus has just called us all "evil" a few verses earlier. The plank-eye process also applies to fruit inspection and wolf detection: always examine yourself before trying to help someone else.

So, I'm left with a few possibilities as I process my own journey. Either:

1. I was never a "wolf" but that doesn't mean I didn't lose my way and create significant damage in the process.

2. I started out well, but became a "wolf" and my fruit became "evil" for a season, and yet I can say with joyful assurance, Jesus has redeemed rather than rejected me.

3. For a season, I actualized our universal potential to become wolf-like, using my position to feed my ego rather than humbly serve others. And I, like all believers, continue to have the potential to use people to get things, rather than use things to love people. So, I will listen to Jesus and "beware", not just of ravenous wolves out there, but of that same disposition inside my own soul.

To be honest (a phrase I don't like, since it suggests I haven't been honest up to this point, which is not the case, but the phrase seems to belong here), I cannot fully explain my own life in this or that terminology. I tend to gravitate to point "a" or "c" above. If I conclude point "b", then I have another problem: I am left questioning the good fruit I did produce during my wayward time. Some of that fruit is actually some of you who are reading this, and I do not want to deny that very good fruit.

But I am open to any way of thinking - a, b, or c above - because no matter what option we choose, Jesus is amazing and his healing is, quite literally, transformational.

This approach gives me hope for other Christian leaders who I perceive are currently bringing more harm than healing to the body of Christ. I can identify them as dangerous to the sheep and their fruit as evil without judging their hearts. This helps me sound the alarm, at least to myself and those close to me, without feeling like I am sitting in the seat of judgement that only God should occupy. And, if I have any relationship with them, I can say something in the spirit of helpfulness rather than condemnation.

Skye Jethani, an American pastor, uses the vivid analogy of Christmas trees:

"Christmas trees are beautiful and they draw attention to themselves in a way natural trees do not. They are decorated with tinsel and lights and covered with glittering glass fruit, but all of the ornaments are there to hide the unappealing truth - Christmas trees are corpses. They are dead, cut off from their roots, and sustained by a pot of water that must be refilled - perhaps every Sunday morning. Eventually every Christmas tree has its fake fruit removed and it is thrown to the curb or burned." ~ Skye Jethani (What if Jesus was Serious?)

Christmas trees are pretty - and they are also dead.

One more thought: I don't think there is a "one size fits all" kind of false prophet or false teacher. Some may have unwittingly slipped into sinful behaviour and heretical theology while others have long since denied Christ, but are staying within the system for the money, prestige, and/or power.

When I read passages like 2 Peter 2 or the book of Jude, I think of Christian leaders who have lost a simple and sincere faith in Christ yet refuse to admit it. Instead they remain within the religious system to use it for their own gain. As those passages say, these are pseudo-Christians who have "denied the sovereign Lord who bought them" and are now using the religious system to fuel their greed by telling "fabricated stories" that make themselves the heroes worth supporting financially. They "despise authority" and set themselves over and against other Christians as though only they know better. They are bold, boastful, arrogant, and outspoken. They are quick to "slander" others, to cut others down, even though "they do not understand" what is really going on. They are uprooted trees, cut off from the source of life. Instead they find their identity in "faultfinding", accusing and exposing the weaknesses of others rather than being agents of forgiveness, healing, and restoration. Because they know enough about Jesus to know they should cling to Christ, but have turned away from his narrow way of grace, mercy, and peacemaking, they are like "dogs returning to their vomit" and "pigs returning to the mud".

Ralph the wolf beaten at his own game by Sam the sheepdog. I loved this cartoon.

CONCLUSION

(One last thought)

The early Christian leaders told the Church to test the spirits:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. ~ The apostle John (1 John 4:1-2)

The book of Acts talks about a group of Jews in the city of Barea who heard Paul preach the Gospel and eventually converted to Christ. They are commended for three things:

1. Being open to the gospel.

2. Being skeptical of the apostle Paul and his message.

3. Studying scripture for themselves to test and assess Paul's message.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. ~ Luke the Historian (Acts 17:11)

Their beautiful combination of openness, skepticism, and active discernment using Scripture lead to the Bereans being described as "more noble". Paul was not insulted by them testing his message with scripture, but encouraged. They were skeptical, but not contrarian for the sake of it. They were also open and eager to learn. This is a beautiful balance and an example for us all.

May we all become more Berean in our approach to Jesus and those who speak in his name.

Stay sheepish my friends.

CONTEMPLATE

(Scripture passages that relate to and deepen our understanding of this topic)

John 15 (See this study here.)

CONVERSATION

(Talk together, learn together, grow together)

1. What is God revealing to you about himself through this passage?

2. What is God showing you about yourself through this passage?

3. Of the three qualities of the Berean Jews, which are you strongest/weakest in?

4. What is one thing you can think, believe, or do differently in light of what you are learning?

5. What questions are you still processing about this topic?

CALL TO ACTION

(Ideas for turning talk into walk)

1. Keep Jesus Central. In the spirit of Hebrews 12:2 (Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus), ask yourself if you are ever tempted to let the vastness of Christian religion (and other religions) dilute your focus on the person of Christ. Followers of Jesus are not Bible-ians or even God-ians, we are Christ-ians.

2. Apply the Plank Eye Process to this topic. Before you go on a wolf hunt, examine your own life. Honestly assess your own "fruit" using the lists provided.

3. Discern Together. After the plank eye process, you're ready, not to discern directly but to join others in discerning together. Do you have questions about a ministry or minister? Bring it to a group of people who you know to be Jesus saturated and Sermon on the Mount shaped. Whether or not you arrive at a conclusive decision, you will benefit from the purposeful and fruity fellowship with with these Jesusy people.

4. Be a Peacemaker. When you encounter what you perceive as wolfish behavior or teaching, resist the urge to engage in public shaming or angry polemics. Instead, respond with the peace and gentleness of Christ. Pray for the person, forgive them as Christ has forgiven you, and, if appropriate, seek private, loving reconciliation rather than jumping straight to public confrontation. Remember, the true "sheep" are peacemakers.

5. Discern the Difference in Approaches to Discernment. It may be a helpful exercise in discernment to simply discuss and identify some ways the Jesus approach to fruit inspection differs from popular and culturally conditioned ways people today confront those they disagree with. Take note of examples, even Christian examples, that don't line up with the Jesus approach. Remember: "Contrast is the mother of all clarity." (Os Guinness)