Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. 37 By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
In the continuation of His dialogue with the Pharisees, Jesus turns from the accusation of demonic power to the deeper matter of moral integrity. He issues a sharp yet deeply revealing image: “Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit” (v. 33). These words echo a familiar biblical image, rooted in the wisdom literature and prophetic tradition, where the tree often symbolizes the human soul and its fruit the outward expression of one’s interior life through the body (cf. Ps 1:1-3; Jer. 17:7-10). In this, Jesus affirms the essential unity of body and soul in the moral life: the inner state of the heart inevitably manifests outwardly in what we say and do.
Jesus is not merely offering an agricultural metaphor. He is pressing a theological truth: words are not incidental. They arise from the heart, and the heart, in Scripture, is the seat of the person—the wellspring of thought, will, and desire. “You brood of vipers!” He declares, “How can you speak good things when you are evil?” (v. 34). It is a moral diagnosis. The lips cannot produce good fruit if the heart is poisoned.
The line that follows is as sobering as it is clear: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak” (v. 36). It is not only blasphemy that condemns, but spiritual negligence. Idle words—those that are unexamined, unjust, or untrue—reveal a heart that is spiritually unfocused or misaligned. In this passage, the word translated “careless” (Greek: argos) can also mean “inactive” or “unproductive,” echoing the earlier judgment on fruitless trees (cf. Mt 3:10). Just as a barren tree is fit only to be cut down, unfruitful words are dangerous to the soul and must be cut out.
What Christ reveals here is not only a warning, but a path of examination. The Pharisees had just accused Him of being in league with evil. In doing so, they revealed more about their own interior darkness than about Christ. As the Navarre Bible notes, “A person reveals his moral character in what he says and does.” Our speech, even our offhand remarks, cannot be separated from our moral responsibility. As the Letter of James later emphasizes, “The tongue is a small member… but it boasts of great exploits” (Jas 3:5).
This teaching is part of the continuous thread of salvation history, where God’s people are called not only to right worship but to right speech—a reflection of an upright heart. From the Law, which forbade false witness (Ex 20:16), to the Psalms that praise the pure of heart and lips (Ps 15:2–3), to the New Testament call to “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15), the consistency of God’s call is clear: the heart must be converted, and from that conversion flows speech that gives life.
Lord Jesus, purify my heart, that my words may be worthy of You. Guard my tongue from falsehood, from bitterness, and from pride. May every word I speak be rooted in truth, love, and reverence for You. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Orchard et al. (1953).
- The Navarre Bible: Matthew, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018).
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§2475–2478, 1039.
- St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, 41.
- The Letter of James, especially James 3:1-12.
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