The Fruit of Wisdom

Matthew 11:19

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Look at Him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

I have heard it said many times that actions speak louder than words and once again I have heard it in this verse: “wisdom is justified by her deeds.” True wisdom, the hatred of evil combined with the wonder of God, will be clearly displayed through the actions I take and the fruit that is produced within me. In Matthew 11, I see two types of fruit displayed. One is the fully alive fruit that is grown in abundance. A good example from the context is John the Baptist. He was a hater of what God hated and a lover of what God loved. He pursued Jesus to the point of imprisonment and even then, he was not moved. There is also the fruit that grows to rot and decay. In verse 19, Jesus calls out those who are claiming him to be a drunk, a glutton, and a sinner. If those people had true wisdom, if they actually knew God because they deeply adored him, they would never claim him to be a filthy sinner, to be one of them. People of this time had grown up hearing stories upon stories, and prophecies upon prophecies about the Son of God, their redeemer and King. I am sure it must have become so redundant to hear over and over again that God was going to send his Son to set them free from sin. I can understand how easy it would be to let knowledge become knowledge and not wisdom, and I have done it so many times. But I think of how Jesus must have felt. I am sure his heart broke. He was the fulfillment of prophecy, God in the flesh, their freedom and redeemer, and so few recognized him to be all that he truly was. They should have known who he was, they should have latched onto him and treasured all of the moments they had with him. But who am I to point a finger. I should know who he is, I should latch onto him and treasure all the moments I have with him. If I am honest, I strip Jesus of his titles every day when I try to do life on my own and understand his word through my own power. I am just like them. Through the empowerment of the holy spirit, however, I can be different. I can long to know, to deeply know Jesus, no matter the cost. 

Application: I want to know who Jesus is and live my life in awe of the Lord. This week I will write down five reasons why I love Him, every single day.