Matthew 12:33-37: The Judgment by Words
The Principle: A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit (Verses 33-35)
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”
34 “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
35 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
Jesus uses the parable of the tree and its fruit to show that a person’s speech and actions reveal their internal condition. He applies this principle to the Pharisees directly:
- Application and Rebuke (Verse 34): Jesus calls the Pharisees a “Brood of vipers” because their hearts are evil, which makes it impossible for them to speak good things, such as acknowledging the work of God. Their accusation that He cast out demons by Beelzebul was a direct reflection of their evil heart.
- The Heart as a Reservoir (Verse 34): The mouth is merely a channel for the heart’s abundance. The heart is the reservoir of man, the central source from which all of life flows—through the mouth, the hand, or the eye. If the reservoir (the heart) is tainted and corrupt, then what flows out of the “pipes” must also be corrupt. It is, therefore, necessary to keep the heart in a proper state.
- The Two Treasures (Verse 35):
- The Good Man (The Regenerate Man): This person possesses the good treasure because it is given by a good God with a good design. This heart contains good affections, good desires, good intentions, good volitions, and good passions. He has the life of God in his soul, the Spirit of God in his heart, the peace of God in his conscience, and the power of God in his life. The heart of a truly sanctified Christian, though often neglected by the world, is “full of pearls, and gems, and diamonds.”
- The Evil Man: This person is without the life, spirit, love, peace, and power of God. He is evil because he possesses an evil heart, mixes with an evil world, and is under the influence of an evil devil. The evil treasure is characterized by its evil nature, evil tendency, and evil effects (evil thoughts, words, and actions).
The Criterion for Judgment: The Idle Word (Verses 36-37)
36 “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”
37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus moves from condemning the blatant blasphemy of the Pharisees to issuing a serious sobering warning concerning all speech, even seemingly minor words.
- The Definition of “Idle Words” (Verse 36): The term “idle words” (literally, words without interest) refers to speech that:
- Proceeds from Vanity or Deceit: Pretenses, plausible speeches of the cunning, and empty boastings.
- Represents the Impure: Products of a loose and idle mind, polluted with lust.
- Harms Others: Reports of envy and malice, tale-bearing, tattling, and slanders that damage a neighbor’s reputation.
- Is Useless/Insignificant: Words spent to no good or bad end or purpose, yielding no interest (no good fruit to God’s glory or the edification of others). This includes swearing, boasting, and “slang” conversation (which is to language what profanity is to reverence). It was to a particular description of idle words—scoffing words—that Christ had respect.
- The Seriousness of the Sin: Many imagine this sin is too insignificant to be remembered at the Day of Judgment. However:
- The Tongue’s Power: Sins of the tongue should be regarded as aggravated, not trivial. Language is a high, costly gift of God; to misuse it, even in the least particular, is like sacrilege and profaning an august mystery. The tongue is the best member (David) and the power over it is equivalent to power over the whole man (James).
- The Scope of the Argument: Christ descends from the greater evil of blasphemy to show that even these lesser evils generated in the heart and derived to the tongue (“Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,” etc.) will be punished.
- The Reflex Influence: Indulging in frivolous talk damages one’s own mental faculties and moral sense, weakening the sentiments of truth and religion.
- The Eternal Influence: Every word spoken is written on the indestructible pages of the soul, making its influence lasting as eternity. All words will be unsealed at the Day of Judgment and spread out in the full beams of eternal knowledge.
- The Verdict (Verse 37): It is a startling truth that one’s eternal destiny will be determined by words. Words are the ultimate criteria by which God determines destiny.
- Reasonableness of Judgment by Words: Since a great deal is in the power of the tongue, and since a man’s words are a direct reflection of his heart, it is reasonable. Actions furnish no better criterion.
- Justification by Words: Words may justify as incontrovertible proofs of a justifying faith and a renewed nature. Faith is the instrument of justification, but words are that faith embodied—the confession of Christ before men (words of prayer and praise, for example) which secures salvation. They are the signs, the evidences, of a second creation.
- Condemnation by Words: Words minister to condemnation by: profane swearing, foolish walking (Ephesians 5:4), petulant and complaining language, misrepresentation and slanders (where an arching of the eyebrow or an emphatic silence can do the work of calumny), and angry words. The wicked may have their portion determined by the tongue because their words evidence their unbelief and lack of piety.
The question is shocking because it highlights that what you say will ultimately be the criteria by which God determines your destiny, demonstrating that faith and works are intrinsically connected, as words are the fruit of the heart’s treasure.
Matthew 12:33-37: The Ultimate Test of the Heart
Introduction: The Ascending Rejection of Christ
The Gospel of Matthew is written with the singular purpose of presenting Jesus Christ—His person, works, and words. Chapters 1 through 9 presented the wondrous person of Christ; Chapter 10 introduced His co-workers and their ministry; and Chapters 11 and 12 chronicle the rejection of Christ. This fulfillment of John 1:11, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not,” shows an ascending level of rejection: from doubt and criticism, to indifference and open rejection, and finally, to blasphemy.
The blasphemy of the Jewish leaders, recorded in Matthew 12:22-32, was their most terrible crime.
- The Substance of the Blasphemy (Verse 24): They claimed that Christ cast out demons “but by Beelzebub, the prince of demons,” essentially calling Jesus Christ satanic and from hell. They had concluded the very antithesis of the truth, committing a crime unequaled in human history by blaspheming the Lord and the Holy Spirit working through Him.
- The Condemnation (Verses 31-32): Jesus condemned them, stating that this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—which occurred after they had full revelation (seen the miracles, heard the teachings, witnessed the quality of His life)—was unforgivable. Their conclusion, that the fullness of God’s work was from the Devil, rendered them unredeemable and hopeless.
- The Mark of Damnation: Their condemnation was not caused by their words, but their words became the objective external evidence of their corrupt, vile, and wicked hearts. This perfect context—having just experienced the most damning words ever uttered—leads Jesus to speak about the tongue and the mouth in verses 33 through 37.
I. The Parable: The Consistency of Fruit (Verse 33)
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for a tree is known by its fruit.”
This is a simple parabolic axiom and a truism: the tree and the fruit must coincide. The quality of the fruit is the direct reflection of the tree that produced it.
- The Word “Make” (poieoˉ): The term “make” (poieoˉ) is used here in the sense of mental activity: to consider, regard, suppose, or evaluate something (as used in John’s Gospel to mean “make Himself equal with God,” or “ponder”). Jesus is telling them to be consistent in their judging.
- The Trap Exposed: Jesus says, “You cannot say that I am evil (satanic) if what I am doing is good.”
- They recognized that casting out demons was good, as their own disciples (or “sons,” as they called them, referring to their own exorcists) supposedly did the same (verse 27).
- They were logically trapped: if casting out demons is good, then Jesus (the tree) must be good. If they insisted Jesus was evil, then His good work must be evil, which would make their own disciples evil as well.
- Conclusion: The Lord’s ministry bore undeniably good fruit (healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, deliverance from disease/sin consequences). They could not deny the goodness of the fruit, yet they denied the goodness of the tree. The character of Jesus’s life should have been clear from what He accomplished (“believe Me for My works’ sake,” John 10:25, 37, 38). Jesus publicly exposed their reasoning as absurd, illogical, and selfish, a product of their vile hearts.
II. The Personalization: Brood of Vipers (Verse 34a)
34 “O generation of vipers! How can ye, being evil, speak good things?”
Jesus immediately applies and personalizes the parable, moving from the abstract truth to the specific people before Him.
- “O Generation of Vipers!” (Also translated as “Brood of vipers“): This was a fierce accusation initiated by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7) and frequently used by Christ, often reserved for religious false shepherds who propagate a false religion, giving people the false security that damns their souls.
- Meaning: A viper is a poisonous snake, the most dangerous and deceitful creature in that region. They were subtle killers with poisoned tongues.
- Symbolism: Vipers represent the Old Serpent himself, the Devil and Satan, from whom these religious leaders were “generated” or produced as a brood (12-50 at a time). They were filled with the poison of deadly legalism, self-righteousness, fatal hypocrisy, and treachery, which they pumped into their victims.
- “How can ye, being evil, speak good things?” This is the direct application of the tree parable.
- Theological Statement: The phrase “being evil” is a monumental theological statement concerning the depravity of the human heart. They weren’t just doing evil; they were evil in their very being—the legacy of Adam’s fall. Man is born in sin, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and his heart is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”
- Conclusion: Being evil, they could only be expected to produce “rotten stuff.” The vile blasphemy they uttered gave clear evidence that they were corrupt trees bringing forth corrupt fruit.
III. The Principle: The Overflow of the Heart (Verse 34b-35)
34 “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
35 “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
This is the major, most far-reaching, and practically applicable principle in the entire passage.
- The Heart (kardia): To the Hebrew mind, the heart is the place of thinking, reasoning, the mind, and the will, not just emotion. The heart is the thought process. Matthew 15:19 confirms this: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies.” Blasphemy on the mouth starts with blasphemy in the heart.
- The Abundance (perisseuma): This word means a superabundance or an overflow—an excess or a surplus. The heart is full, even jammed full, and the mouth serves as the overflow valve or spillover. As Elihu said in Job 32:17-19, “I am full of the matter; the spirit within me constraineth me… I will speak, that I may be refreshed.” The mouth is where the heart gushes.
- The Treasure (theˉsauros): The heart is a storehouse, reservoir, chamber, or treasure chest. You can only take out of the box what is already in it.
- Unregenerate Person: If a person does not know God, no good thing dwells in them, so they can only bring evil out of the treasure because all that is stored there is evil. They are like a computer: garbage in, garbage out. An unregenerate person can say no truly good thing—nothing that advances God’s kingdom or glorifies Him.
- Regenerate Person: A person made good by the grace of God and the transformation of the heart will utter good things, though still often evil things as they overcome the flesh.
The Lord has publicly indicted the Pharisees: their vile blasphemy simply reveals their vile hearts.
IV. The Punishment: Accountability for Every Word (Verses 36-37)
36 “I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.”
37 “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
This tremendous accountability demonstrates that men will ultimately be judged on their works and their words (Romans 2).
- The Idle Word (argos): This term means useless, barren, unproductive, ineffective, or careless. It is not just the worst words (like blasphemy) but all words that are useless in promoting God’s kingdom and glory. While unbelievers may speak words of kindness (e.g., “I love you”), these words are still useless in the ultimate sense of promoting God’s kingdom. The accountability is for all of our words.
- Judgment by Words (Verse 37): This does not negate salvation by grace through faith, but shows that words become the objective criteria by which God makes His judgment. Words are an accurate gauge of the heart.
| Verdict | Basis | Application (Primarily) |
| Condemned | The unbeliever’s words will be a lifetime of useless, empty, evil words. This is the objective evidence of a heart that lacks saving faith. As Luke 19:22 says, “Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.” | Unbelievers (Judgment of the Great White Throne) |
| Justified | The believer’s words will be manifestations of a transformed heart and transformed mouth. The good words prove that faith has been present, making the salvation visible, obvious, verified, and validated. | Believers (The objective criteria of salvation) |
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God keeps a full record of every word uttered. Scientists suggest that every word uttered sets sound waves on an endless journey through space, and though we cannot recover those words, God can. This record will be used in the Day of Judgment to indict the ungodly. If you have any question about your salvation, Jesus suggests: listen to yourself when you talk when nobody is around, when you are angry, or when you are thoughtless. Your words will reveal what is in your heart. Sources
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 