Matthew 3:8
Encyclopedia
Matthew 3:8 is the eighth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. The verse occurs in where John the Baptist
is berating the Pharisees
and Sadducees
. He has previously called them a brood of vipers and warned them of the wrath to come in this verse he urges them to repent.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:8
Like the rest of this section this verse is mirrored in the Gospel of Luke, with this passage appearing in Luke 3:8. Since it is not found in Mark most scholars feel it is most likely taken from Q. The lone difference from Luke is that the word fruit is pluralized in Matthew.
This is the first appearance of a fruit
metaphor that will recur in Matthew 7:16
and appears in other parts of the New Testament. As the growing of fruit is the clear and outward manifestation of a healthy tree the term is seen as a metaphor for the good works of a true Christian. The call for repentance
echoes Matthew 3:2
and links into the eschatological tone of this chapter.
How these good works link to repentance is a source of much dispute. There are two different interpretations of this passage. The phrase could be read as saying that the Pharisees and Sadducees should do good works in order to be repentant. The other view is that good works are only an outgrowth of internal repentance as a fruit is the product of a healthy tree. The first interpretation is that held by Catholics and the second by Protestants. According to Clarke the modern scholarly consensus is that the wording of this verse is ambiguous and both interpretations are plausible.
This verse thus became a part of the larger debate over the Protestant doctrine of the justification of faith. Protestants adopted the fruit metaphor in a number of important works. The Augsburg Confession
, for instance, states that "it is taught among us that such faith should produce good fruits and good works and that we must do all such good works as God has commanded, but we should do them for God’s sake and not place our trust in them as if thereby to merit favor before God."
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. The verse occurs in where John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
is berating the Pharisees
Pharisees
The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...
and Sadducees
Sadducees
The Sadducees were a sect or group of Jews that were active in Ancient Israel during the Second Temple period, starting from the second century BC through the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The sect was identified by Josephus with the upper social and economic echelon of Judean society...
. He has previously called them a brood of vipers and warned them of the wrath to come in this verse he urges them to repent.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Bring forth therefore
- fruits meet for repentance:
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Therefore bring forth
- fruit worthy of repentance!
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:8
Like the rest of this section this verse is mirrored in the Gospel of Luke, with this passage appearing in Luke 3:8. Since it is not found in Mark most scholars feel it is most likely taken from Q. The lone difference from Luke is that the word fruit is pluralized in Matthew.
This is the first appearance of a fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
metaphor that will recur in Matthew 7:16
Matthew 7:16
Matthew 7:16 is the sixteenth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse continues the section warning against false prophets....
and appears in other parts of the New Testament. As the growing of fruit is the clear and outward manifestation of a healthy tree the term is seen as a metaphor for the good works of a true Christian. The call for repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
echoes Matthew 3:2
Matthew 3:2
Matthew 3:2 is the second verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. John the Baptist has just been introduced and this verse describes the message that he is preaching....
and links into the eschatological tone of this chapter.
How these good works link to repentance is a source of much dispute. There are two different interpretations of this passage. The phrase could be read as saying that the Pharisees and Sadducees should do good works in order to be repentant. The other view is that good works are only an outgrowth of internal repentance as a fruit is the product of a healthy tree. The first interpretation is that held by Catholics and the second by Protestants. According to Clarke the modern scholarly consensus is that the wording of this verse is ambiguous and both interpretations are plausible.
This verse thus became a part of the larger debate over the Protestant doctrine of the justification of faith. Protestants adopted the fruit metaphor in a number of important works. The Augsburg Confession
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...
, for instance, states that "it is taught among us that such faith should produce good fruits and good works and that we must do all such good works as God has commanded, but we should do them for God’s sake and not place our trust in them as if thereby to merit favor before God."