JAMES 3:11-12

Here are two short paired parables which actually come from James, not Jesus, although there is a close parallel to one of them in the Sermon on the Mount. This demonstrates again that James, as Jesus' half-brother, seems to have the mind of Christ closer than any other NT writer.

Water from a spring (James 3:11,12b)

Unlike most of Jesus' parables, James first lays out the plain moral (in 3:9-10) before giving his two illustrative examples. It is part of his lessons on the danger of the tongue and how words can be used to bless people or curse them. These two parables are intertwined, not only by their common theme, but also from a literary view. Here is how they can be diagrammed:

    A. spring

        1. fresh water

            2. salt water

                B. tree

                    1. fig

                         2. olives

                B'. tree

                        2'. grapevine

                    1'. fig

    A'. spring

            2. salt water

        1. fresh water

The Fruit of a Tree (James 3:12a; Matthew 3:8-10; 7:16-20)

See John the Baptist's similar words in Matt. 3:8-10: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance...every tree 

therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” We might be able to 

identify and control wolves in our own congregation, but now they write books, appear on TV and blog 

on the internet. So we need to be on our guard more than ever.

And Jesus even echoes the words of John the Baptist, as found in Matthew 7:16-20. “You will know 

them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every 

good tree hears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a 

bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

 Thus you will know them by their fruits.”  The fruit here is not anything that we produce on our 

own, but is the fruit of the Spirit.

 

As with most parables, there is only a limited correspondence between the story and the underlying 

meaning. As with most parables, there is only a limited correspondence between the story and the 

underlying meaning. For example, it is physically impossible for a stream to produce fresh water and 

brine at the same time,and trees do not naturally produce different species of fruit (without 

sophisticated grafting techniques), it is unfortunately possible for believers to be two-faced in their 

actions and speech. We can speak the truth but live a lie at the same time. It shouldn't happen, but it 

does.