Sunday, April 26, 2015
Matthew 7:15-29
“By their fruits you shall know them.”
One theme seems to unite today’s Scripture: you can spot a community animated by the Spirit of Jesus by its fruits. First impressions don’t always equal reality. Instead, stick around awhile, and the truth will come out. Ravenous wolves dressed as sheep are still ravenous wolves. You can’t tell the quality of a tree until fruit-bearing season, but when the time comes, the outcome is clear. Thorn bushes produce thorns, not grapes. The community that claims Jesus as Lord may actually have sworn allegiance to another Master. The storms of life reveal the quality of the foundation.
Radio journalist Chana Joffe-Walt tells the story of a relationship whose quality is revealed by its fruit. Chana adores her much younger sister, Maya, but realizes that not everyone shares her affection. Although she has not been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Maya does have many of the characteristics, including touch-sensitivity, lack of eye contact, obsessive and intense interest in one topic, and difficulty with social interactions like conversation.
As a result, Maya had profound difficulty making friends. Her family invited classmates over, but after one play date, they wouldn’t return. Maya’s set of challenges proved too great for her potential friends. In the fourth grade, Maya descended into darkness, Chana describes. She was increasingly irritable and easily upset. She became violent, and had to be hospitalized briefly.
Then, Maya met Charlotte at summer camp, and they immediately hit it off. They shared many of the same interests, and they found each other funny. According to Charlotte, “Maya was perfect.”
Charlotte believed in Maya, and she came alive. Chana has seen more growth in her younger sister since she met Charlotte than all the years before then. Maya had a found a friend, and the fruit was evident.
As L’Arche founder Jean Vanier constantly reminds us, “To love someone means to reveal to them their beauty.” Charlotte reflected Maya’s beauty back to herself, and she blossomed.
Jesus challenges us all to have these kinds of relationships, to build these kinds of communities, to support this kind of society. Are we up to the challenge?
-David Shumaker
To hear the whole story of Maya and Charlotte, see the full episode of the radio program here: http://www.thisamericanlife.
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