Ravenous Wolves

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So, by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:15-20)

How do we identify the ravenous wolves among us?  Well, they tend to howl and prey on the weak and helpless.  They are the thieves and con artists who bilk the elderly of their savings through lies and deception.  They are the ones who sow hatred and misinformation in pursuit of their own agendas usually involving the pursuit of power, possessions, and prestige.  

They are scoundrels with little to no empathy and devoid of compassion.  They are the sociopaths defined as those “who can’t understand other people’s feelings. They often make impulsive decisions that might harm others without feeling guilt or remorse. The most famous sociopaths are manipulative and controlling but also charismatic and charming.”  Hence, these false prophets and manipulators tend to be successful because they often are in sheep’s clothing, such as a shirt and tie.  

Beware of them says Jesus.  By their fruits we will know them.  However, the rotten fruit are not so easy to identify until we take a bite.  Too late for us.  Many of us cannot tell the difference between grapes and a thorn bush or figs from thistles.  Such is the result of blindness to what is right and just.

At least we can be comforted that the trees bearing bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  Really?!  God is merciful, so this outcome would seem unlikely.  After all, the rain falls on the good and bad.  Frankly, it is up to us to find, recognize, and understand the wolves, especially the wolves that live within us.  Here’s a Cherokee bit of wisdom.

One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “my son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace love, hope serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson though about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “the one that you feed.”

Which one are we feeding every day?

Deacon David Pierce