Matthew 7:16
The context
The Sermon on the Mount is drawing to a close. Jesus has warned about the narrow gate and about false prophets who come in sheep's clothing. Verse 16 gives the test: fruit. The next verses press the image of grapes and figs, and then the saying about trees cut down.
What it establishes
It establishes a criterion of assessment for teachers: look at what the teaching produces, not at the appearance or the claim. The image is agricultural and ordinary, which is the point — the test is meant to be usable by anyone listening.
What it does not establish
It does not establish that fruit is easy to read. The same Sermon warns about judging and about the beam in one's own eye, and fruit takes time. Nor does the verse say whether fruit means conduct, converts, or doctrine.
Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.
Cited in these answers
Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.