“Grapes from thornbushes, figs from thistles”
Matthew 7:16
Figure of speechWell-supportedJesus
By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (Matthew 7:16 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Obviously not; a truism.
The cultural key
Sharper than a truism: certain Palestinian thornbushes bear small dark berries that from a distance resemble grapes, and a thistle's flower head can pass for a fig. The plants themselves run a low-grade impersonation, which is exactly the false-prophet problem from the previous verse.
Recovered meaning
Look-alikes fool the glance, never the harvest. Character is proven by what a life actually produces over time, not by resemblance at a distance.
Parallels: Luke 6:43–44