Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they yield no fruit. Good persons produce good from what they've stored up; bad persons produce evil from the wickedness they've stored up in their hearts, and say evil things. 'For from the overflow of the heart they produce evil." (45 Thomas).

Both good and evil come from the overflow of the heart.

We sometimes still read or hear that something is "heartfelt" or that someone "spoke from the heart." In this is an echo of ancient psychology and physiology.

Across most of the Mediterranean world the heart was the seat of the soul. As we treat the brain, the ancients would imagine the heart.

What experiences are retained? What meanings have been derived? What principles have been decided and applied?

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke include very similar sayings. The Coptic translated above as overflow is periðsseuma in the Greek. This is abundance, excellence, and source of delight.

What do I find delightful? What do I actively seek? What do I gather? Joy or bitterness? Thankfulness or resentment? Creativity or worries?

May I gather good fruit and leave the thorns behind.

The synoptic parallels are Matthew 7:15-20 and 12:33-37 and Luke 6:43-45.