There is no historical evidence that Jesus was a Kabbalist as we typically think of such in modern times. Likewise, there is little evidence that Jewish mystics of his time used the Tree of Life as a specific visual symbol of metaphysics the way it is known to have been done since the 12th century. Still, the Tree of Life has always been an important religious symbol in Judaism and Christianity, as evidenced by its important role in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden as well as in the final chapters of the Revelation of St. John. (Interestingly, Jesus' disciple, St. John, records that the fruit of the Tree of Life are twelve in number, one for each month. Esoterically speaking, this could be an allusion to 12 great prophets or messiahs, one representing each sign of the Zodiac or archetype of human personality.)

If the Tree is taken a more general symbol for the Living Presence of God (which is my preference in this case), then perhaps Jesus is here equating himself with the Tree for his disciples. In that context, the fruit would specifically be his words that the disciples are questioning. Nonetheless, this remains a layered metaphor, because it likens the disciples to the Jews, who either love God (the Tree) and hate His messengers (the fruit), or vice versa.

If we take our lead from St. John and look at this in a more esoteric way, then Jesus might be equating himself, at least personally, with the fruit (which we might further speculate is the great prophet or messiah of the Piscean age).

Peace,
Griffin