Is it possible to X forward from a mac?
When I tried that a while back the app would open on the Mac instead of the Linux machine. Then I remember reading a while back:


  X forwarding only works for X Windows System-based applications. To do remote work on an OS X system, it’s better to use Apple Remote Desktop. With Remote Desktop, you log into the remote GUI and do all your work remotely rather than pulling the app and visualizing it on your own desktop with your X server.


Source: Apple OS X: Install X Window System XQuartz For SSH X11 Forwarding On a Mavericks or Yosemite