Pharisees and Sadducees as Vipers Matthew 3:7

Matthew shared how Joseph after being in Egypt with Mary and Jesus, “came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Matthew continued, “In those days came John the Baptist, and saying, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins”, and in chapter three and verse seven of his book, Matthew shared how John the Baptist, “saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism” and called them “generation of vipers” where we read:

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

The verse reads, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, ...” Matthew began with the word, “but” which means “moreover and” “when” or “at the time and moment” “he saw many” or “John the Baptist perceived, noticed, discerned and discovered with his eyes a large amount” “of the Pharisees” which refers to “belonging to the sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to OT books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life. They sought for distinction and praise by outward observance of external rites and by outward forms of piety, and such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, and alms giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works” “and Sadducees” which means “a religious party at the time of Christ among the Jews, who denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the Israelites, and who deemed the written law alone to be obligatory on the nation, as the divine authority. They denied the following doctrines: the resurrection of the body, immortality of the soul, existence of spirits and angels, divine predestination and affirmed free will” “come” or “appear, come before the public and show and find their place” “to his baptism” which means “to John the Baptist's immersion, submersion and that purification rite by which men on confessing their sins were bound to spiritual reformation obtained the pardon of their past sins and became qualified for the benefits of the Messiah's kingdom soon to be set up”. Matthew shared how John the Baptist watched as a crowd of the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived at his “baptism”.

The verse continues, “... he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Matthew continued with the words, “he said” which means “John the Baptist uttered, proclaimed and declared” “unto them” or “toward the Pharisees and Sadducees”, “O generation” which means “offspring, descendants and progeny” “of vipers” which refers to “adders or other poisonous snakes”, “who has warned you” or “what person has exhibited, made known, instructed and taught the Pharisees and Sadducees” “to flee” which means “to be saved by flight, escape safely out of danger and vanish” “from the wrath” or “separate from the anger, vengeance and indignation” “to come” which means “intended, purposed and without hesitation”? John the Baptist questioned the Pharisees and Sadducees as to who let them know about “escaping” the “vengeance and indignation” of God that was to come upon people.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how John the Baptist was not intimidated or persuaded by these “leaders” in the religious community. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the most “religious” among the Jewish people, and they were thought of as the “most sacred” ones among them. John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “generation of snakes”. Let it be known that God had a plan for His Son Jesus to be the Messiah “Savior” of the world, and regardless of “religious” affiliation or length of time a person has been observing spiritual practices, everyone is in need of “repentance, confession and baptism” from God.

Next time Matthew shares how John the Baptist told them, “bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.