Serpents and Generation of Vipers - Matthew 23:33

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus in addition to other warnings said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you are witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill you up then the measure of your fathers”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse thirty-three of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus called the “scribes and Pharisees”, “you serpents, you generation of vipers” where we read:

You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?

The verse reads, “You serpents, you generation of vipers, ...” Matthew began with the words, “you serpents” which means “the scribes and Pharisees were snakes which was a type of sly cunning and were artful and malicious like Satan”, “you generation” or “the scribes and Pharisees were the offspring, progeny and production” “of vipers” which means “pertaining to adders or other poisonous snakes which addressed their cunning and malignant wickedness”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “scribes and Pharisees” were cunning as snakes and maliciously wicked like poisonous adders.

The verse goes on to say, “... how can you escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew added Jesus' words, “how can you” which means “in what way and manner can the scribes and Pharisees” “escape” or “be separated and distant from” “the damnation” which refers to “the sundering, trial and judgment” “of hell” which is the Greek word “geenna” and means “belonging to the future punishment called Gehenna or Gehenna of fire”? Matthew shared how Jesus asked the “scribes and Pharisees” in what way they thought they were going to be “separated from” the future judgment of “burning hell”.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see the magnitude of the misdirection of these “religious leaders”. Because they were fraudulent, pretentious and appeared to be one way on the outside and totally different within, they were bound for the judgment of “hell” according to Jesus. Outside of a relationship with Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they had no “escape”. God desires for every person to recognize who Jesus is, the Savior of the World, and when they yield their lives to Him, they may be forgiven of all their inward and outward sinful ways. Those who reject Him shall have no excuse, and their judgment is certain. Let all who read these words be warned and “believe and trust” in Jesus as the Messiah today.

Next time we see Matthew write how Jesus calls the “scribes and Pharisees”, “I send unto you prophets, and wise men”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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