Matthew 23:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

NIV: "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

NASB: You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

CSB: "Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?

NLT: Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

KJV: Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

NKJV: Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

The idea that Israel's most righteous people, the religious leaders known as the scribes and Pharisees, might be damned by God would have been mind-blowing to everyone in Israel. This would have been especially true for those religious leaders themselves. Yet Christ does not hesitate in His ongoing condemnation of them (Matthew 23:13–32). He even calls them harsh names: serpents and a brood of vipers. Snakes served as a symbol of evil throughout Israel's history (Matthew 3:7; 12:34).

The question asked here is rhetorical: Jesus is not "asking" so much as He is declaring that these men are doomed. This is not mere argument and debate. Jesus is the Judge and the King (John 5:26–27). The Pharisees do not realize it, but they stand condemned before God already, as they physically stand before the Messiah. Instead of bowing before Him in humility to request mercy, they are plotting to kill Him (John 11:53; Mark 3:6; Luke 22:2).

Jesus spoke often of hell and eternal judgment for those who rejected God's Savior and Son, the Messiah, even among God's chosen people (Matthew 22:13; 23:15).

Matthew 23:13–36 contains seven layers of condemnation, from Jesus, towards the religious leaders of His era. Each of these is introduced with the word "woe," which is an exclamation like "oh!" or "alas!" Pronouncing God's judgment on these men, He repeatedly describes them as "blind" and "hypocrites." Convincing others of their views only adds victims to hell. They follow the letters of manmade law to the tiniest detail but miss the real meaning of Scripture: God's heart for justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Their outer appearance of righteousness hides inner lives full of greed, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and lawlessness. Those in Jesus' generation will pay for many of the righteous people unjustly killed in the past.

After thoroughly dismantling scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees in debate, Jesus even more thoroughly condemns these religious leaders for their religious hypocrisy. They do all their religious acts and works to be seen and approved of by other people. Jesus pronounces God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees in a series of seven "woe to you" statements. He repeatedly calls them "blind" and "hypocrites." He concludes with a lament for Jerusalem and her children who rejected His protection. God's judgment is coming.

Matthew 23 concludes Matthew's multi-chapter account of all of Jesus' interactions in the temple during the last week before His arrest and crucifixion. After silencing the religious leaders with parables and brilliant responses (Matthew 21—22), He pronounces God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees in a series of seven "woe to you" statements. Jesus mourns for the judgment that will come on Jerusalem for her rejection of God. This leads Jesus to leave the temple, sadly remarking on its impending destruction (Matthew 24:1–2). As the disciples ask about this, Jesus begins an extended teaching on the end times in chapter 24.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.