Matthew 23

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:32-39

Prophecy of their future. I. THEIR CONTINUANCE IN THE SINS OF THEIR FATHERS . 1 . Prediction of their treatment of Christ ' s disciples. They would fill up the measure of their fathers; the Lord knew it in his Divine foreknowledge. They were still what John the Baptist had once called them—serpents, "a generation of vipers." How were such as they to escape from the condemnation of Gehenna? For hypocrisy hardens the heart. The state of the hypocrite is hopeless,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers; γεννη ì ματα ἐχιδνῶν : offspring of vipers. Our Lord repeats the Baptist's denunciation ( Matthew 3:7 ). They were of devilish nature, inherited from their very birth the disposition and character of Satan. So Christ said on another occasion, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth" ( John 8:44 ). How can ye escape? πῶς ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33

Holy denunciation. Revised Version, "Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?" margin, "Gehenna." It is neither right nor wise to attempt any mitigations or modifications of this intensely severe sentence. Let the words stand precisely as we find them; and let the sentence be the sternest, severest, intensest sentence that ever passed the Divine lips of our blessed Lord. Capable of being misunderstood and misrepresented, they are capable also of most... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33-39

Declaration of the sentence on these Pharisees and their generation. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:34

Wherefore ; δια Ì τοῦτο . Because ye are resolved on imitating your forefathers' iniquities, you will also reject the messengers that are sent to you, and shall suffer righteous condemnation. I send ( ἐγω Ì ἀποστε ì λλω ) unto you. The sending had already begun. In the parallel passage of St. Luke ( Luke 11:49 ) we read, "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send." Christ is the Wisdom of God, and by his own authority gives mission to his messengers. "As the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:35

That upon you may come ( ὁ ì πως ἐ ì λθῃ ). This phrase does not express a simple consequence, neither can it mean "in such a way that"—explanations which have been given by some commentators to avoid a seeming difficulty in the final sense; but it is to be translated, as usually, in order that, ut veniat. God, foreseeing the issues of their evil heart, puts in their way occasions which will aid his vengeance and accelerate the time of their punishment. He lets them work out... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:36

An these things. All the crimes committed by their forefathers shall be visited upon this generation by the destruction of the Jewish city and polity, which took place within forty years from this time. The blood of the past was required from the Jews of the present time, because they and their evil ancestors were of one family, and were to be dealt with as a whole. In spite of the teaching of history and example, in spite of the warnings of Christ and his apostles, they were bent on... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Pathetic iteration! As he approached the city on another occasion Christ had used the same words ( Luke 13:34 , Luke 13:35 ); he repeats them now as he takes his final farewell He speaks with Divine tenderness, yet with poignant sorrow, knowing that this last appeal will be in vain. It has been remarked that, whereas St. Matthew elsewhere names the capital city, the theocratic centre, Hierosolyma, which is the Greek equivalent, he here calls it Hierousalem, which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

The lament over Jerusalem. These are among the most touching words ever uttered by our Lord. They reveal his strong patriotism, his deep human affection, the greatness of the salvation he brought, and at the same time the frustration of the hopes which these things naturally raise, owing to the stubborn self-will of the Jews. Here is a lesson for all time. I. THE GUILTY CITY . 1 . No city was more privileged. Jerusalem was the favoured city of a favoured land. David, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

Lost opportunities become judgments. One writer observes that converts to Judaism were said to come "under the wings of the Shechinah." This familiar metaphor may have suggested to our Lord's mind the figure of the hen and her brood. "Many times by his prophets Christ called the children of Jerusalem to himself—the true Shechinah—through whom the glory of the latter house was greater than that of the former." Whedon well says, "The beautiful tenderness of this verse shows that the warnings... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:32-39

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33-39

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:34

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:35

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:36

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

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