Matthew 23:29-33 29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have shared with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of the ones who murdered the prophets. 32Therefore, you fill up the measure of your fathers. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell?
The last woe leaves no doubt about the heart condition and motives of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus connects their behavior to the Israel’s past because what they were doing was similar to what the leaders of Israel did to the prophets in the Old Testament time. The scribes and Pharisees honored the ancient prophets by building tombs for them while at the same time persecuting modern prophets, following in the footsteps of their fathers.
Their boast in verse 30 shows their blindness to what they were doing. What they claimed is easy to say today about many ethical behaviors. We think we would not do what previous generations did, but we actually have our own issues to deal with. When we are blind to our faults, we may need someone else point out how we need to change. These Jews thought they were above the faults of their forefathers, but they were doing essentially the same thing. They honored the very prophets their forefathers persecuted. They were witnesses against themselves by their actions.
Jesus sees right through their hypocrisy and blindness and serves as a convicting force for them. Verse 32 indicates that his pronouncement of woes is an opportunity for them to realize their problems, repent, and put their faith in Jesus. This was a decision moment for them. Would they harden their hearts more or would they listen to the Holy Spirit, who was undoubtedly speaking to them through the words of Jesus? Jesus basically says in this verse to finish what had started with their fathers. The pinnacle of persecution would be his death on the cross. This persecution would continue towards his disciples in the coming months and years. Verse 33 is another strong warning. Snakes and various reptiles do not have a good reputation in the Bible, ever since the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent in Genesis 3. John the Baptist also called the Jewish leader brood of vipers (3:7).
At the end of verse 33, Jesus gives the real danger of refusing to heed the call of God to repent. These Jews were headed towards judgment to eternal hell. Why would someone refuse to repent hearing this type of warning? The scribes and Pharisees give a good example. They refused to heed the conviction of the Holy Spirit, of which there is no other option (12:32). They turned to their own interpretation of God’s laws and distorted the core of the law by their trivial pursuits. They also got caught up in self-focused religion and trying to make themselves look good before others while also not dealing with their deep heart problems.
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