What Jesus Did : Matthew 23:33-36 - You Snakes!
by Phil Ware
You Snakes! - Matthew 23:33-36
"You are snakes! You are from a family of poisonous snakes! You will not escape God. You will all be judged guilty and go to hell! So I tell you this: I send to you prophets and wise men and teachers. You will kill some of these people. You will hang some of them on crosses. You will beat some of these people in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town. So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people that have been killed on earth. You will be guilty for the killing of that good man Abel. And you will be guilty for the killing of Zechariah son of Berachiah. He was killed between the temple and the altar. You will be guilty for the killing of all the good people that lived between the time of Abel and the time of Zechariah. I tell you the truth. All of these things will happen to you people that are living now." (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
The Israel of Jesus' day is about to bring down judgment against Israel, and especially Jerusalem. This is because they are about to reject Jesus, God's Son. What's more, they do not just reject him, they scorn him, they brutalize him, and they have him put to death on a Roman cross. But it isn't Jesus alone who is rejected. Israel had gotten in the habit of ignoring, bullying, and even murdering those prophets who did not give them what they wanted. Jesus' death is just the ultimate transgression by the people in a long line of progressions where prophets were mistreated, abused, and murdered for speaking God's unadulterated truth. But surely we can do more than honor the prophets of old in our day in some arcane and outdated ritual that "frees" us from having to deal seriously with their teachings. Surely, we can seek to live by the prophets' teachings and have those values built into the fabric of God's family.
Today's Prayer
Father, may I honor the words and the spirit of your will that has been delivered by the prophets. Give me strength and courage, please, dear Lord, so I can be a living example of your truth in my world. In Jesus' name I ask it fervently. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
"You are snakes! You are from a family of poisonous snakes! You will not escape God. You will all be judged guilty and go to hell! So I tell you this: I send to you prophets and wise men and teachers. You will kill some of these people. You will hang some of them on crosses. You will beat some of these people in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town. So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people that have been killed on earth. You will be guilty for the killing of that good man Abel. And you will be guilty for the killing of Zechariah son of Berachiah. He was killed between the temple and the altar. You will be guilty for the killing of all the good people that lived between the time of Abel and the time of Zechariah. I tell you the truth. All of these things will happen to you people that are living now. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You kill with rocks those men that God sent to you. Many, many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather your people together like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. Now your house will be left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, 'Welcome! God bless the one that comes in the name of the Lord.' "-- Matthew 23:33-39 (ERV)
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