Understanding the Gospel of Matthew and Why it Matters - Part 10

Matthew 3:7-10
John Rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham.

10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Brood of Vipers (v.7)

American Christianity is currently divided into two groups: Catholics and Protestants. Similarly, in the New Testament, most Jews aligned themselves with one of two groups: the Pharisees or the Sadducees.

The Pharisees were considered the more conservative group. Their philosophy was one of law-keeping, and their purpose was to ensure that the Jewish people obeyed God's law to the letter. John MacArthur writes:"The Pharisees formed a self-righteous, 'holy' community within the community; they were legalistic isolationists who had no regard or respect for those outside their sect. They believed strongly in God's sovereignty and in divine destiny and that they alone were the true Israel. They considered themselves to be superspiritual, but their 'spirituality' was entirely external, consisting of the pursuit of meticulous observance of a multitude of religious rituals and taboos, most of which they and various other religious leaders had devised over the previous several centuries as supplements to the law of Moses. They were known collectively as 'the tradition of elders,' concerning which Jesus gave the Pharisees one of his strongest rebukes, charging them with 'teaching as doctrines the precepts of men' (Matt. 15:2-9)."

The Sadducees were the more liberal sect. They rightly rejected the Pharisees' legalism, and accepted the Torah as the only true law of God. Unfortunately, they also rejected many teachings of the Scriptures, including the existence of angels, spirits, and the afterlife. Consequently, whereas the Pharisees sought to store up treasures in heaven by their obedience, the Sadducees' motto could have been carpe diem - "seize the day." Their perspective was noted by Isaiah: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

The Pharisees were certainly the more popular group in the time of Jesus. Their external forms of religiosity were seen by all and admired by many. The Sadducees were seen as traitors for cutting deals with the Romans and helping to enforce their rule. Despite all their differences, one common bond united these two very different groups: they both adamantly opposed the ministry of Jesus and were convinced that His claims to Messiahship were nothing short of blasphemy. Ultimately, it was the working together of the Pharisees and the Sadducees that resulted in Jesus being crucified on the cross of Calvary.

As John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing people in the Jordan River, a group of Pharisees and Sadducees approach him for baptism. His response is shocking: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

What does John mean by referring to the religious leaders as the offspring of snakes? There is probably a double meaning. Vipers were particularly known in New Testament times as being violent snakes. The common myth was that after the male and female viper had mated, the female viper would kill and eat the male. Then, when the female viper gave birth to her brood, the young would kill and eat their mother. In a similar way, John seems to be accusing the Pharisees and Sadducees of being responsible for the spiritual deaths of their numerous Jewish followers. Jesus later echoed this sentiment as He condemned the Scribes and Pharisees:"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."

Also, by calling the Pharisees and Sadducees a "brood of vipers", John is raising the idea that they are children of the Devil, the great Serpent himself. Again, this is a sentiment that Jesus later states more clearly by saying, "Why do you not understand wha