Matthew 23:32Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In saying, ‘add to the measure of your fathers,’ He neither commands nor incites them to take His life, but rather conveys this idea: as you are serpents and offspring of similar ancestors, and as your wickedness has not brought you healing, strive instead to exceed the actions of your forebears; this you will accomplish when you put Me to death.

Having previously indicated that they were the offspring of those who took the lives of both men and prophets, He now arrives at the conclusion He intended, assuming it to be the ultimate deduction: But fulfill the measure of your forefathers, meaning you are to complete what they fell short of. They murdered the ministers, while you crucify the Lord; they silenced the prophets, and you reject the One foretold by the prophets.

The superficial devotion of the Jews is vividly illustrated here, as they outwardly honor the prophets by constructing their tombs while simultaneously condemning their ancestors. By mimicking the wrongdoings of those forebears, they ultimately bring condemnation upon themselves. Their grand monuments to the prophets stand as a statement against the crimes of the murderers, yet in replicating such actions, they reveal themselves as true successors to their ancestors’ wickedness. It is not merely the act of building sepulchers that is counted as sin, but the replication of the transgressions. Those who engage in even greater wrongdoing cannot escape the legacy of inherited sin, particularly as they have magnified their forebearers’ faults through the crucifixion of the Son of God.

Any act of kindness performed for God's sake is inherently good in all respects. Conversely, actions that lack universal goodness and are merely for human approval serve selfish ends, as this example demonstrates. Consider those who construct memorials and adorn houses of worship; they may appear to be acting righteously. If their deeds reflect God’s righteousness, if their kindness uplifts the impoverished, and if their acts do no harm to others, it is evident that their intentions glorify God. However, if they disregard God’s righteousness, if their actions do not bring joy to the needy, and if they obtain their good through manipulation and coercion, then it is evident to any discerning mind that they seek human praise rather than divine glory.

Exceed the deeds of your ancestors in their wickedness and in the spilling of the innocent's blood. Go beyond the limits of God's patience!

Following these events, the Lord departed from the temple, issuing a stern warning to the Pharisees and the temple priests who had led the people into corruption, alongside forewarnings of God’s impending judgment. As He concluded His earthly ministry, He proclaimed that He would continue His work through His messengers; however, the Pharisees would also pursue these messengers as well as those who had previously testified to the truth. In doing so, they would only compound the sins of their forebears, culminating in the divine judgment that would be revealed upon the wickedness of Jerusalem.

The final and eighth lamentation that the Lord issues to the Pharisees addresses their murderous desires and actions against God’s messengers. While the Pharisees may claim they are innocent of such sin, as they construct memorials to the ancient prophets, asserting they would not agree to partake in the wrongful taking of righteous lives had they lived in those earlier times, their own words betray them. By making such claims, they reveal themselves as murderers, for they acknowledge their identity as descendants, in spirit, of those who killed the prophets.

It is a cause for shame to acknowledge such forebears, yet you identify as their offspring; you take pride in being the descendants of killers, and soon you will follow in their footsteps, exceeding even the evils of your ancestors. Fulfill the measure of the vile acts of your forefathers, and carry out the violence you have plotted!

Alas for those who feign remorse while they denounce their forefathers for mistreating the prophets. They harbor the murderous spirit of their ancestors and even exceed the magnitude of their predecessors' sins with even more dreadful acts.

To "add to the measure of your fathers" signifies not an order but a prophetic insight indicating that they would exceed their ancestors in their malevolence, particularly in the unjust killing of the innocent. This phrase implies the completion of what was initiated, taken to its utmost extent. This prophecy was realized in the crucifixion of Christ by the Jewish leaders and in the subsequent persecution faced by His apostles. The death of the Lord exceeded the bounds of God’s forbearance, leading Him to allow His chosen people to be subjected to the dominion of the Gentiles.

The one who breaks hearts, fully aware of the hidden thoughts and motives of the scribes and Pharisees, announced woes upon them. He stated, in the words of the esteemed interpreter, that their fault lay not in honoring the prophets by erecting monuments, which is indeed a noble endeavor, but in their hypocrisy and in condemning their ancestors while committing even graver offenses, thereby surpassing their forebears in malice. They were misleadingly proclaiming, “If we had lived in the times of our ancestors, we would not have slain the prophets,” though they were intent on eliminating the very Lord of those prophets.