Matthew 23:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The reference to the serpent, offspring of the echidna, conveys that just as echidnas are associated with their lethal venom, you too inherit the traits of your forebears through acts of violence. Aware of their motives, which remain hidden from many, He affirms His message through their impending bold actions, of which all will ultimately become aware.

*****

You will complete the entirety of wrongdoing through murder, which your ancestors did not achieve. Yet, if you are so depraved, how can you hope to evade judgment?

How will the retribution for all blood befall the final generation of murderers, as indicated in Matthew 23:35-36, considering that God declared through His prophet that parents are not to be executed for the sins of their children, but rather each individual shall die for his own iniquity (Deuteronomy 24:16)? What can we conclude? Why will those whom Christ addressed be held responsible for the deaths of others? Will Cain escape consequence for Abel’s murder? Lamech proclaimed, "I have slain a man for injuring me, and a young man for wounding me" (Genesis 4:23). Thus, as each person carries the weight of his own transgressions, how then can these evildoers be punished for all?

John the Baptist expressed a similar sentiment; indeed, just as venomous serpents produce venomous offspring, so from the lineage of murderers you emerged as murderers.

He referred to them as serpents, indicating their wickedness, deceit, and harmful nature, likening them to the offspring of echidnas who carry the same venom of evil and propensity for violence as their forebears. In the third chapter, John the Baptist also refers to them as echidnas, albeit with a distinct meaning. He describes the judgment of Gehenna as both the condemnation and the punishment within Gehenna, or the act of being cast down into Gehenna.

The serpent is regarded as the most astute of creatures, yet its wisdom is malevolent: it perpetually seeks to strike and, once it has done so, schemes to conceal its actions. In a similar manner, hypocrites among humanity exhibit this cunning; appearing to live in sincerity, they remain intent on causing harm to others, and once they have inflicted pain, they act as though no wrongdoing has occurred.

You offspring of serpents! You proudly declare, “Our father is Abraham,” but truly, Abraham is not your father. Instead, you are the children of malevolent ancestors, even more despicable than they! How will you avoid judgment in Gehenna? There is no salvation for you, you who are corrupt and thirst for the blood of the innocent! If neither judgment nor the reality of Gehenna strikes fear in your hearts, if your downfall is near and you must face the consequences of all bloodshed, then...

Following these events, the Lord departed from the temple, delivering a solemn condemnation towards the Pharisees and the temple priests, who were the architects of the people's corruption, accompanied by forewarnings of divine judgment. As He concluded His earthly mission, He proclaimed that He would persist in His works through His emissaries; however, the Pharisees would also persecute them, just as they had done to previous witnesses of the truth. In doing so, they would further fill the cup of their ancestors' transgressions, leading to the unveiling of God's judgment upon the wickedness of Jerusalem.

The final and eighth woe that the Lord announces to the Pharisees addresses their murderous inclinations and their actions against God's messengers. The Pharisees claim they do not share in this guilt; they honor the prophets of old by building monuments to them and insist that they would never align themselves with their forefathers in the unjust killing of the righteous if they had lived in ancient times. However, by voicing such claims, they are, in fact, confessing their own culpability as they identify themselves as spiritual descendants of those who persecuted the prophets.

But, you sinful offspring of deceitful parents, you snakes, the progeny of darkness. When you act in this manner, have you reflected on the consequences that lie ahead for you? Do you believe that you can escape the judgment of everlasting suffering that is destined for you?

‘Serpents, the offspring of echidna,’ refers to those who are truly wicked, demonstrating an even greater depravity than their malevolent ancestors. Christ reveals that they commit far graver sins, exhibiting cruelty that exceeds that of their forebears, despite their claims that they would never engage in such actions. They ultimately fulfill and escalate the evil deeds. For it was those who exterminated the servants sent into the vineyard, and it is these same ones who have slain the Son Himself, as well as those who were summoned to the wedding.

These creatures, which evoke fear and revulsion in all, can be understood as cunning, wicked adversaries of the Lord, infecting the hearts of the faithful with the venom of false teachings. How will you escape the judgment of the fiery abyss? By following in the footsteps of your forebears and mimicking their actions, you will endure the same treacherous fate.