Who Warned You?
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Matthew 03:07 The Context: John the Baptist was baptizing the crowds of people who came to repent of their sins and declare their longing for the hoped for Messiah. The proud Pharisees were certainly taking note of the crowds coming to John and sensed their position of authority and prestige being threatened. Ever alert to opportunities to elevate themselves in the eyes of the people (and God) they came to the river to join in the "movement of the day" and perhaps join as the leaders and examples they assumed themselves to be. Through John, God asked them:
God asks us:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
jne: It seems to be human nature to do whatever it takes to preserve our position and rank in life. We even have three letters to describe it, "CYA (Cover Your A.. backside)" It sounds like they heard John's words of warning and responded with thoughts of CYA or Cover Your Bases. Whatever they heard, God saw their heart and it was anything but humble and repentant.
That attitude of self-preservation and enhancement is as old as Adam and Eve making fig-leaf garments for themselves. We all know the attitude much more personally than we like to admit. We all have heard, voices both loud and quiet telling us of our guilt (sin) before a Holy God. We have all attempted to quiet the voices by putting on the appearances of righteousness. But God still sees our true self and labels our hypocrisies as "vipers, blind leaders, white washed tombs." John said the proof was not in the profession but in the fruit resulting from true repentance. True believers, true followers of Jesus, true Saints are not revealed by ceremonies or certificates but by humble, repentance and service that glorifies Jesus Christ for what He has done to rescue us from our blind exaltation of our selves.
Matthew 03:07 The Context: John the Baptist was baptizing the crowds of people who came to repent of their sins and declare their longing for the hoped for Messiah. The proud Pharisees were certainly taking note of the crowds coming to John and sensed their position of authority and prestige being threatened. Ever alert to opportunities to elevate themselves in the eyes of the people (and God) they came to the river to join in the "movement of the day" and perhaps join as the leaders and examples they assumed themselves to be. Through John, God asked them:
God asks us:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
jne: It seems to be human nature to do whatever it takes to preserve our position and rank in life. We even have three letters to describe it, "CYA (Cover Your A.. backside)" It sounds like they heard John's words of warning and responded with thoughts of CYA or Cover Your Bases. Whatever they heard, God saw their heart and it was anything but humble and repentant.
That attitude of self-preservation and enhancement is as old as Adam and Eve making fig-leaf garments for themselves. We all know the attitude much more personally than we like to admit. We all have heard, voices both loud and quiet telling us of our guilt (sin) before a Holy God. We have all attempted to quiet the voices by putting on the appearances of righteousness. But God still sees our true self and labels our hypocrisies as "vipers, blind leaders, white washed tombs." John said the proof was not in the profession but in the fruit resulting from true repentance. True believers, true followers of Jesus, true Saints are not revealed by ceremonies or certificates but by humble, repentance and service that glorifies Jesus Christ for what He has done to rescue us from our blind exaltation of our selves.