Matthew 23:33
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”
The same One who asked this question is also the answer to it, Jesus! He is the only One who can save them and us; but they missed Him, although He was standing right before them. Will we?
The people who should have been the first to welcome Him were sadly the last to find out. We can’t take our eyes off the Lord for a second because, in those moments of weakness, our enemy will strike, over-saturating us with his lies, this world, and the desires of the flesh.
At some point, these people who studied the Scriptures diligently, looking for answers and for life, took their eyes off the Author and set them on their own false and flawed religion. They traded the glory of God for the perversions of men. We, too, must be cautious of this trap, as it can be very easy to fall into. But thanks be to God who has given us one King, one Messiah, and only one Name under Heaven by which we can be saved!
It’s not a multiple-choice test but a yes or no. I’m grateful that it’s not a mystery to figure out or a puzzle to solve but a vibrant love relationship with our God! The blessing of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ far outweighs anything this world has for us. We, too, must remember that Jesus came to save us because He loves us, and He knew what our situation was without Him.
Our doom had been foretold, our coming punishment was just, our condition unchangeable – until He changed it! For His blood is more than enough to rescue and redeem those once thought lost forever!
Jesus’ question still must be answered by each one of us in our lives: how will we escape being condemned to Hell? And the answer is simple yet profound, be His! If your answer is anything other than Jesus or if you don’t know this magnificent Savior Jesus Christ, please reach out to one of us, and we would love to speak with you about all that He is, all that He has done, and all that He will do one day!
Acts 4:11,12- “For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
God bless! I love you all, but His love bore the cross, broke the grave, and brought many wayward children home! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Matthew 23:33
"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?"
The Answer to this question is, in fact, the One who is asking it, Jesus Christ! Jesus's timing is always perfect and impeccable. This verse comes right on the heels of the seven woes He pronounces over the Pharisees. The woes and what each one holds expose the defiled and desperate heart-condition of those who were supposed to be keepers of the Law, not abusers of it. Yet right after Christ lays the truthful charges out against them, He goes right into this verse; why?
To me, He is saying yes, those things are all true, yes you have fallen far into your sin, yes you have rejected what you have been given to uphold, but there is still One who can save you from the fires of Hell, and He is Me, the One asking you this question! Christ is saying it is not your works or lack thereof that will save you but only the Living Son of God who will, in fact, give His life to ransom even the worst of us.
Christ continually points us back to Himself; in the Scriptures, this is true and also in our day-to-day lives. How often do we fail – only to find grace and mercy in our time of need? We aren't met with a hammer to destroy us but rather a God to help us. To me, this verse is not Jesus condemning them to Hell but trying to wake them up to the reality of it and the reality that only One can save them and us from it, Jesus Christ the Holy One of God!
Far too often, we listen to the woes and miss the whole point of them being revealed. The point or purpose of our sin being revealed is not to crush us under it but to draw us into repentance and back into the Father's arms. Jesus could pronounce woes over each one of our lives, but in the end, it doesn't matter how many times you or I have fallen; what matters is that we are His children, and He is our God! Will you come to Him today, with thanksgiving in your heart and repentance on your breath?
Hosea 14:2,3- Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion."
Psalm 100:4- Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
God bless! I love you all, but His love both pronounced the woes and paid for them! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
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