Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew

Matt. III. 7.

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

How then does Christ say, that they did not believe John? Because this was not believing, to decline receiving Him whom he preached. For so they thought they regarded their prophets and their lawgiver, nevertheless He said they had not regarded them, forasmuch as they received not Him, that was foretold by them. “For if you had believed Moses,” says He, “ye would have believed Me.” And after this again, being asked by Christ, “The baptism of John, whence is it?” they said, “If we shall say, Of earth, we fear the people; if we shall say, From heaven, He will say unto us, How then did ye not believe him?”

So that from all these things it is manifest that they came indeed and were baptized, yet they did not abide in the belief of that which was preached. For John also points out their wickedness, by their sending unto the Baptist, and saying, “Are you Elias? Are you Christ?” wherefore he also added, “they which were sent were of the Pharisees.”

“What then? Were not the multitudes also of this same mind”? One may say. Nay, the multitudes in simplicity of mind had this suspicion, but the Pharisees, wishing to lay hold of Him. For since it was acknowledged that Christ comes out of the village of David, and this man was of the tribe of Levi, they laid a snare by the question, in order that if he should say any such thing they might quickly come upon him. This at any rate he has declared by what follows; for on his not acknowledging any of the things which they expected, even so they take hold of him, saying, “Why do you baptize then, if you be not the Christ?”

And to convince you that the Pharisees came with one mind, and the people with another, hear how the evangelist has declared this too; saying of the people, “that they came and were baptized of him, confessing their sins;” but concerning the Pharisees, no longer like that, but that “when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he said, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” O greatness of mind! How does he discourse unto men ever thirsting after the blood of the prophets, and in disposition no better than serpents! How does he disparage both themselves and their progenitors with all plainness!

2. “Yea,” says one; “he speaks plainly enough, but the question is if there be any reason in this plainness. For he did not see them sinning, but in the act of change; wherefore they did not deserve blame, but rather praise and approbation, for having left city and houses, and making haste to hear his preaching.”

What then shall we say? That he had not things present, and even now doing, in his view, but he knew the secrets of their mind, God having revealed this. Since then they were priding themselves on their forefathers, and this was like to prove the cause of their destruction, and was casting them into a state of carelessness, he cuts away the roots of their pride. For this cause Isaiah also calls them, “rulers of Sodom,” and “people of Gomorrha;” and another prophet says, “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians;” and all withdraw them from this way of thinking, bringing down their pride, which had caused them unnumbered evils.

“But the prophets,” you will say, “naturally did so; for they saw them sinning: but in this case, with what view and for what cause does he the same, seeing them obey him.” To make them yet more tender-hearted.

But if one accurately mark his words, he has also tempered his rebuke with commendation. For he spoke these things, as marveling at them, that they had become able, however late, to do what seemed almost an impossibility for them. His rebuke, you see, is rather that of one bringing them over, and working upon them to arouse themselves. For in that he appears amazed, he implies both their former wickedness to be great, and their conversion marvellous and beyond expectation. Thus, “what has come to pass,” says he, “that being children of those men, and brought up so badly, they have repented? Whence has come so great a change? Who has softened down the harshness of their spirit? Who corrected that which was incurable?”

And see how straightway from the beginning he alarmed them, by laying first, for a foundation, his words concerning hell. For he spoke not of the usual topics: “Who has warned you to flee from wars, from the inroads of the barbarians, from captivities, from famines, from pestilences?” but concerning another sort of punishment, never before made manifest to them, he was striking the first preparatory note, saying thus, “Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

And full well did he likewise call them, “generation of vipers.” For that animal too is said to destroy the mother that is in travail with her, and eating through her belly, thus to come forth unto light; which kind of thing these men also did being “murderers of fathers, and murderers of mothers,” and destroying their instructors with their own hands.