Moment of Meditation: Brood of Vipers (Matthew 23:33-36)

''You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. (Matthew 23:33-36)''

As Jesus ends His woes against the scribes and the Pharisees, He brings back John the Baptizer's line of preaching. "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matthew 3:7). At the end of His ministry, Jesus comes around full-circle. The scribes and Pharisees are still vipers seeking to strike out at Him if they have the chance.

But they must come to admit that they are responsible for not listening to the words of the prophets. Especially the words from and about Jesus. Everyone who refuses to listen to the words of the Gospel must answer the question: "How are you to escape being sentenced to hell?"

The only correct answer to the question is Jesus. You cannot escape the fires of Hell without Jesus' intervention. Without Jesus, you will find yourself with the demons in Hell. With Jesus, you will find yourself with Abel, Zechariah and all the righteous in Heaven. May you take Jesus' words to heart and find yourself with the righteous. Amen.