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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Verse Takeaways
1
Religious but Lost
Commentaries identify the Pharisees as the hyper-religious rule-followers and the Sadducees as the skeptical rationalists. These rival groups, the religious elite of their day, came to John's baptism likely out of public pressure or spiritual pride, not genuine repentance. John's rebuke shows that religious status and knowledge are worthless without a sincere change of heart.
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Matthew
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13
18th Century
Presbyterian
Pharisees and Sadducees. The Jews were divided into three great sects: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. In addition to these…
The Pharisees and Sadducees (των Φαρισαιων κα Σαδδουκαιων). These two rival parties do not often unite in common action, but do ag…
19th Century
Anglican
Pharisees and Sadducees — It is desirable to give a sufficient account of these two sects to explain their relation to each other …
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Baptist
The people were expecting a Messiah and so they went en masse to John as soon as his shrill voice had startled the solitudes. Bapt…
Representatives of the Sanhedrin (composed of Pharisees, Sadducees, and the elders) came to examine what John was doing (cf. Jn 1:19, 24). The ques…
16th Century
Protestant
And when he saw many of the Pharisees. It is related here by Matthew and Luke that John did not merely preach repentance in a general mann…
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
But when he saw many of the Pharisees
This being the first place in which mention is made of the Pharisees and Sad…
Applying the message to the souls of the hearers is the life of preaching; and so it was with John's preaching. The Pharisees placed their main emp…
13th Century
Catholic
The Evangelist wrote about Christ’s entrance into the world; now, however, he writes about the course of His life, which is, in fact, considered ac…
