Matthew 23:29-33: “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
This is part of my series focused on the animal analogies of Jesus, and I want to warn you: do not call people names.
Do not say, “Jesus Christ did it and I want to do it too.” Do not do that. That is not the purpose of this series. The purpose of this series is not to give you a license to call people names, to say, “Jesus Christ did it.” Do not do that. You are not God. You do not have the license to be calling people names. You do not.
Do not call people names. Do not call people dogs, pigs. Do not call them—I do not know what else you want to call them. Do not. How is that the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness? You need to understand that you cannot just copy and paste and say, “Jesus Christ, You did it so I must do it.”
No. Do not do that. Do not have that reasoning.
Remember what John said: “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The whole point of this series is simply to attempt to get the message that Jesus Christ is trying to pass across. That is all we are doing.
Do not call people names. Do not curse people. Do not say, “Paul said, ‘Cursed are those who preach another gospel,’” and so that gives you the license to be cursing people. Ah, do not do that. That is not the point. These are messages that God wants to communicate. Jesus Christ came down to communicate and is using language that you cannot use.
You cannot use them. You cannot just do it. He exists in a category—Jesus Christ exists in a category of one. No comparison, no copy and paste. He exists in a category of one. Do not say, “Oh, I am a prophet too. I am using prophetic words, I am giving prophetic words, so I also can call people names. The Spirit is upon me.”
Do not do that. Where is the fruit of the Spirit? Where is the call for you that your words should “always be gracious, seasoned with salt,” ministering grace to the hearer? Where is that?
It is all about trying to see what Christ is trying to communicate using those analogies, using those pictures.
Do not call people names. Do not call people animals. Do not call people snakes. Do not call them snakes. Do not do that. Do not call people snakes because Jesus Christ said—look at the strong words He used here to describe these people: “You snakes, you offspring of vipers.” These are the kinds of words that John the Baptist also used: “You offspring of vipers.”
Do not do that. Do not call people snakes: “You are a snake.”
Remember, we said, “Be innocent as doves.” Do not adopt a confrontational attitude. We are saying that because you are sheep. He is the shepherd. He exists in a category of His own. He can be confrontational. You are not supposed to be confrontational.
He exists in a category of His own. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is not regulated. He is the One who regulates us. You cannot regulate Him. You cannot say, “Why are You doing this thing, Jesus? What is Your…” It is too much for your mouth to say that. You do what you are told. You do not tell Him what to do.
You do not argue with Him. We do not see Peter calling people names. We behold His glory. This is different—the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
You do not go and call people names. You do not tell them, “You are a viper, you are a snake,” and then say to yourself, “The Bible says it; Jesus Christ called some people names; therefore I can call some people names.”
No. You cannot do that.
You cannot do that.
God bless you. See you later.