Matthew 12:34

Thursday, 21 August 2025

 

Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Matthew 12:34

 

“Vipers’ offspring! You can, how, speak good – being evil? For from the heart’s surplus, the mouth, it speaks” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of making the tree either good or bad. As it is made, so its fruit will be. Thus, a tree will be known by its fruit. Now, changing the metaphor, He directly addresses the Pharisees, saying, “Vipers’ offspring!”

 

It is also what John the Baptist said to this same group as the people from the surrounding areas came out to be baptized –

 

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’” Matthew 3:7

 

This is probably a reference to the temptation and fall of man in Genesis 3. Serpents continue to be noted in Scripture after that. One instance is especially highlighted in the account of the time during the wilderness wanderings in Numbers 21. There, the people were bitten by serpents, and many died. In this, the people acknowledged their sins, and a remedy was given by the Lord to heal the people.

 

As such, the main thought of both John and Jesus is probably that of these men being the spawn of Satan, who caused the people to sin, separating them from God. They were the evil offspring of their evil parent, acting in crafty and malevolent ways. Of them, He next says, “You can, how, speak good – being evil?”

 

The analogy of the tree in the previous verse becomes clear here. They were like evil trees that could only speak evil. This is because they were vipers’ offspring. He is uniting the various metaphors into a picture of this group of men standing there, accusing Him. To further explain this, He continues with the words, “For from the heart’s surplus, the heart, the mouth, it speaks.”

 

Here is a new word, perisseuma. It is derived from peri, around. Therefore, it signifies “all around” or “excess” as in “more than anticipated.” These men had wickedness in their hearts that abounded so greatly it welled up out of them in the words they spoke.

 

They could not say anything good about Jesus because they themselves were corrupt and incapable of determining what was good. Thus, they ascribed evil to His actions, projecting their deficiencies upon Him instead of conducting self-reflection to determine if they were not the ones in error.

 

Life application: In Matthew 3, John uses the same metaphors, vipers, fruit, and trees, when referring to the same group of people. The full thought recorded there says –

 

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” Matthew 3:7-12

 

Such metaphors are found elsewhere in Scripture. They provide insight into what God wants us to consider while reading His word. Remember, as you read, that God is the One who created these things. That is recorded right on the first page of the Bible.

 

As this is so, and as He is using them in metaphor later in Scripture, He is asking us to consider the inherent nature of these things. Sometimes, such metaphors are explained as to their meaning or intended use.

 

At times, we have to infer what is being said. But in paying heed to what is being conveyed, we will have a fuller and richer sense of what God is telling us. Take time to consider the use of the various literary devices found in Scripture, and there are a lot of them. The content of Scripture will come alive in new ways when you do.

 

Take time to read Jeremiah 24. It is only 10 verses long. There, the Lord uses figs as a metaphor for the people of Israel. As you read, remember that the fig is used to indicate a spiritual connection to God or its lack thereof. That is consistently the case throughout Scripture. So think about that meaning as you read the chapter.

 

In remembering this meaning, the passage will make new sense to you that it may not have previously made. And more, because you are committed to reading your Bible every day, you will come across the fig at other times. When you do, remember its significance and think about why it has been mentioned at a particular time. What a treat it will be for your mind as you say, “Now I understand what God is telling me.”

 

Lord God, what a great, consistent, and beautiful tool of instruction Your word is for us. Wow! Thank You for how You have laid it out to show us a pattern of all of redemptive history, taking us from Eden and returning us to paradise in heaven. We can see how it all fits as we march toward that state of glory! Amen.