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Explanation for:
Matthew
23
:
31
Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.
12
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Through astute reasoning, He condemns them as descendants of those who committed murder. They construct elaborate tombs for the prophets that their ancestors executed, seeking their own recognition among the people and feigning righteousness. They claim, ‘Had we lived in that era, we would not have acted like our forebears.’ Though such sentiments are not verbally articulated, their actions reveal the truth: they ceremoniously build memorials for the murdered while acknowledging that their ancestors were the ones responsible for their deaths."},{"author-name":"Hilarius of Poitiers","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88cb92f12b3278598f946_Hilarius%20of%20Poitiers.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The nature of judgment is flawless. Each of us is innately endowed with a sense of justice, meaning that as our understanding of righteousness deepens, the necessity to eliminate wrongdoing diminishes. Those who adhered to the law were responsible for the deaths of all the prophets. The animosity towards these prophets stemmed from their rigorous denunciations of the injustices, such as theft, murder, adultery, and sacrilege committed by humanity. Additionally, the prophets proclaimed that the Jewish people were unfit for the kingdom of heaven and foretold that the Gentiles would inherit God's covenant, leading to mockery directed at the prophets from the people in various ways. Yet, the descendants of this community eventually disavowed the actions of their forebears, choosing instead to respect the prophetic writings, embellish their monuments, and restore their resting places, thereby demonstrating through these gestures that they bore no guilt for the transgressions of their ancestors."},{"author-name":"Cyrill of Alexandria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88a8ea5c988a4fc073480_Cyrill%20of%20Alexandria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"Let us thoughtfully consider the words of the Savior. In their time, the Jewish ancestors put to death the holy prophets who delivered the Divine message. Their descendants, recognizing the sanctity and reverence of these prophets, honored them with crowns and monuments (Matthew 23:29), lavishing upon them the respect due to saints. Simultaneously, they perceived themselves as prophets and righteous individuals, assuming the role of judges over those who had slain the holy ones. By claiming to honor the slain prophets, they unwittingly condemned their forefathers for their wickedness. Yet these descendants, the offspring of those who had perpetrated such heinous acts, were equally culpable, even more so. They had crucified the Author of Life (Acts 3:15), and their transgressions did not stop there; they also committed further atrocities against His divinely appointed apostles. In examining the wrongs of others, one might critique their sins with natural reasoning, yet ironically, one can become blind to their own equal faults, rushing headlong into similar misdeeds."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"He declares sorrow upon them, not for constructing tombs for the prophets as an act pleasing to God, but due to their hypocrisy. They condemn their ancestors while committing even graver sins, exceeding the wickedness of those before them. They deceive themselves, claiming, “If we had lived during our forefathers' time, we would not have slain the prophets,” yet they secretly desire to eliminate the Lord of the prophets Himself."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"By acknowledging the act of violence carried out by your ancestors and emulating their actions, you demonstrate that you are offspring of those who persecuted the prophets. In the Gospel of Luke, it is stated, \\"And be pleased with the work of your fathers,\\" suggesting a form of endorsement, for by constructing splendid sepulchers for the slain, you openly affirm the arrogance of the killers, a trait found in those who commend and accept such arrogance. It might seem as if you honor the deceased by beautifying their resting places and delivering these remarks as a rebuke to your ancestors, were it not for your replication of their acts of violence."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In this way, the Lord reveals through their own statements that they ceremoniously decorate the sepulchers and memorials of the prophets and righteous individuals, yet in truth, they align with their ancestors or even exceed their wrongdoing, “for they wished to kill the very Lord of the prophets.” As descendants, they have inherited the moral decay of their forebears, sharing in their guilt. But what crime is it to be the offspring of a murderer if that child does not share in the father's intent? There is none. Therefore, it is clear that Christ communicates this to highlight their involvement in the iniquity of their ancestors, despite their claims of innocence, for those who did not shy away from taking the life of the Lord would certainly not have shown mercy to His servants."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"This manner serves as your own testimony, revealing that you are not merely sons by physical lineage, but also share in the spirit of those who persecuted the prophets. It shows your potential to become, and soon to be, murderers—not just of the prophets, but of the Lord of the prophets Himself. You will become the executioners of the Messiah, Christ!"},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"At its core, you consent to the wrongdoings of your ancestors, perpetuating their legacy: they took the lives of the prophets, and you honor them with monuments, as if anxious that time will otherwise obscure the memories of their misdeeds."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Alas for them, for their insincere contrition as they condemned their forebears for the mistreatment of the prophets, while simultaneously harboring the same vengeful spirit as their ancestors. They have exceeded the sins of their predecessors, committing even greater atrocities."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The one who breaks hearts, fully aware of the hidden motives and ambitions of the scribes and Pharisees, denounced them with sorrow, echoing the words of the blessed interpreter. He stated it was not merely their act of constructing tombs for the prophets—an act reflective of piety—but their hypocritical nature and the manner in which they condemned their forebears that was reprehensible. They exceeded their ancestors in malice, deluding themselves by claiming, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have killed the prophets,” despite their true intent being to eliminate the Lord of the prophets himself. Thus, the Savior declared, “you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who persecuted the prophets,” revealing the unbroken lineage of opposition to Divine truth in their lineage. The God-Man foresaw that in the near future, these wicked heirs would not only repeat the sins of their forefathers but surpass them, culminating in the horrific act of crucifying Him and subsequently persecuting and slaying the Gospel’s messengers: “and you will fill up the measure of your fathers.” Here, He does not issue a command, but rather hints at the future, as noted by St. John Chrysostom. With righteous fervor, He designated the Pharisees by the same term that had been used by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7) and Himself (Matthew 12:34): serpents, offspring of the serpent."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The final and eighth condemnation that the Lord declares against the Pharisees is for their murderous intentions and actions directed at God’s messengers. The Pharisees, although they claim to deny this wrongdoing, construct monuments to the ancient prophets and assert that they would never have participated in the killings of the righteous if they had lived during those times. However, by saying this, they inadvertently confess their guilt, as they recognize themselves as the spiritual descendants of those who killed the prophets. Christ states, \\"But complete the measure of your fathers,\\" urging them to fulfill the legacy of violence by killing the Messiah—the one the prophets heralded—as well as His new apostles. This act would lead them inevitably to the judgment of Gehenna."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Following these events, the Lord departed from the temple, issuing a solemn warning to the Pharisees and the priests who had led the people into corruption, coupled with dire predictions of impending divine judgment. Concluding His mission on earth, He affirms that He will continue to engage with them through His servants; however, the Pharisees will also turn against these messengers, just as they did with previous bearers of the truth. By doing so, they will deepen the measure of their ancestors' transgressions, leading ultimately to the manifestation of God's judgment upon the wickedness of Jerusalem."}]}
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