Matthew 23:32
ESV
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
NIV
Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
NASB
Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.
CSB
Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!
NLT
Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.
KJV
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
NKJV
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
What does Matthew 23:32 mean?
The Pharisees and scribes of Christ's day are the literal sons of those who persecuted God's messengers in the past (Acts 7:52). They are also the spiritual sons of Satan: those who reject and defy God and His Son (John 8:43–44). Their own claims prove this (Matthew 23:31), since they have rejected John the Baptist (Matthew 23:21–27) and are plotting to have Jesus killed (John 11:53; Mark 3:6; Luke 22:2).Christ's biting command here can be interpreted in two simultaneous ways. Since these men frequently make claims to their heritage (Matthew 3:9), Jesus is harshly telling them to follow through fully: to live up to the example of their predecessors who killed the prophets. At the same time, He is dismissing them to continue in sin until God's wrath has built up in anticipation of judgment. In either sense, these men are close to the "tipping point." Christ's words here are both condemnation and contempt.
