O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
All Commentaries on Matthew 12:34 Go To Matthew 12
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Now this is at once to accuse, and to give demonstration of His own sayings from their case. For behold, says He, you being evil trees, cannot bring forth good fruit. I do not then marvel at your talking thus: for you were both ill nurtured, being of wicked ancestors, and you have acquired a bad mind.
And see how carefully, and without any hold for exception, He has expressed His accusations: in that He said not, How can you speak good things, being a generation of vipers? (for this latter is nothing to the former): but, How can you, being evil, speak good things?
But He called them broods of vipers, because they prided themselves on their forefathers. To signify therefore that they had no advantage thereby, He both casts them out from their relationship to Abraham, and assigns them forefathers of kindred disposition, having stripped them of that ground of illustriousness.
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Here again He indicates His Godhead, which knew their secrets: and that not for words only, but also for wicked thoughts, they shall suffer punishment; and that He knows it all, as God. And He says, that it is possible even for men to know these things; for this is a natural consequence, that when wickedness is overflowing within, its words should be poured forth through the lips. So that when you hear a man speak wicked words, do not suppose only so much wickedness to be in him as the words display, but conjecture the fountain to be much more abundant; for that which is spoken outwardly, is the superabundance of that which is within.
See how vehemently He reprehends them. For if what they had said is so evil, and is of the very mind of the devil, consider the root and well-spring of their words, how far that must reach. And this is naturally the case; for while the tongue through shame often pours not forth all its wickedness at once, the heart having no human witness, fearlessly gives birth to whatever evils it will; for of God it has not much regard. Since then men's sayings come to examination and are set before all, but the heart is concealed; therefore the evils of the former grow less, while those of the latter increase. But when that within is multiplied, all that has been awhile hidden comes forth with a violent gushing. And as persons vomiting strive at first to keep down the humors that force their way out, but, when they are overcome, cast forth much abomination; so do they that devise evil things, and speak ill of their neighbors.
