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Matthew 23:30
ESV saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
NIV And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
NASB and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
CSB and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
NLT Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’
KJV And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
NKJV and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

What does Matthew 23:30 mean?

It's extremely common for people to look at prior generations and claim "I would not have made that mistake." This applies to cultural as well as religious ideas. Many Christians believe if they had been born and raised in the era of Jesus Christ, they would have seen the truth, leaving behind the entire religious system of their day to follow Jesus. In this way, we deny that human nature is to be as sinful and blind as those who rejected Jesus in the first place. While it's possible we might have been among those who believed, it's also possible we'd have been participants in those same sins.

The Pharisees and scribes were guilty of this very failure; they did not see their own rejection of God's messengers. While their rebellion was well disguised (Matthew 23:27), they were actively repeating the disobedient error of their ancestors. They are sure that if they had lived in the days of their own forefathers, they would not have rejected God's prophets and joined in killing them.

Those present to hear Jesus say these words, however, actively rejected the prophet John the Baptist. He came to point the world to Jesus and the Messiah (Matthew 21:23–27). Within the week, these same groups—the scribes and Pharisees—would participate in condemning Jesus, the Son of God, and seeing Him executed by the Romans at their urging (Matthew 16:21; 27:24–26). Their sin is every bit as great as the sins of their ancestors who rejected and killed the prophets sent to Israel by God.
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