Matthew 23:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

NIV: And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

NASB: so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

CSB: So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

NLT: As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time — from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.

KJV: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

NKJV: that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

God's wrath is something which can be stored up until sin reaches a tipping point; then God begins to pour out judgment (Matthew 23:29–34). The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' era will reach that tipping point with their own sinful actions. As predicted by Christ, these men will continue to murder and oppress those who believe in Jesus (Acts 8:1–3). In a chilling metaphor, Jesus speaks of that generation experiencing a reckoning for thousands of years of sin.

The "righteous" ones listed here are those who followed God in humility and sincerity. Abel was the victim of humanity's first murder, killed by his brother, Cain, in a jealous rage (Genesis 4:4–8). Zechariah's murder, as an act against God's messenger (2 Chronicles 24:20–22), is also connected to the sin of these scribes and Pharisees. These two incidents occur early in the book of Genesis and late in the book of 2 Chronicles. In the Jewish Scriptures of that time, those were considered the first and last books, respectively. In a literary sense, this implies all prophets and messengers martyred in the Old Testament.

Skeptics sometimes note that Jesus mentions Barachiah as Zechariah's father. The name given for the father of a man named Zechariah in 2 Chronicles chapter 24 is Jehoiada. Jesus might possibly be referring to the prophet mentioned in Zechariah 1:1. Or, the Zechariah of 2 Chronicles was the descendant of a man named Barachiah, not necessarily his immediate son.

It is interesting that the Zechariah described in 2 Chronicles 24:20–22 said, "May the Lord see and avenge!" as he was dying. Jesus predicts that very vengeance will be delivered upon the scribes and Pharisees of His own day.

Matthew 23:13–36 contains seven layers of condemnation, from Jesus, towards the religious leaders of His era. Each of these is introduced with the word "woe," which is an exclamation like "oh!" or "alas!" Pronouncing God's judgment on these men, He repeatedly describes them as "blind" and "hypocrites." Convincing others of their views only adds victims to hell. They follow the letters of manmade law to the tiniest detail but miss the real meaning of Scripture: God's heart for justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Their outer appearance of righteousness hides inner lives full of greed, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and lawlessness. Those in Jesus' generation will pay for many of the righteous people unjustly killed in the past.

After thoroughly dismantling scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees in debate, Jesus even more thoroughly condemns these religious leaders for their religious hypocrisy. They do all their religious acts and works to be seen and approved of by other people. Jesus pronounces God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees in a series of seven "woe to you" statements. He repeatedly calls them "blind" and "hypocrites." He concludes with a lament for Jerusalem and her children who rejected His protection. God's judgment is coming.

Matthew 23 concludes Matthew's multi-chapter account of all of Jesus' interactions in the temple during the last week before His arrest and crucifixion. After silencing the religious leaders with parables and brilliant responses (Matthew 21—22), He pronounces God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees in a series of seven "woe to you" statements. Jesus mourns for the judgment that will come on Jerusalem for her rejection of God. This leads Jesus to leave the temple, sadly remarking on its impending destruction (Matthew 24:1–2). As the disciples ask about this, Jesus begins an extended teaching on the end times in chapter 24.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.