What is the meaning of Matthew 23:35? And so upon you will come Jesus turns from lament to verdict. His “woes” (Matthew 23:13-32) culminate here, making it clear that real judgment, not mere rhetoric, is on the way. • “Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:36) is the immediate sequel, showing that what He names is imminent. • Paul echoes the same certainty of judgment on hardened unbelief in 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16. • God’s justice is never idle (Romans 2:5-6), and Jesus, as Judge, announces its arrival. all the righteous blood shed on earth, The phrase sweeps across history, declaring that every innocent life taken for faithfulness matters to God. • Genesis 4:10 pictures Abel’s blood “crying out” from the ground—God heard then and still hears now. • Psalm 9:12 affirms, “He who avenges bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.” • In Revelation 6:9-10 the souls under the altar ask, “How long… until You avenge our blood?” Jesus answers that question here: the day of reckoning has come. from the blood of righteous Abel Abel is Scripture’s first martyr (Genesis 4:2-10). • Hebrews 11:4 describes his faith, then notes that “by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” • 1 John 3:12 contrasts Abel’s righteousness with Cain’s wickedness, underscoring that persecution of the godly began early and has never ceased. Jesus starts with Abel because he marks the opening page of human history; righteous blood has been staining the ground ever since. to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, Zechariah, according to 2 Chronicles 24:20-22, confronted King Joash and the people for forsaking the LORD. They stoned him “in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.” Jesus cites this final martyr recorded in the traditional Hebrew ordering of Scripture (Genesis to Chronicles), covering the entire canon—from first book to last. • Luke 11:51 repeats the same range. • By naming Abel and Zechariah, Jesus says, “Every righteous sufferer named in the Word is on My docket.” whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. The indictment is pointed: the religious leaders claim spiritual authority, yet their history is soaked in blood—even within holy space. • The temple courts, where God was to be honored, became the scene of sacrilege (compare Jeremiah 7:11; Matthew 21:13). • Stephen later echoes Jesus: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:52). • The people Jesus faces are heirs of that guilt; by rejecting the prophets and soon crucifying the Son (Matthew 21:38-39), they prove the charge true. summary Jesus’ words bind every act of violent opposition to God’s truth into one package of judgment. From the very first martyr, Abel, to Zechariah—spanning the breadth of Scripture—God has been keeping careful record. Now, standing in Jerusalem’s temple, the perfect Judge declares that the accumulated guilt is coming home to roost on those who persist in rebellion. His statement is a sober reminder that God’s patience has limits, that innocent blood never loses its voice, and that Christ Himself is the climax of both prophetic suffering and divine justice. |
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