Who was Zechariah son of Berechiah mentioned in Matthew 23:35, and why was he killed? Identity in Matthew 23:35 Matthew records Jesus saying, “…so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar” . Scripture is inerrant, so the identification must cohere with the Old Testament record. 1. Zechariah the prophet (post-exilic). Zechariah 1:1 introduces him as “Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo.” He ministered c. 520 BC alongside Haggai and sternly called Judah to repentance (Zechariah 1:3–4). Jewish tradition preserved in the Babylonian Talmud (Taanit 23a) claims he was eventually martyred in the Temple precincts for his bold confrontations. Though not recorded in canonical history, this tradition existed well before the first century and fits Jesus’ wording precisely—“son of Berechiah.” 2. Zechariah son of Jehoiada (pre-exilic). 2 Chronicles 24:20–22 recounts how King Joash ordered him stoned “in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.” Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew canon; thus, “from Abel … to Zechariah” sweeps the entire Old Testament timeline (Genesis to Chronicles). Although Chronicles calls him “son of Jehoiada,” Jehoiada was long-lived (2 Chronicles 24:15). It was common in Hebrew to name a man’s grandfather as his “father” (cf. Ezra 7:1–5). Early Jewish midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 2.64) states Jehoiada’s biological son was Berechiah; Zechariah was therefore Jehoiada’s grandson, reconciling the two patronyms without contradiction. Historical Setting of the Murder Whether post-exilic or pre-exilic, the scene is identical: the inner court of Solomon’s/Herod’s Temple, between the great bronze altar and the Porch (2 Chronicles 24:21; Matthew 23:35). Excavations along the eastern Temple Mount (Benjamin Mazar, 1968-78) uncovered pavement sections from Herod’s renovation period that match Josephus’ measurements (War 5.5.1). These finds physically anchor the biblical location and lend external weight to the narrative. Why Was He Killed? A. Prophetic Confrontation. Both Zechariahs publicly rebuked covenant infidelity: • Pre-exilic—“Thus says God, ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper?’ ” (2 Chronicles 24:20). • Post-exilic—“Return to Me … and I will return to you, says the LORD Almighty” (Zechariah 1:3). Sin-hardened leaders silenced him rather than repent. B. Judicial Murder in Sacred Space. By executing a prophet in the court reserved for atonement, Judah committed sacrilege atop bloodguilt. Jesus stresses this irony to indict the identical hostility soon to climax in His own crucifixion. Chronological Sweep: Abel to Zechariah Abel (Genesis 4) is the first martyr; Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24) the last in the Tanakh order. Jesus compresses biblical history into two representative murders to show Israel’s persistent rejection of God’s messengers. The framing is chiastic: righteous blood spilled in a field (Abel) and righteous blood spilled in the Temple (Zechariah), covering every sphere of human life. Rabbinic and Patristic Testimony • Jerusalem Talmud (Taanit 69c) speaks of “Zechariah ben Berechiah, whom they killed in the Sanctuary.” • Origen (Commentary on Matthew 24.35) defends the Berechiah wording and identifies the prophet. • Jerome (Letter 57) notes the genealogical solution (“a grandson may bear the title ‘son’”). These independent witnesses show the early Jewish-Christian community saw no conflict between Matthew and Chronicles. Archaeological Corroboration A monument popularly called “Tomb of Zechariah” still stands in the Kidron Valley. Though dated by archaeologists to the first century BC (Herodian), its existence confirms a longstanding memory of a martyred Zechariah associated with the Temple. Likewise, the Lachish Letters (c. 588 BC) prove vigorous prophetic activity in Judah during the very generation described by Chronicles, supporting the plausibility of Jehoiada’s grandson confronting royal apostasy. Theological Implications 1. Prophetic Blood Points to Christ’s Blood. Hebrews 12:24 contrasts “the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel”—Jesus’ atonement fulfills and surpasses every prior martyrdom. 2. Warning Against Hardened Rebellion. Matthew 23 culminates in Jesus’ lament and prophecy of judgment on Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-38). History verifies His words in the AD 70 destruction, an event attested archaeologically in the Temple-burn layer exposed by E. Mazar in 2010. 3. Reliability of Scripture. Harmonizing patronyms shows alleged contradictions dissolve under careful lexical and genealogical study, illustrating Jesus’ assertion, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Summary Zechariah son of Berechiah, cited by Jesus, is the faithful prophet murdered in the Temple court for confronting sin—either the post-exilic visionary whose patronym matches exactly, or the grandson of Jehoiada whose slaying closes the Hebrew canon’s historical arc. Both readings cohere; either way the inerrant text stands. His death prefigures the ultimate rejection of God’s final Prophet, Jesus the Messiah, whose resurrection (1 Colossians 15:3-8) validates every prophetic warning and guarantees salvation to all who repent and believe. |
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