Matthew 23:39
For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
For I tell you
This phrase underscores the authority of Jesus as a teacher and prophet. In the Greek, "λέγω" (lego) is used, which is a common verb for "to say" or "to tell." It emphasizes the certainty and importance of what follows. Jesus often uses this phrase to introduce significant teachings or prophecies, indicating that His words are not merely suggestions but divine truths that demand attention and response.

you will not see Me again
Here, Jesus is addressing the people of Jerusalem, specifically the religious leaders who have rejected Him. The Greek word "ὄψησθε" (opsesthe) means "to see" or "to perceive." This implies not just physical sight but also spiritual recognition. Historically, this statement foreshadows the impending separation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders until a future time of reconciliation and recognition of His messianic role.

until you say
The word "ἕως" (heos) is used here, meaning "until" or "up to the point that." This indicates a conditional future event. Jesus is pointing to a time when the people will acknowledge Him in a new way. It suggests a period of waiting and transformation, where the current rejection will turn into acceptance.

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’
This phrase is a direct quotation from Psalm 118:26, a messianic psalm that was traditionally sung during the Passover. The Greek word "εὐλογημένος" (eulogemenos) means "blessed" or "praised." It signifies a recognition of divine favor and authority. In the context of Jesus' ministry, this acknowledgment is prophetic, pointing to His second coming when He will be universally recognized as the Messiah. Historically, this phrase was shouted by the crowds during Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9), but here it takes on a future fulfillment, indicating a time when the nation of Israel will fully embrace Jesus as their Savior and King.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this verse, addressing the people of Jerusalem and the religious leaders. He is the central figure in the New Testament, the Messiah, and the Son of God.

2. Jerusalem
The city to which Jesus is speaking. It holds significant religious importance as the center of Jewish worship and the location of the Temple.

3. Religious Leaders
The Pharisees and scribes whom Jesus addresses in Matthew 23. They are criticized for their hypocrisy and failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

4. The Coming of the Lord
Refers to the future recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, which will occur when the people of Jerusalem acknowledge Him with the words, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

5. Psalm 118:26
The Old Testament reference Jesus quotes, which is a messianic psalm often associated with the coming of the Messiah.
Teaching Points
Recognition of Jesus as Messiah
This verse underscores the necessity of recognizing Jesus as the Messiah for true spiritual sight and understanding.

Prophetic Fulfillment
Jesus' words point to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, reinforcing the continuity and reliability of Scripture.

Repentance and Acceptance
The call to say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," is an invitation to repentance and acceptance of Jesus' lordship.

Hope for Future Restoration
Despite the current rejection, there is hope for future restoration and acceptance of Jesus by the Jewish people.

Urgency of the Gospel
This passage reminds believers of the urgency to share the Gospel, as recognition of Jesus is essential for salvation.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the context of Matthew 23 help us understand Jesus' lament over Jerusalem in verse 39?

2. In what ways does Psalm 118:26 enhance our understanding of Jesus' statement in Matthew 23:39?

3. How can we apply the call to recognize Jesus as the Messiah in our daily lives and interactions with others?

4. What does this verse teach us about the importance of prophecy and its fulfillment in the New Testament?

5. How can we, as believers, participate in the hope and prayer for the future recognition of Jesus by all people, including the Jewish community?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 118:26
This verse is directly quoted by Jesus, emphasizing the messianic expectation and the acknowledgment of Jesus as the Messiah.

Matthew 21:9
The crowd's acclamation during Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where they also say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," showing a partial fulfillment of this prophecy.

Luke 13:35
A parallel passage where Jesus laments over Jerusalem and repeats the same prophecy, highlighting the importance of this message.

Zechariah 12:10
A prophecy about the future recognition and mourning for the one they have pierced, which aligns with the eventual acknowledgment of Jesus as the Messiah.
Judgment and MercyJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 23:29-39
Christ the Refuge for the DestituteG. Everard, M. A.Matthew 23:37-39
Christ's Pity for the SinnerB. F. Palmer, D. DMatthew 23:37-39
Christ's Protection RejectedPresident Davies.Matthew 23:37-39
Compassion of Jesus Towards the GuiltyB. Beddome, M. A.Matthew 23:37-39
God's Continual CallsJ. Vaughan, M. A.Matthew 23:37-39
God's Gracious Dealings with SinnersJ. Burns, LL. D.Matthew 23:37-39
Judgment in TearsDr. J. HarrisMatthew 23:37-39
O JerusalemJ. Dixon, D. D.Matthew 23:37-39
Of God's Free Grace and Man's Free WillW. Perkins.Matthew 23:37-39
Privilege and DutyJ. J. Sargent., President Davies.Matthew 23:37-39
Relationship Between the Lord and His PeopleH. W. Beecher.Matthew 23:37-39
The Invitation RefusedJ. Vaughan, M. A.Matthew 23:37-39
Why the Divine Invitation is RefusedJ. Vaughan, M. A.Matthew 23:37-39
Willingness to SaveW. Cadman, M. A.Matthew 23:37-39
People
Abel, Barachias, Berechiah, Hen, Jesus, Zachariah, Zacharias, Zechariah
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Blessed, Blessing, Henceforth, Till, Wise
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 23:39

     1335   blessing

Matthew 23:13-39

     2318   Christ, as prophet

Matthew 23:37-39

     5541   society, negative
     7241   Jerusalem, significance

Library
The Morality of the Gospel.
Is stating the morality of the Gospel as an argument of its truth, I am willing to admit two points; first, that the teaching of morality was not the primary design of the mission; secondly, that morality, neither in the Gospel, nor in any other book, can be a subject, properly speaking, of discovery. If I were to describe in a very few words the scope of Christianity as a revelation, [49] I should say that it was to influence the conduct of human life, by establishing the proof of a future state
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Christianity Misunderstood by Believers.
Meaning of Christian Doctrine, Understood by a Minority, has Become Completely Incomprehensible for the Majority of Men-- Reason of this to be Found in Misinterpretation of Christianity and Mistaken Conviction of Believers and Unbelievers Alike that they Understand it--The Meaning of Christianity Obscured for Believers by the Church--The First Appearance of Christ's Teaching--Its Essence and Difference from Heathen Religions-- Christianity not Fully Comprehended at the Beginning, Became More and
Leo Tolstoy—The Kingdom of God is within you

First Attempts on Jerusalem.
Jesus, almost every year, went to Jerusalem for the feast of the passover. The details of these journeys are little known, for the synoptics do not speak of them,[1] and the notes of the fourth Gospel are very confused on this point.[2] It was, it appears, in the year 31, and certainly after the death of John, that the most important of the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem took place. Many of the disciples followed him. Although Jesus attached from that time little value to the pilgrimage, he conformed
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

For which Cause Our Lord Himself Also with his Own Mouth Saith...
4. For which cause our Lord Himself also with His own mouth saith, "Cleanse what are within, and what are without will be clean." [1813] And, also, in another place, when He was refuting the foolish speeches of the Jews, in that they spake evil against His disciples, eating with unwashen hands; "Not what entereth into the mouth," said He, "defileth the man: but what cometh forth out of the mouth, that defileth the man." [1814] Which sentence, if the whole of it be taken of the mouth of the body,
St. Augustine—On Continence

Relation of the Pharisees to the Sadducees and Essenes, and to the Gospel of Christ
On taking a retrospective view of Pharisaism, as we have described it, there is a saying of our Lord which at first sight seems almost unaccountable. Yet it is clear and emphatic. "All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do" (Matt 23:3). But if the early disciples were not to break at once and for ever with the Jewish community, such a direction was absolutely needful. For, though the Pharisees were only "an order," Pharisaism, like modern Ultramontanism, had not only become
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Among the People, and with the Pharisees
It would have been difficult to proceed far either in Galilee or in Judaea without coming into contact with an altogether peculiar and striking individuality, differing from all around, and which would at once arrest attention. This was the Pharisee. Courted or feared, shunned or flattered, reverently looked up to or laughed at, he was equally a power everywhere, both ecclesiastically and politically, as belonging to the most influential, the most zealous, and the most closely-connected religions
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The General Service to a Prophet.
At the Vespers, for O Lord, I have cried, the Stichera, Tone 4. Similar to: Called from above... Thou that hast in the purity of thy mind received the reflex of the God-emitted light and wast the herald of the divine words and seer and divine prophet, thou appearedst as the God-moved mouth of the Spirit, conveying that which was shewn by Him unto thee, O all-honoured (mentioned by name), and declaring unto all the peoples the salvation that was being granted and the Kingdom of Christ; do entreat
Anonymous—The General Menaion

Of the Power of Making Laws. The Cruelty of the Pope and his Adherents, in this Respect, in Tyrannically Oppressing and Destroying Souls.
1. The power of the Church in enacting laws. This made a source of human traditions. Impiety of these traditions. 2. Many of the Papistical traditions not only difficult, but impossible to be observed. 3. That the question may be more conveniently explained, nature of conscience must be defined. 4. Definition of conscience explained. Examples in illustration of the definition. 5. Paul's doctrine of submission to magistrates for conscience sake, gives no countenance to the Popish doctrine of the obligation
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Hints to Teachers and Questions for Pupils
Teacher's Apparatus.--English theology has no juster cause for pride than the books it has produced on the Life of Paul. Perhaps there is no other subject in which it has so outdistanced all rivals. Conybeare and Howson's Life and Epistles of St. Paul will probably always keep the foremost place; in many respects it is nearly perfect; and a teacher who has mastered it will be sufficiently equipped for his work and require no other help. The works of Lewin and Farrar are written on the same lines;
James Stalker et al—The Life of St. Paul

On Attending the Church Service
"The sin of the young men was very great." 1 Sam. 2:17. 1. The corruption, not only of the heathen world, but likewise of them that were called Christians, has been matter of sorrow and lamentation to pious men, almost from the time of the apostles. And hence, as early as the second century, within a hundred years of St. John's removal from the earth, men who were afraid of being partakers of other men's sins, thought it their duty to separate from them. Hence, in every age many have retired from
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Machinations of the Enemies of Jesus.
Jesus passed the autumn and a part of the winter at Jerusalem. This season is there rather cold. The portico of Solomon, with its covered aisles, was the place where he habitually walked.[1] This portico consisted of two galleries, formed by three rows of columns, and covered by a ceiling of carved wood.[2] It commanded the valley of Kedron, which was doubtless less covered with debris than it is at the present time. The depth of the ravine could not be measured, from the height of the portico; and
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Early Ministry in Judea
113. We owe to the fourth gospel our knowledge of the fact that Jesus began his general ministry in Jerusalem. The silence of the other records concerning this beginning cannot discredit the testimony of John. For these other records themselves indicate in various ways that Jesus had repeatedly sought to win Jerusalem before his final visit at the end of his life (compare Luke xiii. 34; Matt. xxiii. 37). Moreover, the fourth gospel is confirmed by the probability, rising almost to necessity, that
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

The Crossing of the Jordan
THE CROSSING OF THE JORDAN Just how did you feel at the time you were sanctified? I have heard some tell of how the holy fire of the Spirit seemed to go all through them. Others have told of a deeper, more complete peace. Some have shouted for joy. Others have wept for joy. And I am wondering how one ought to feel. Can you tell me? And how can I know that I am consecrated? Every teacher of entire sanctification that I ever heard says that the consecration must be complete; but how am I to know when
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan

Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Letter Xliv Concerning the Maccabees but to whom Written is Unknown.
Concerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [69] He relies to the question why the Church has decreed a festival to the Maccabees alone of all the righteous under the ancient law. 1. Fulk, Abbot of Epernay, had already written to ask me the same question as your charity has addressed to your humble servant by Brother Hescelin. I have put off replying to him, being desirous to find, if possible, some statement in the Fathers about this which was asked, which I might send to him, rather
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Number and Order of the Separate Books.
The number of the books was variously estimated. Josephus gives twenty-two, which was the usual number among Christian writers in the second, third, and fourth centuries, having been derived perhaps from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Origen, Jerome, and others have it. It continued longest among the teachers of the Greek Church, and is even in Nicephorus's stichometry.(83) The enumeration in question has Ruth with Judges, and Lamentations with Jeremiah. In Epiphanius(84) the number twenty-seven
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Elucidations.
I. (Who first propounded these heresies, p. 11.) Hippolytus seems to me to have felt the perils to the pure Gospel of many admissions made by Clement and other Alexandrian doctors as to the merits of some of the philosophers of the Gentiles. Very gently, but with prescient genius, he adopts this plan of tracing the origin and all the force of heresies to "philosophy falsely so called." The existence of this "cloud of locusts" is (1) evidence of the antagonism of Satan; (2) of the prophetic spirit
Hippolytus.—The Refutation of All Heresies

"The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

We are not Binding Heavy Burdens and Laying them Upon Your Shoulders...
37. We are not binding heavy burdens and laying them upon your shoulders, while we with a finger will not touch them. Seek out, and acknowledge the labor of our occupations, and in some of us the infirmities of our bodies also, and in the Churches which we serve, that custom now grown up, that they do not suffer us to have time ourselves for those works to which we exhort you. For though we might say, "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the
St. Augustine—Of the Work of Monks.

Repentance and Impenitence.
In the discussion of this subject I shall show,-- I. What repentance is not. 1. The Bible everywhere represents repentance as a virtue, and as constituting a change of moral character; consequently, it cannot be a phenomenon of the intelligence: that is, it cannot consist in conviction of sin, nor in any intellectual apprehension of our guilt or ill-desert. All the states or phenomena of the intelligence are purely passive states of mind, and of course moral character, strictly speaking, cannot be
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Second Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to Brotherly Love.
Text: 1 John 3, 13-18. 13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

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