Matthew 23:35-36
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. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just listing historical martyrs; he's emphasizing that the violence against God's messengers is a continuous, unbroken chain from the very beginning. By stretching this history from Abel, the first martyr, to Zechariah, the last recorded in the Old Testament before the Babylonian exile (and even then, the location of his death between the sanctuary and the altar is highly significant), Jesus powerfully indicts this generation for inheriting and perpetuating this murderous legacy.
Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, denouncing their hypocrisy and their persistent rejection of God's messengers throughout history. He declares that their current generation will be held accountable for all the innocent blood shed from the beginning of time, including the murder of righteous figures like Abel and Zechariah, who was killed between the temple and the altar. This condemnation foreshadows the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which will be a consequence of their ongoing rebellion against God.
Jesus points to a staggering accumulation of violence. Who is responsible for all the blood spilled throughout history?
In Matthew 23:35, Jesus declares that the guilt for 'all the righteous blood shed on earth' will 'come upon' the current generation of Jewish leaders. This isn't just about their personal sins, but about their corporate responsibility as the spiritual and political leaders of Israel. They are seen as inheritors and continuers of a long, tragic legacy of rejecting and killing God's messengers.
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The place of worship, the very heart of Israel's devotion, becomes the scene of a horrific crime. What does this location signify?
Jesus' specific mention of Zechariah being murdered 'between the sanctuary and the altar' is incredibly significant. This wasn't just any murder; it happened in the sacred precincts of the Temple itself.
Understand the original words
dikaiou · Greek Adjective
One who lives in conformity to God’s will, justified by faith, and whose life bears the fruit of divine truth.
naou · Greek Noun
The innermost part of the temple, the holy place representing the dwelling of God’s presence among His people.
thysiastēriou · Greek Noun
The place of sacrifice where atonement is made; symbolically, it represents the meeting point between a holy God and sinful humanity.
genea · Greek Noun
The period of time or the contemporary group of people to whom a specific prophetic message or judgment applies.
Jesus' lament over Jerusalem, invoking the lineage of bloodshed from Abel to Zechariah, emphasizes that the current generation is inheriting and will be held accountable for a long history of rejecting God's messengers, culminating in their rejection and condemnation of Jesus himself.
~3100 BC
Murder of Abel
Cain, filled with jealousy, murders his brother Abel, marking the first shedding of innocent blood on earth. This event establishes a tragic precedent for human violence and its consequences.
c. 870 BC
Murder of Zechariah, Son of Jehoiada
The prophet Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, is stoned to death in the temple court for rebuking the people's sin. This act of violence within sacred precincts highlights the deep corruption of the era.
c. AD 30
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Jesus drives out merchants and money changers from the temple courts, denouncing their commercialization of worship. This act escalates tensions with the religious authorities.
AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry and Conflict
Jesus engages in a period of intense teaching and healing, frequently confronting the scribes and Pharisees. His critiques of their hypocrisy and warnings of judgment culminate in his final week in Jerusalem.
AD 33
Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem
Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly, then delivers powerful condemnations of the religious leaders in the temple. This culminates in his prediction of the temple's destruction.
AD 70
Destruction of the Second Temple
The Roman army besieges and destroys Jerusalem and its Second Temple, fulfilling Jesus' prophecies. This event signifies a catastrophic judgment upon the city and its people.
This passage describes the very first instance of righteous blood being shed, the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, establishing the long and tragic history of violence that Jesus is alluding to.
2 Chronicles 24:20-22This account details the stoning of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, in the temple court, a pivotal moment of prophetic defiance and martyrdom that Jesus likely referenced, even with the slight name variation.
Luke 11:50-51This parallel passage in Luke explicitly links the shedding of righteous blood from Abel to Zechariah with the judgment that will fall upon the current generation, reinforcing Matthew's account.
Matthew 27:25The people's cry, 'His blood be on us and on our children!', directly echoes Jesus' pronouncement in Matthew 23:35, showing the generation's acceptance of responsibility for the blood of Jesus and all the righteous who came before.
Jeremiah 7:29-34Jeremiah prophesied against Jerusalem for its corrupt worship and the shedding of innocent blood within the very temple precincts, a theme Jesus picks up when condemning the city's continued violence against God's messengers.
vincentMatthew 23:35: "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."
Temple (ναοῦ)Rev., rightly, sanctuary. See on Matthew 4:5. Zechariah was slain between the temple proper and the altar of burnt-offering, in the priests' court.
calvinMatthew 23:29-39: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,"
- Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets and embellish the monuments of the righteous, 30. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their associates in the blood of the prophets. 31. Thus you testify against yourselves, that you are the children of thos…
Jesus isn't just listing historical martyrs; he's emphasizing that the violence against God's messengers is a continuous, unbroken chain from the very beginning. By stretching this history from Abel, the first martyr, to Zechariah, the last recorded in the Old Testament before the Babylonian exile (and even then, the location of his death between the sanctuary and the altar is highly significant), Jesus powerfully indicts this generation for inheriting and perpetuating this murderous legacy.
Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, denouncing their hypocrisy and their persistent rejection of God's messengers throughout history. He declares that their current generation will be held accountable for all the innocent blood shed from the beginning of time, including the murder of righteous figures like Abel and Zechariah, who was killed between the temple and the altar. This condemnation foreshadows the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which will be a consequence of their ongoing rebellion against God.
Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, denouncing their hypocrisy and their persistent rejection of God's messengers throughout history. He declares that their current generation will be held accountable for all the innocent blood shed from the beginning of time, including the murder of righteous figures like Abel and Zechariah, who was killed between the temple and the altar. This condemnation foreshadows the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which will be a consequence of their ongoing rebellion against God.
"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. Truly, I say to you, all these things wi…" — Jesus isn't just listing historical martyrs; he's emphasizing that the violence against God's messengers is a continuous, unbroken chain from the very beginning. By stretching this history from Abel,…
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