34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 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. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. (Matthew 23:34-36 KJV)
Guilty of the Blood of the Prophets
We have left the blind leaders fallen into the ditch, under Christ’s sentence, into the damnation of hell; now let us see what will become of the blind followers—the Jewish people, particularly Jerusalem.
Jesus Christ still offers them the means of grace: “I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes” (Matthew 23:34). The connection is striking—after declaring them a generation of vipers doomed to hell, one might expect him to say, “Therefore, no prophet shall be sent to you.” Instead, he says, “Therefore, I will send them,” either to bring them to repentance or to leave them without excuse.
Christ declares his divine authority: “I send them” (Matthew 23:34). He, as God, has the power to appoint prophets. Though he appears lowly now, he acts as King, sending ambassadors to deal with human souls. He sends them first to the Jews: “I send them to you” (Matthew 23:34). The gospel was first offered to them. Those he sends are called prophets, wise men, and scribes—titles from the Old Testament, now applied to New Testament ministers. The extraordinary ministers, divinely inspired, were like prophets; the settled teachers guiding the church were like wise men and scribes.
Yet he foresees their rejection: “Some of them you will kill and crucify” (Matthew 23:34). Christ knows the suffering his messengers will endure but still sends them, for their sufferings will glorify him, and they will be rewarded.
The Jews would cruelly persecute Christ’s messengers, as he foretold: “You shall kill and crucify them.” Their thirst for blood was evident—they killed the two Jameses, crucified Simon the son of Cleophas, and scourged Peter and John. In this, the members partook in the sufferings of their Head, for Christians must not give up their faith even to the shedding of their blood. The Jewish persecution of Christians would also be relentless: “You shall persecute them from city to city.” Wherever the apostles traveled to preach, the Jews pursued them and stirred up opposition. They scourged them in their synagogues, claiming it was for God’s glory.
Because the Jews imitate their ancestors’ sins, Jesus imputes the sin of their ancestors to them: “That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth” (Matthew 23:35). Though God is patient, his justice will not wait forever. He begins the account from Abel’s blood and extends it to Zechariah, the son of Barachias, slain between the temple and the altar. Though not of their time, they shared the same spirit as his murderers.
Jesus pronounced the effect of their evil deeds, saying, “All these things shall come upon this generation.” This means the misery coming upon them shall be so great that it will seem like being punished for all the wickedness of their ancestors. The destruction shall be so dreadful, as if God were once and for all punishing them for all the righteous blood shed in the world. It shall come upon this generation, meaning it shall come quickly—some of them would live to see it.