Daily Writing

Thursday, 29 October 2026

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, Matthew 23:34

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Through this, you behold! I, I send to you prophets, and wise, and scribes. From them you will kill, and you will crucify, and from them you will flog in the ‘synagogues, yours’, and you will pursue from town to town.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees a brood of vipers, asking how they thought they could escape the condemnation of hell. He continues, saying, “Through this, you behold! I, I send to you prophets, and wise, and scribes.”

These are general terms His audience would understand. Therefore, there does not need to be a direct correlation to the terms in the New Testament, or Jesus’ words are somehow suspect. For example, the scribe is not a term associated with any person or believers in the epistles.

Rather, these identifiers can be seen fulfilled in the apostles and disciples later described in the New Testament. For example, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 1 –

“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”1 Corinthians 1:20, 21

Jesus continues, saying, “From them you will kill, and you will crucify, and from them you will flog in the ‘synagogues, yours’.” There is evidence of these things to some degree in the New Testament. In later history, there are accounts of crucifixions, like that of Peter. However, this was not done by the Jews.

Jesus’ words are to be taken as a note to these men that what He said earlier was true. They were the sons of those who murdered the prophets, and the same seed that lived in their fathers lived in them. They would take the same righteous type of people as their fathers killed, and they would continue the slaughter until the cup of guilt was filled up.

The verse finishes with, “and you will pursue from town to town.” This certainly describes Paul’s conduct as recorded in Acts. He pursued Christians in this manner not only in Israel, but outside the land as well. In Acts 26, he says –

“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Acts 26:9-11

Life application: The persecution of Christians within the Jewish nation continued until the destruction of the temple. Since that time, there has been a wall of enmity built up between Christians and Jews. In some cases, it is just in their thinking and not outwardly.

In some cases, the enmity has manifested itself in physical harm. There has also been hatred of the Jews that has manifested itself in persecution that wasn’t really Christian in nature, even if it is blamed on the overall umbrella of the sphere of Christian nations. For example, Germany was predominantly a Christian nation at the time of the holocaust.

In Israel today, the enmity still exists. Jews who come to Christ are hounded by religious Jews. They get unwelcome surprises on their doorsteps, protests are held at their musical gatherings, they are spit on by observant Jews, and a great deal of anger is directed towards them. As such, Jesus’ words continue to find their fulfillment in Israel today. That will be evident as the chapter continues.

So deep is the hatred of Jesus in the public mind that when a mural was done of the most prominent Jews in their history and placed on display at Ben-Gurion Airport, the most famous Jew of all, Jesus, was completely ignored in the panorama. His inclusion would have been the epitome of offense to the vast majority of those who stopp to view it.

Someday, this enmity will be over. Until then, however, many troubles will come upon the nation. Israel is on a journey back to her Lord, but they will not make it until they call on Him. His name is Yeshua, Jesus.

Heavenly Father, You have displayed Your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. We know that someday all people will come and bow the knee before Him. We pray for the day when all people finally see and understand what You have done. May that day be soon. Amen.

Wednesday, 28 October 2026

Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Matthew 23:33

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Serpents! ‘Offspring, vipers’! How might you flee from the ‘judgment, the Gehenna’?” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees to fill up the measure of their fathers’ guilt. He continues, saying, “Serpents! ‘Offspring, vipers’!”

The ophis, serpent, is derived from optanomai, to appear, as in being seen. The serpent thus has keenness of vision. Figuratively, it refers to an artfully malicious person. Thus, he is Satan-like. Saying next that they are the offspring of vipers adds another level of wickedness.

The words take the mind back to the temptation and fall of man in the early Genesis account. The main thought is that these men were Satan-like, being his spawn. They caused the people to sin, separating them from God.

They are the evil offspring of their evil parent, acting in crafty and malevolent ways. Because of this, Jesus continues, asking, “How might you flee from the ‘judgment, the Gehenna’?”

The question is rhetorical. As it stands, the answer is, “They shall not flee from it.” The thought matches the question found in Jeremiah 13:23 –

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.”

These men are like their father, who will not escape. They are born of their father, bearing his traits. They will receive his condemnation and sentence because of it.

Life application: Jesus knew the makeup of these men. He understood their motivations, intents, and methods. Calling them out for their conduct was probably less an appeal for them to repent than a surety of condemnation when judgment came. At that time, they would know the sentence was just. What was to become of them was told in advance. Thus, they could not say they didn’t have warning.

The Pharisees are like drug runners in a nation that has a mandatory death penalty for running drugs. Despite knowing the consequences, some will think, “I can get away with it.” And yet, they eventually find themselves dangling at the end of a rope, legs twitching.

Each of us has to ask if what we are doing is worth the consequences of our actions. Every wrong deed must be judged. Thankfully, for those in Christ, sin is no longer imputed. But there is still a time when we must appear before the Lord and “receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

There is no escaping what lies ahead. As such, we should be fixing our eyes on Jesus, and our minds should be set to be pleasing to Him. What little thing can we work on today to improve how we conduct our lives?

Think through your daily routine. What have you allowed to slip in your pursuit of the Lord? What has it been replaced with? How are your thoughts, and what are you focusing on? Little checkups like this may help redirect those things that have gotten away from you. So think about how you can get them back on a better track.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Heavenly Father, it is easy for our thoughts and minds to get misdirected. And it isn’t intentional. We look left and get distracted. We look right and get pulled away from what we should be doing. Help us to fix our gaze toward the prize of Your upward call in Christ Jesus. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Tuesday, 27 October 2026

Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Matthew 23:32

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And you, you must fill the measure, the ‘fathers, yours’.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they were witnesses against themselves that they are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Having done so, there is something left for their kind to do to bring about their desired reaction from God.

In other words, if these people believed the prophets were true, they would be abject fools to kill the prophets who were proclaiming the word of the Lord. But like the religious arrogant throughout time, they claim God while denying His power. The thought is reflected in Ezekiel 9 –

“Then He said to me, ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, “The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!”’” Ezekiel 9:9

Because of this disgraceful thinking, Jesus emphatically says to them using an imperative, “And you, you must fill the measure, the ‘fathers, yours’.”

These men are the sons of their fathers, meaning those who have killed the Lord’s prophets for centuries. With each act against the Lord, they are measuring up guilt and wrath that will someday be poured out on them for their iniquity. But with each incident seemingly ignored by the Lord because no response was forthcoming, they would push the matter a little further, testing to see if there would be a response.

They were like children poking at their parents to see how far they could go before getting a reaction. But the guilt was accumulating whether they knew it or not. This seemingly delayed judgment is seen in how the Lord dealt with the inhabitants of Canaan at the time of Abraham –

“Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’” Genesis 15:12-16

The Lord promised Abraham the land, but it would not come until its inhabitants had become too wicked to be allowed to continue. The Lord knew how long that would be and would use Israel to destroy them in judgment.

Jesus, in His words to these men, emphatically urges them to finish the job of their fathers. There is a measure that must be filled before it reaches the season for judgment. The cup was almost full, but they needed to do a little bit more before it overflowed and judgment would then be poured out.

This “little bit more” would be the crucifixion of Christ, His continued rejection, and the persecution and killing of His saints. With those things filled up in Israel, the Lord would call down their destruction.

Life application: One can see the same attitude in the people of the church today. There is a caving of moral principles. Churches are filled with the acceptance of other religions into their halls. There is immorality that increases in intensity almost weekly in some churches.

Homosexuals and lesbians have taken over leadership positions. The efficacy of the cross and resurrection is lambasted as foolish delusions, and any social nonsense that can be inculcated into the churches’ mission become priorities. The word of God is belittled, and the name of Jesus holds no honor on the lips or in the hearts of these wicked people.

And because the Lord doesn’t come and snatch the life out of them in an instant, they think He doesn’t care, or maybe He isn’t capable of defending His name. And so, they move from one act of defiance to another, testing Him and mocking Him in the process.

Someday they will have filled up the measure of their wickedness, and He will act. But having rejected the word, they misunderstand that God’s love restrains Him as He waits for the change to be in them –

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8, 9

People think God’s failure to act demonstrates a weakness. Some go so far as to say that God simply doesn’t exist. His failure to act proves it. Such people know nothing about the plans and purposes of God.

Lord God, may we never assume that You are not there or that You don’t care when our prayers seem to go unheard. Help us to remember that Your plans and timeline are what matter. Help us to patiently wait on Your timing. Amen.

Monday, 26 October 2026

“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Matthew 23:31

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Thus, you witness to yourselves that sons, you are – the ‘having murdered the prophets’.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted the “would have been” nature of the scribes and Pharisees who built tombs for the prophets and adorned the sepulchers of the righteous. They claimed that if they lived in those days, they would not have joined in the guilt of their blood. But Jesus notes that their actions speak against them, saying emphatically, “Thus, you witness to yourselves.”

The building and adorning they participated in were their own witness against them. Think of it. When the North won the Civil War, what did they do? They put up statues of those who won their battles. It was a witness to what they did.

The memorial battlefields at Gettysburg, Antietam, and elsewhere witness to the battles that took place. The statues erected there witness to who lived and who died, and who won and who lost.

The memorials from the South, honoring their generals and heroes, witness to the North’s acceptance that this was a national battle and that despite their victory, they were willing to allow the losing side to maintain its honor and dignity. Military bases and naval ships, to this day, have the names of heroes from both sides of the conflict. These things bear witness to what happened, who prevailed, who lost, and the gracious nature of the victors.

Understanding this, Jesus says, “that sons, you are – the ‘having murdered the prophets’.” The very fact that these men participated in the building and adornment of these tombs and sepulchers witnessed to the fact that they descended from those who were guilty of the blood of those men of the past.

They were taking an abstract structural outline of the deeds of their fathers and reshaping them into a tangible witness of what they had done. It is as if they were proclaiming, “My father was guilty of the blood of this prophet! This tomb bears witness to that. This is my way of atoning for what I would never have done.”

This is what such memorials are for. The problem is that these things do not atone for what the fathers did. Nor do they sever the connection between the fathers and the descendants. Rather, they more firmly establish it.

Life application: Today in Israel, there are monuments to the past that are set up, identifying events that took place, who took part in them, and when these things happened. One, for example, is a model of the temple where Jesus spent much of His last week before His crucifixion.

They testify to the events of the past in order to establish a connection to the present. The intent is that Israel can say, “We have a historical connection to this land. It was ours, and these things prove it.”

This is good because it establishes the truth denied by much of the world. But at the same time, the people are (maybe unwittingly) testifying that they are the people recorded in Scripture. Scripture validates the message of the coming Messiah. It also validates that when He came, He was rejected by His own people –

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” John 1:10, 11

This is fine if Jesus was just another Jew who claimed to be the Messiah and turned out to be false. He would be chalked up on the board of a list long enough to go buy a few more boards. However, if Jesus is the true Messiah, and the Bible bears witness to the truth that He is, then their claims to the land witness against them in this regard.

We cannot disassociate Jesus’ words from the context of them: He is speaking to Israel. They are under the Law of Moses. It is the week of Jesus’ Passion. He is about to be rejected and killed by the leaders. From there, the nation as a whole will follow suit, be destroyed, and exiled.

His addressees are sons of those who “denied and killed their Messiah” (Acts 2:23, etc.). They cannot have it both ways. Nor can we. We cannot say, “I support Israel” unless we have a valid reason to do so that is in line with what the Bible says about Jesus. If we say, “I support Israel because they are God’s people”, we must define what “God’s people” means.

It cannot mean that they are God’s chosen race for salvation at this time. Only Jesus saves. If they are those who rejected and killed Jesus, they cannot be His people for salvation. Those of the church who have received Jesus are in that category.

The Bible tells us exactly how Israel today fits into God’s plans. It tells us who they are in relation to God now and in the future. It tells us why these things are and when they will change. And these things, in turn, tell us of the gracious nature of God as well as His covenant-keeping faithfulness.

If you support the nation of Israel, you must explain it from a properly evaluated analysis of Scripture, or you are actually fighting against God’s purposes. And this is going on in far too many churches around the world.

Many are fighting against them by saying the Jews have been replaced and are permanently forsaken by God. On the other hand, many are fighting against them by calling them God’s chosen people without properly defining what that means. In both, harm to the exalted name of Jesus is the result. Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:31 testify to this.

Lord God, help us to be responsible, sober, and precise in how we deal with the name of Jesus. You sent Him to save. That will not take place if His name is not placed above all else in the hearts and minds of the people of the world. Help us in this, O God. Amen.

Sunday, 25 October 2026

and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Matthew 23:30

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And you say, ‘If we were in the ‘days, the fathers, us’, not if we were ‘sharers with them’ in the ‘blood, the prophets’.’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus began His eighth and final woe to the scribes and Pharisees, telling them that they built the tombs of the prophets and adorned the monuments of the righteous. He next says, “And you say, ‘If we were in the ‘days, the fathers, us’.’”

This is something we will do when we want to correct history. We will look back to a previous time and say, “Well, if I lived then, things would have been different.” The truth of the matter is that we didn’t live in those days, and we probably would not have done anything differently.

Rather, we have the cushion of time and the benefit of hindsight to rethink the past, giving us the ability to rationalize how we would have done things. Jesus knows this. He has stood and watched over human history since Adam. Therefore, He continues, saying, “not if we were ‘sharers with them’ in the ‘blood, the prophets’.”

A new word is seen here, koinónos, a sharer. Thus, it is an associate, companion, partaker, etc. It is from koinos, common (in possession). Thus, it is that which is shared by all or by several.

As for what Jesus says, this is the substance behind building the tombs and fixing up the sepulchers. It is a way of absolving oneself from what is now considered a failed part of the culture. In the Bible, there are recognized prophets, Isaiah or Jeremiah, for example.

There are also righteous people. Noah or Caleb could be considered as such. If something bad had been said about them or done to them, it would be considered appalling to those who came later. History has proven that what they did was proper according to their Scriptures. If they were maligned at some point, those in the present would want to make it up. This is what Jesus is referring to.

Life application: There are an innumerable number of instances of such things happening in our own countries today. In the UK and the US today, the fashionable idea is to remove statues of national heroes, replacing them with statues of people who may have suffered in the process as history unfolded.

The problem with this is that those whose statues are removed or defaced are often the ones who championed the cause of those who suffered. While those doing the destruction were on the side of those causing the harm to those who suffered.

In the UK, noted Christians are lambasted and held in contempt, but it is those Christians who ended slavery. Those on the other side may descend from the pro-slavery side, and yet they claim the moral upper hand and want to erase the truth from these pillars.

In the US, it was the Republican party who fought against slavery. It was the Christians who led slaves out of the South on the Underground Railroad. It was the democrats who fought to keep slavery.

To this day, democrats enslave blacks throughout the land by keeping them under government control in public housing, depriving them of the opportunity of becoming productive citizens through control of welfare and Medicare payments. It is not forced, but it is coerced slavery, nonetheless.

In the US, it was a democrat, Franklin Roosevelt, who signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, that led to the imprisonment of over a hundred thousand Japanese Americans. More than two-thirds of them were U.S. citizens. And yet, it is the democrat party that continually maligns their own country, saying they would never have agreed to what occurred.

If you want to know who is normally guilty in a matter, look for the one that makes the most noise against it later when things have gone back to normal. Stay away from such people. They are warped and depraved. They are unreasoning animals rushing headlong towards destruction.

This will become evident as Jesus continues His words to the religious leaders of Israel.

Lord God, may we carefully and rightly consider history, not being led astray by those who intend to manipulate the truth for their own perverse purposes. Help us to rightly consider the past so that we don’t fall into the same mistakes in the future. Amen.