Daily Writing

Sunday, 1 November 2026

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Matthew 23:37

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).

“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The ‘killing the prophets’ and ‘stoning those having been sent to her’! How often I willed to upon-gather the ‘children, yours’, which way ‘upon-gathers, hen’ the ‘chicks, hers’ under the wings, and not you willed.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that all the things He said would come upon “this generation.” The meaning of “this generation” was not detailed in that verse, but an explanation of it begins to be seen in this verse. Jesus starts with, “Jerusalem! Jerusalem!”

This is a standard type of Hebraism where repetition forms a strong stress. Calling out the name of the city in this manner sets an unambiguous definition of whom He is referring to. The form of the name is different than that used eleven times already in Matthew. Rather, this is probably the exact term Jesus used. It is the transliterated Aramaic form of the name, Ierousalém. It is the form commonly employed by Luke.

Jerusalem is the seat of power within the nation. Those who rule from Jerusalem, then, are the focus of what Jesus will say. Of this city, meaning those who rule from it, He says, “The ‘killing the prophets’ and ‘stoning those having been sent to her’!”

Jesus personifies the city, using it as emblematic of those within her who actually do what He ascribes to it. The people of Jerusalem had rejected the words of the prophets. They had treated them shamefully and resorted to killing them. Some of this is highlighted by the author of Hebrews –

“Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword.” Hebrews 11:36, 37

Although the author of Hebrews is not specifically speaking of only Jerusalem, his words describe the general treatment that faithful followers of the Lord faced. The words of Jesus mirror what He said in the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers found in Matthew 21.

Jerusalem, being the capital and place of the king, was the key city in which such treatment took place. Despite their treatment of the people of God, Jesus continues His address to the city, saying, “How often I willed to upon-gather the ‘children, yours’.”

A new word is seen here, episunagó, to upon-gather. It is derived from epi, upon, and sunagó, to lead or gather together. Thayer’s says, “to gather besides, to bring together to others already assembled.” One can think of gathering together and then heaping more into the gathering.

Jesus clearly indicates preexistence, and thus deity, with these words. How could He otherwise have been present to desire such a thing? But His words indicate that He is the Lord, Yehovah of the Hebrew Scriptures, having come in human form.

One can see Him having pled with the city for eons, sending prophets with messages and petitions for them to turn and call out to Him. Continuing, He describes the manner in which He willed to upon-gather them, saying, “which way ‘upon-gathers, hen’ the ‘chicks, hers’ under the wings.”

Three more new words are seen. The first is tropos, a turn and thus, by implication, a manner, mode, way, or style. The next word is ornis, a bird, especially a hen. It will only be seen here and in a comparable exclamation in Luke 13:34. The third word is nossion, a birdling. In this case, it refers to the chicks of a hen. The last word is pterux, a wing, coming from petomai, to fly.

A hen will gather her chicks under her wings to keep them safe, protect them from predators and the elements, etc. Jesus states that this is how He desired the people of Jerusalem to be to Him, again, clearly indicating preexistence. The Lord of the Hebrew Scriptures had reached out to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, begging them for a right and loving relationship. However, Jesus next says, “and not you willed.”

No matter how many times the Lord sent prophets to correct the people, they went about their evil ways, rejecting His word, ignoring Him except through lip service, and they greedily lived their lives as they saw fit, regardless of His care for them.

In His incarnation, He came to them, more perfectly expressing the love of God than had ever been done before. The Lord was willing to suffer the indignity of wearing the garments of humanity, coming in the likeness of fallen man to demonstrate the pure love of God for His children. And yet, they rejected Him, crucified Him, and continue to deny Him two thousand years later.

Life application: Who can truly understand the magnificence of what God has done in sending Jesus? And who can truly understand the blackness of the human heart to ignore what He has done, speaking against it, spitting on the thought of it, and condemning God with our lips for His having humbled Himself through the incarnation and Christ’s death on the cross?

And more, Jesus rose again, proving that it is God who had done it. Despite this, the world continues to speak against God, refusing to accept the marvelous gift of grace that has been poured out on us.

Even in churches around the world where people claim Jesus’ name, they deny Him and His work by relying on observing the Law of Moses to obtain God’s favor. It is as if what Jesus did is reprehensible to them. And so they ignore it and set about to establish their own righteousness before God.

May we learn to trust God, holding fast to what He alone has done in the giving of Jesus. Let us take ourselves and our pitiful attempts to merit His favor out of the salvation equation. May we rest solely and completely in the merits of Jesus Christ for our righteousness before God.

Lord God, help us to set aside any thought of meriting Your favor. May we place our full trust and hope in the work of Jesus Christ, knowing that it alone can restore us to You. May it be so, to Your glory. Amen.

Saturday, 31 October 2026

Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Matthew 23:36

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).

“Amen, I say to you, it will arrive, these all, upon the ‘generation, this’.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that all the righteous blood shed on the earth would come upon them. He then mentioned the blood of righteous Abel to that of ‘Zechariah, son, blessed of Yah’. He next says as a solemn declaration, “Amen, I say to you, it will arrive, these all, upon the ‘generation, this’.”

Jesus is the Lord. He has solemnly proclaimed that the punishment for the guilt of these men of Israel would come upon them, meaning all of “this generation.” But that must be defined. What does “this generation” mean? Most tie this in with the destruction of the temple in AD70. And it is true that took place as prophesied by Jesus in His words concerning the sign of Jonah.

But a generation is simply a period of time. It can be the span of a man’s life, or it can be a set period or designation without regard to time. For example, in Matthew 17, it says –

“Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’” Matthew 17:17

His words identify them as a “generation of unbelief.” In Philippians 2, Paul does something similar, saying –

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” Philippians 2:14-16

Paul speaks of the entire church age, whatever its duration is, as being surrounded by those of a crooked and perverse generation. As to what Jesus is referring to, the words must extend beyond the destruction of the temple. The temple was destroyed as a part of the punishments of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

As such, it would logically follow that the generation referred to by Jesus is the entire span of the time of those curses. Indeed, this will be seen to be exactly what Jesus is referring to in the final verses of Chapter 23.

Life application: In Hebrews 3, the author calls those who perished in the wilderness “that generation.” It was an entire period of time that covered from their rejection of entrance into the land in Numbers 14 until the nation entered Canaan by passing through the Jordan in Joshua 3 & 4.

The period typologically refers to the generation that rejected Christ, from the time of the resurrection until the time that they, as a nation, enter into the New Covenant by faith in Christ. This typology is exact, and it covers the present time, which has gone on for two thousand years. Someday, that generation will end, replacing their unbelief with faith in Christ.

To understand the words of Jesus in the gospels, one must understand the entire panorama of what God is doing in typology in the Old Testament. And more, one must understand and stick to the dispensational model. Mixing dispensations will cause confusion in one’s theology.

Jesus is speaking to Israel under the law in Matthew 23. There is not a hint of the Gentile-led church age in what He says. This is true with Matthew 24 as well. If you get this wrong, then of course your entire understanding of eschatology will be wrong. It is why there are those who hold to mid- or post-tribulation rapture. They have mishandled God’s word.

Be careful not to mix dispensations. In this, you will do well. Check the context and stick within the parameters as they are laid out in that context. This is the sweet spot in understanding what is going on in Scripture.

Lord God, may our doctrine be in accord with Your word. Help us to keep things in their intended context. By doing this, we won’t be leading people down odd paths of biblical interpretation. May we always strive to honor You by properly interpreting Your word. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Friday, 30 October 2026

that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Matthew 23:35

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).

“That it should come upon you all ‘blood, righteous’ being outpoured upon the earth, from the ‘blood, Abel, the righteous’ until the ‘blood, Zechariah, son, blessed of Yah’ whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that He would send them prophets, wise men, and scribes, noting that they would crucify some, and some they would scourge or persecute. He next explicitly states what the result of this will be, saying, “That it should come upon you all ‘blood, righteous’ being outpoured upon the earth.”

The meaning of “upon you” is the bloodguilt of the righteous who had been killed. There is a constant stream of the righteous being killed in the pages of Scripture. The Jews had confirmed that they are the sons of those who had done those things through their building of tombs and adorning sepulchers. Thus, there was an admission by them of the connection to the guilt of that outpoured blood.

Jesus says that the judgment and punishment for this was to come upon them. This includes the bloodguilt of every single such person in the Hebrew Scriptures, as witnessed by His next words, which begin with, “from the ‘blood, Abel, the righteous’.”

Abel is introduced here in the New Testament. His name is from havel, vanity, or emptiness. Abel was the first person recorded as having been killed in the Bible. The record of it is found in Genesis 4:8 –

“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

Jesus calls Abel “the righteous” because he did what was right by bringing an offering in faith before the presence of the Lord. Jesus’ all-inclusive list goes “until the ‘blood, Zechariah, son, blessed of Yah’.”

The record of this name has given as much difficulty to the narrative as anything found in the book of Matthew. Jesus is detailing a list of people noted in Scripture by using a “first and last” reference, which sit as bookends to the entire list of those who logically fall between them.

The Hebrew canon does not end with Malachi, as does the common Christian canon of the Old Testament. Rather, the Hebrew Scriptures go from Genesis to Chronicles (1 & 2 Chronicles are considered one book). The last martyr noted in the book of Chronicles is found in 2 Chronicles 24 –

“Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, ‘Thus says God: “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.”’ ²¹ So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 24:20, 21

Thus, Jesus’ listing implies every person between and including these two men. The problem in Matthew is that he says Zechariah the son of Berechiah, not Jehoiada. The only Zechariah, son of Berechiah, is the prophet Zechariah who wrote the book of Zechariah (see Zechariah 1:1 and 1:7).

Because of this, various suggestions have arisen. The standard liberal suggestion is that this is an error in the text. Some say it is a later interpolation by some unknown scribe. Some say this is the same as Zechariah, son of Baruch, mentioned by Josephus.

That is obviously wrong because Baruch and Berechiah are not the same name. It would further blow the obvious structure of Jesus’ words being an all-inclusive list from Genesis to Chronicles. Further, Josephus’ writings date after the time of Jesus. We know that Jesus is making such an all-inclusive list because of His final words, “whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.”

Jesus makes this murder of Zechariah the closing death recorded in His all-inclusive list. It is a summary His audience would have understood perfectly. But because the name is not the same, the difficulty remains. Therefore, other suggestions have been given, none of which seem to explain the intent. This is because they are tying the name to a genealogy.

However, in the Bible, a son does not always refer to a genealogical identity between a father (or greater ancestor) and a child. Rather, the word son is just as commonly used to signify identity, such as “son of murderers,” “son of death,” “son of God,” etc.

Both names, Zechariah and Berechiah, are introduced here. Zechariah is from zakar, to remember, or zakar, a male, and Yah, a shortened form of Yehovah. The name means Remembered of the Lord, Yah Remembers, Male of Yah, or something similar.

Berechiah comes from berek, the knee, and Yah. The noun berek corresponds to the verb barak, to bless. The reason is that a blessing comes from a position of kneeling, either as an act of adoration or as a benefit.

For example, it says in Genesis 1:22 that God blessed (barak) the creatures, telling them to be fruitful and multiply. Thus, there is benefit bestowed as if kneeling took place. To resolve the issue of Jesus’ words, note that Abel is defined by an identity. Jesus called him righteous. Zechariah is also identified not by his father’s name, but as being a “son of ‘blessed of Yah’.”

Thus, this does not have to be a proper name at all. Rather, it is a proclamation of identity. In translating the name, the difficulty is removed. It also provides a suitable parallel to the identity of Abel to explain Jesus’ intent –

From:
the ‘blood, Abel, the righteous’
until –
the ‘blood, Zechariah, son, blessed of Yah’

Life application: There are difficulties in Scripture, but there is no reason to take the immediate and default position that so many do and assume there is an error. The explanation for the difficulty is that this verse forms a parallel structure, something common in the Bible. It is a way of highlighting a matter to be considered.

Abel, who was considered only vanity by his mother at his birth, was considered righteous by God in his death. Zechariah, Yah Remembers, was considered blessed of Yah in his death. No such blood spilled will be forgotten by God, and all wrongdoing will be judged by Him.

Lord God, thank You that regardless of how the world views Your people, You not only know them, but because of their faith, they are considered righteous before You. Being righteous, we are blessed by You with the surety of being raised to eternal life. Thank You for the assurances we possess in Christ! Amen.

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.