{"id":44189,"date":"2019-07-27T21:30:39","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T18:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44189"},"modified":"2025-06-24T01:41:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T22:41:27","slug":"the-blood-of-zechariah-son-of-berechiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/07\/27\/the-blood-of-zechariah-son-of-berechiah\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. Jesus\u2019 Rebuke to the Religious Elite<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Matthew 23:35 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cThat 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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this verse, Jesus issues one of His strongest warnings to the scribes and Pharisees. By referencing Abel and Zechariah, He encapsulates the entire Old Testament history of violence against God\u2019s messengers\u2014from Genesis (Abel)<\/strong> to Chronicles (Zechariah)<\/strong>, which was the last book in the Jewish Hebrew Bible at the time.<\/p>\n

These men represent not only individual martyrs but also a pattern of systemic rejection of truth\u2014a warning to every generation.<\/p>\n

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2. Abel: The First Martyr and the Voice of Innocent Blood<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Genesis 4:8 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cNow Cain talked with Abel his brother; and… Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hebrews 11:4 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cBy faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain… and through it he being dead still speaks.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Abel\u2019s blood cried out for justice (Genesis 4:10). Though he was the first martyr, his voice still symbolically speaks for all the righteous who suffer unjustly. Theologically, Abel\u2019s death is the prototype of innocent bloodshed, and a foreshadow of Christ\u2019s own death.<\/p>\n

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3. Zechariah son of Berechiah: Identity Clarification<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While Jesus refers to \u201cZechariah son of Berechiah,\u201d biblical scholars largely agree He was referring to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest<\/strong>, recorded in:<\/p>\n

2 Chronicles 24:20\u201321 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cThen the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest… 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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why the different name?<\/strong>
\nIn Jewish tradition, genealogical references often skip generations. \u201cSon of Berechiah\u201d could be an alternate family name or even refer to a grandfather or ancestor. What matters theologically is the act\u2014Zechariah, a righteous priest, was murdered in the sanctuary, desecrating the very heart of Israel\u2019s worship.<\/p>\n

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4. The Weight of National Guilt<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Matthew 23:31\u201332 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cTherefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers\u2019 guilt.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jesus identifies a generational pattern of rejecting God’s prophets. This isn’t merely historical\u2014it reflects spiritual hardness that transcends time. Jesus declares that the blood of the martyrs will come upon that generation\u2014fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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5. The Cry for Justice in Heaven<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Revelation 6:9\u201310 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201c…I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God… and they cried with a loud voice, saying, \u2018How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge…?\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These martyrs are not forgotten. In God\u2019s justice system, blood has a voice. The altar in heaven is a direct theological parallel to the altar in the temple\u2014the very place where Zechariah was slain.<\/p>\n

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6. Divine Vengeance and Theological Justice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Revelation 16:5\u20136 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cYou are righteous, O Lord… For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Bible teaches that God is just<\/strong> (Deuteronomy 32:4) and will avenge the righteous<\/strong> (Romans 12:19). When human courts fail, divine justice remains. God’s judgment is not vengeful in human terms; it is a response to unrepentant sin.<\/p>\n

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7. The Gospel Response: Jesus\u2019 Blood Speaks Better Things<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hebrews 12:24 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201c…to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While Abel\u2019s blood calls for justice<\/strong>, Jesus\u2019 blood<\/strong> calls for mercy<\/strong>. The cross is the ultimate answer to the cries of righteous blood\u2014it is God\u2019s offer of forgiveness to even those who killed His prophets.<\/p>\n

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8. A Call to Repentance and Spiritual Awakening<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hebrews 2:3 (NKJV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cHow shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today, many still reject God’s messengers, though not by stoning\u2014but by indifference, false doctrine, or institutional compromise. Refusing salvation through Christ aligns one with those who resisted God in ages past.<\/p>\n

Salvation demands that we:<\/p>\n