Does God punish nations for the sins of their forefathers? Did God punish Israel for killing his prophets? It seems like it when you read these words of Jesus: Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and 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, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. (Matthew 23:34-36) Both here and in Luke 11:49-51, Jesus pronounces what is effectively a death sentence on the nation of Israel. “You’re going to pay for the blood of Abel and Zechariah.” This raises some interesting questions because the first-century Jews did not kill Abel or Zechariah. Abel was murdered by Cain, thousands of years earlier, while Zechariah was murdered eight centuries back. Yet Jesus says, “Zechariah whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” That’s like telling an Englishman, “You [...]![]()
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