Matthew 23:34
Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town.
Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers.
This phrase indicates a divine initiative where God, through Jesus, is sending messengers to the people. The sending of "prophets and wise men and teachers" echoes the Old Testament tradition where God sent prophets to guide, warn, and instruct His people (e.g., Jeremiah 7:25). The inclusion of "wise men" and "teachers" suggests a broader scope of divine messengers, possibly reflecting the roles of scribes and rabbis in Jewish society. This also foreshadows the New Testament apostles and early Christian leaders who would carry the message of Christ. The phrase underscores the continuity of God's revelation and the persistent call to repentance and faithfulness.

Some of them you will kill and crucify,
This part of the verse predicts the violent rejection and persecution that these messengers will face. Historically, prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah faced severe opposition, and this pattern continues in the New Testament with figures like Stephen (Acts 7) and James (Acts 12:2). The mention of crucifixion is particularly poignant, as it prefigures the crucifixion of Jesus Himself and highlights the extreme measures of rejection by the religious authorities. This reflects the broader theme of martyrdom in the early church and the cost of discipleship.

and others you will flog in your synagogues
Flogging in synagogues was a form of punishment for those deemed to have violated Jewish law or teachings. This phrase indicates that the persecution of God's messengers would occur within religious settings, suggesting a tragic irony where places meant for worship and learning become sites of violence. This is seen in the experiences of the apostles, such as Paul, who was flogged multiple times (2 Corinthians 11:24). It highlights the internal conflict within Judaism during the early Christian era and the resistance to the new covenant message.

and persecute from town to town.
The phrase "persecute from town to town" suggests a relentless pursuit and widespread rejection of the messengers. This reflects the itinerant nature of early Christian ministry, as seen in the missionary journeys of Paul and others who faced opposition in various cities (Acts 13:50, Acts 14:5-6). It underscores the theme of suffering for the sake of the Gospel and the fulfillment of Jesus' warnings about the cost of following Him (Matthew 10:23). This persecution serves as a testament to the enduring faith and commitment of the early church in the face of adversity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Prophets, Wise Men, and Teachers
These are individuals sent by God to convey His message, provide wisdom, and instruct in righteousness. In the context of Matthew 23, they represent those who speak truth to power and call for repentance.

2. Jesus
The speaker of this verse, Jesus is addressing the scribes and Pharisees, condemning their hypocrisy and foretelling the persecution of His messengers.

3. Scribes and Pharisees
Religious leaders of the time who are criticized by Jesus for their legalism and failure to recognize the truth of His message.

4. Synagogues
Jewish places of worship and community gathering, where some of the persecution of Jesus' followers would occur.

5. Persecution
The suffering and martyrdom faced by the early Christians, as foretold by Jesus, which would be carried out by those opposed to His message.
Teaching Points
The Cost of Discipleship
Following Christ may lead to persecution and suffering, as Jesus' followers are called to stand for truth in a world that often rejects it.

God's Faithfulness in Sending Messengers
Despite rejection, God continually sends prophets, wise men, and teachers to guide His people, demonstrating His persistent love and desire for repentance.

The Reality of Spiritual Opposition
Believers should be prepared for opposition, understanding that spiritual warfare is a reality for those who proclaim the Gospel.

The Call to Persevere
In the face of persecution, Christians are encouraged to remain steadfast, trusting in God's ultimate justice and reward for faithfulness.

Reflecting Christ's Courage
Jesus' boldness in confronting hypocrisy serves as a model for believers to speak truth with love and courage.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the historical context of persecution in the early church help us relate to the challenges faced by Christians today?

2. In what ways can we identify modern-day "prophets, wise men, and teachers" in our lives, and how should we respond to their messages?

3. How can we prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally to face opposition for our faith, as Jesus predicted?

4. What are some practical ways we can support and encourage those who are persecuted for their faith around the world?

5. How does the promise of God's faithfulness and ultimate justice provide comfort and motivation for us to persevere in our Christian walk?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 7:52
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, accuses the Jewish leaders of betraying and murdering the prophets, echoing Jesus' words in Matthew 23:34.

Hebrews 11:36-38
This passage recounts the suffering of the prophets and faithful servants of God, aligning with the persecution Jesus predicts.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16
The chronicler describes how God sent messengers to His people, but they were mocked and despised, similar to the fate Jesus predicts for His followers.
Pretence VainT. Watson.Matthew 23:29-36
Suspension and Infliction of JudgmentsN. Emmons, D. D.Matthew 23:29-36
The Difficulty of Escaping the Damnation of HellE. Payson, D. D.Matthew 23:29-36
Judgment and MercyJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 23:29-39
People
Abel, Barachias, Berechiah, Hen, Jesus, Zachariah, Zacharias, Zechariah
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Behold, Blows, Chase, Cross, Crucify, Death, Driving, Flog, Kill, Nay, Persecute, Prophets, Pursue, Reason, Scourge, Scribes, Sending, Synagogues, Teachers, Town, Wherefore, Wise
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 23:34

     5127   back
     5313   flogging
     5408   messenger
     5565   suffering, of believers
     5586   town
     6684   mediator

Matthew 23:1-36

     5379   law, Christ's attitude
     7552   Pharisees, attitudes to Christ

Matthew 23:13-39

     2318   Christ, as prophet

Matthew 23:30-35

     8450   martyrdom

Matthew 23:30-37

     5040   murder

Matthew 23:33-36

     5694   generation

Matthew 23:34-35

     8282   intolerance

Matthew 23:34-37

     8795   persecution, nature of

Library
The Morality of the Gospel.
Is stating the morality of the Gospel as an argument of its truth, I am willing to admit two points; first, that the teaching of morality was not the primary design of the mission; secondly, that morality, neither in the Gospel, nor in any other book, can be a subject, properly speaking, of discovery. If I were to describe in a very few words the scope of Christianity as a revelation, [49] I should say that it was to influence the conduct of human life, by establishing the proof of a future state
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Christianity Misunderstood by Believers.
Meaning of Christian Doctrine, Understood by a Minority, has Become Completely Incomprehensible for the Majority of Men-- Reason of this to be Found in Misinterpretation of Christianity and Mistaken Conviction of Believers and Unbelievers Alike that they Understand it--The Meaning of Christianity Obscured for Believers by the Church--The First Appearance of Christ's Teaching--Its Essence and Difference from Heathen Religions-- Christianity not Fully Comprehended at the Beginning, Became More and
Leo Tolstoy—The Kingdom of God is within you

First Attempts on Jerusalem.
Jesus, almost every year, went to Jerusalem for the feast of the passover. The details of these journeys are little known, for the synoptics do not speak of them,[1] and the notes of the fourth Gospel are very confused on this point.[2] It was, it appears, in the year 31, and certainly after the death of John, that the most important of the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem took place. Many of the disciples followed him. Although Jesus attached from that time little value to the pilgrimage, he conformed
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

For which Cause Our Lord Himself Also with his Own Mouth Saith...
4. For which cause our Lord Himself also with His own mouth saith, "Cleanse what are within, and what are without will be clean." [1813] And, also, in another place, when He was refuting the foolish speeches of the Jews, in that they spake evil against His disciples, eating with unwashen hands; "Not what entereth into the mouth," said He, "defileth the man: but what cometh forth out of the mouth, that defileth the man." [1814] Which sentence, if the whole of it be taken of the mouth of the body,
St. Augustine—On Continence

Relation of the Pharisees to the Sadducees and Essenes, and to the Gospel of Christ
On taking a retrospective view of Pharisaism, as we have described it, there is a saying of our Lord which at first sight seems almost unaccountable. Yet it is clear and emphatic. "All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do" (Matt 23:3). But if the early disciples were not to break at once and for ever with the Jewish community, such a direction was absolutely needful. For, though the Pharisees were only "an order," Pharisaism, like modern Ultramontanism, had not only become
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Among the People, and with the Pharisees
It would have been difficult to proceed far either in Galilee or in Judaea without coming into contact with an altogether peculiar and striking individuality, differing from all around, and which would at once arrest attention. This was the Pharisee. Courted or feared, shunned or flattered, reverently looked up to or laughed at, he was equally a power everywhere, both ecclesiastically and politically, as belonging to the most influential, the most zealous, and the most closely-connected religions
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The General Service to a Prophet.
At the Vespers, for O Lord, I have cried, the Stichera, Tone 4. Similar to: Called from above... Thou that hast in the purity of thy mind received the reflex of the God-emitted light and wast the herald of the divine words and seer and divine prophet, thou appearedst as the God-moved mouth of the Spirit, conveying that which was shewn by Him unto thee, O all-honoured (mentioned by name), and declaring unto all the peoples the salvation that was being granted and the Kingdom of Christ; do entreat
Anonymous—The General Menaion

Of the Power of Making Laws. The Cruelty of the Pope and his Adherents, in this Respect, in Tyrannically Oppressing and Destroying Souls.
1. The power of the Church in enacting laws. This made a source of human traditions. Impiety of these traditions. 2. Many of the Papistical traditions not only difficult, but impossible to be observed. 3. That the question may be more conveniently explained, nature of conscience must be defined. 4. Definition of conscience explained. Examples in illustration of the definition. 5. Paul's doctrine of submission to magistrates for conscience sake, gives no countenance to the Popish doctrine of the obligation
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Hints to Teachers and Questions for Pupils
Teacher's Apparatus.--English theology has no juster cause for pride than the books it has produced on the Life of Paul. Perhaps there is no other subject in which it has so outdistanced all rivals. Conybeare and Howson's Life and Epistles of St. Paul will probably always keep the foremost place; in many respects it is nearly perfect; and a teacher who has mastered it will be sufficiently equipped for his work and require no other help. The works of Lewin and Farrar are written on the same lines;
James Stalker et al—The Life of St. Paul

On Attending the Church Service
"The sin of the young men was very great." 1 Sam. 2:17. 1. The corruption, not only of the heathen world, but likewise of them that were called Christians, has been matter of sorrow and lamentation to pious men, almost from the time of the apostles. And hence, as early as the second century, within a hundred years of St. John's removal from the earth, men who were afraid of being partakers of other men's sins, thought it their duty to separate from them. Hence, in every age many have retired from
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Machinations of the Enemies of Jesus.
Jesus passed the autumn and a part of the winter at Jerusalem. This season is there rather cold. The portico of Solomon, with its covered aisles, was the place where he habitually walked.[1] This portico consisted of two galleries, formed by three rows of columns, and covered by a ceiling of carved wood.[2] It commanded the valley of Kedron, which was doubtless less covered with debris than it is at the present time. The depth of the ravine could not be measured, from the height of the portico; and
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Early Ministry in Judea
113. We owe to the fourth gospel our knowledge of the fact that Jesus began his general ministry in Jerusalem. The silence of the other records concerning this beginning cannot discredit the testimony of John. For these other records themselves indicate in various ways that Jesus had repeatedly sought to win Jerusalem before his final visit at the end of his life (compare Luke xiii. 34; Matt. xxiii. 37). Moreover, the fourth gospel is confirmed by the probability, rising almost to necessity, that
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

The Crossing of the Jordan
THE CROSSING OF THE JORDAN Just how did you feel at the time you were sanctified? I have heard some tell of how the holy fire of the Spirit seemed to go all through them. Others have told of a deeper, more complete peace. Some have shouted for joy. Others have wept for joy. And I am wondering how one ought to feel. Can you tell me? And how can I know that I am consecrated? Every teacher of entire sanctification that I ever heard says that the consecration must be complete; but how am I to know when
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan

Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Letter Xliv Concerning the Maccabees but to whom Written is Unknown.
Concerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [69] He relies to the question why the Church has decreed a festival to the Maccabees alone of all the righteous under the ancient law. 1. Fulk, Abbot of Epernay, had already written to ask me the same question as your charity has addressed to your humble servant by Brother Hescelin. I have put off replying to him, being desirous to find, if possible, some statement in the Fathers about this which was asked, which I might send to him, rather
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Number and Order of the Separate Books.
The number of the books was variously estimated. Josephus gives twenty-two, which was the usual number among Christian writers in the second, third, and fourth centuries, having been derived perhaps from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Origen, Jerome, and others have it. It continued longest among the teachers of the Greek Church, and is even in Nicephorus's stichometry.(83) The enumeration in question has Ruth with Judges, and Lamentations with Jeremiah. In Epiphanius(84) the number twenty-seven
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Elucidations.
I. (Who first propounded these heresies, p. 11.) Hippolytus seems to me to have felt the perils to the pure Gospel of many admissions made by Clement and other Alexandrian doctors as to the merits of some of the philosophers of the Gentiles. Very gently, but with prescient genius, he adopts this plan of tracing the origin and all the force of heresies to "philosophy falsely so called." The existence of this "cloud of locusts" is (1) evidence of the antagonism of Satan; (2) of the prophetic spirit
Hippolytus.—The Refutation of All Heresies

"The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

We are not Binding Heavy Burdens and Laying them Upon Your Shoulders...
37. We are not binding heavy burdens and laying them upon your shoulders, while we with a finger will not touch them. Seek out, and acknowledge the labor of our occupations, and in some of us the infirmities of our bodies also, and in the Churches which we serve, that custom now grown up, that they do not suffer us to have time ourselves for those works to which we exhort you. For though we might say, "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the
St. Augustine—Of the Work of Monks.

Repentance and Impenitence.
In the discussion of this subject I shall show,-- I. What repentance is not. 1. The Bible everywhere represents repentance as a virtue, and as constituting a change of moral character; consequently, it cannot be a phenomenon of the intelligence: that is, it cannot consist in conviction of sin, nor in any intellectual apprehension of our guilt or ill-desert. All the states or phenomena of the intelligence are purely passive states of mind, and of course moral character, strictly speaking, cannot be
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Second Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to Brotherly Love.
Text: 1 John 3, 13-18. 13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

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