1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
The scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of the Old Covenant, trained to interpret and enforce the Holy Scriptures which formed the very basis of the Jewish religion. God had committed His oracles to them to safeguard (Rom 3:2), but their greed and sin had greatly damaged the Law and Covenant with serious corruptions. The scribes and Pharisees would invoke their diaphanous “oral Law” to establish these additions, clauses and qualifications that ruled the minutest detail of life. Nevertheless, the basic tenants of the Law remained largely intact and valid. The scribes were in Moses’ seat, it would have been high arrogance to disregard their interpretations and rule of the Old Testament.
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. Jesus never advocated rebellion, but is He really telling the people, and by extension later Christians under their respective leaderships, to obey implicitly every law and interpretation of their religious leaders? Clearly no, for then they should not listen to Him either. And neither did He obey their every tradition (see Mat 15:1-2). He had spoken out against their erroneous interpretations: for healing on the Sabbath, for eating with unwashed hands and for working on the Sabbath. He warned the people of leaven in doctrine of the Pharisees (Mat 16:6-12). Nevertheless, it was right and proper for the people to heed the Pharisees’ teaching of the Law. True, their applications were burdensome, overly strict and sometimes outright wrong; but by following their rules, one was “keeping the Law.” Paul, as a sincere seeker of God, was a Pharisee (Php 3:5).
Jesus was very critical of the Jewish leaders’ attitudes and motives. They were doing things to be seen of men, and they loved recognition and honor above all else. The chief error of the Pharisees however, was commanding others to keep the Law while they did not keep it themselves. They were hypocrites. In this chapter’s list of condemnations, their common fault is not doing. There is, perhaps, nothing more damaging to evangelism than hypocrisy. Many people refuse to go to church because of members that do not live what they profess with the mouth. Accordingly, the Scriptures say that the lower parts of hell will not be filled with heathen, but hypocrites; those who knew God’s will but did not do it (Mat 24:51; Luke 12:47-48). This harmonizes with Jesus’ teaching that we may know a false teacher by what he does, by his fruits (Mat 7:15-23; Titus 1:16).
The errors of the Pharisees can strike New Testament churches too, but it bears noticing that Jesus still advised the people against individualism. Today, the Word of God is found in a multitude of easily understood translations, and there are even greater quantities of commentaries, interpretations and ideas. Let us be careful not to read God’s Word like the lawyerly Jews, yet let us also be careful to not neglect doing what it says.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Most of this chapter is unique to the book of Matthew, the gospel to the Jews. Mark passes over it almost entirely (Mark 12:38-40), although Luke records a good portion (Luke 11:43-52). This is Jesus’ last call to the religious elite to recognize their sinfulness and repent. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and then ignored the mighty works of Jesus. Now they were about to murder their Messiah and so fill up the final measure of the sins of their fathers to fully justify God in bringing final judgment upon their city and society. Jesus deeply wished it were otherwise, but they would not listen (Mat 23:37).
They bind heavy burdens… This figurative language describes men loading a mule, apparently in analogy to the Pharisees’ propensity for multiplying unto great detail each rule, rite and ceremony of the Law. Living in strict conformity to the Law of Moses was a burdensome yoke (Act 15:10) which the Jewish rulers made ever more onerous by requiring commandments of their own making (Mat 15:9). They were adept at inventing little interpretational rules that actually disannulled the Law of God (Mark 7:6-13).
To show off just how strictly they followed the Law, the Pharisees would to attach phylacteries to their clothing and heads to wear in public. These were little boxes and bands with Scripture verses written on them. The practice apparently arose from a literal interpretation of Deut 11:18-20 and Ex 13:9. In truth, this was just another embarrassing display of empty piety in Judaism, another example of their misguided literal hermeneutic. Imagine these men walking about with big, dangling phylacteries so that men would notice their great devotion and religiosity, hoping to attract the attention and admiration of men (Mat 6:5). The style fits well with the praise-loving, hypocritical Pharisees.
Enlarge the borders of their garments. This exemplifies a different corruption of the Law of God. While the phylacteries demonstrate imprudent literalism, these borders were the result of brazen exaggeration. While there was wisdom in the Law’s requirement that the Israelites put a border of blue at the bottom of their garments to constantly remind them of their unique covenant with God (Num 15:38-39), the Pharisees had turned the rule into a vain display. These practices added substance to their pride as the “chosen Jews” and their disdain for Gentile dogs.
Uppermost rooms. Not literal rooms, but the most important seats and places of honor at banquets and feasts. See the parable in Luke 14:7-11. Apparently the Pharisees were not ashamed to fight over the best seats, and to hear their names called out in the markets swelled their little hearts with pride (Mark 12:38). In today’s language, the title “Rabbi” would be similar to being called, “Reverend,” or “Bishop.”
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
In the churches of Christ, titles of superiority and honor should be avoided. There is no place for Popes, Reverends and Presidents in a brotherhood of believers which confesses the equality of rich and poor, educated and uneducated, male and female, Jew and Greek, slave and free (Gal 3:28). The people of the Kingdom follow the words of one Master and Rabbi, not the erudite interpretations of theologians and teachers (Mat 20:25-28; 1Pet 5:3). Several titles that Jesus names in particular as examples of what should be avoided are: Rabbi, Father, Master. Let us not, however, strictly keep the command and miss the principle. In these verses, we see in the Pharisees that universally hidden desire of all men to be recognized, admired and venerated by others. The Kingdom of Heaven is not compatible with such desires (Mat 5:3-5). We are all brethren, and the greatest among us will be servants (Mat 23:11).
Titles of respect and recognition are common in the secular world. A university professor is addressed as “Dr. Henry Smith,” while a judge should be titled, “The Honorable Henry Smith.” A minister might be called, “The Reverend Henry Smith,” or “Lord Bishop Henry Smith.” Among the churches of the Kingdom, titles of honor or position should be eschewed for the equal title of brother. That does not mean there are no ministers, evangelists and teachers in the church! See Eph 4:11; 1Cor 12:28. It does mean that in the brotherhood we are on an equal plane. Let each esteem other better than themselves (Php 2:3). Some might be due higher honor (1Tim 5:17), some might have higher positions (1Cor 12:28); but we are all brothers in Christ. This is not an injunction against using terms that reflect one’s responsibility in life (bishop, elder, deacon, teacher), but that these should not become official titles to be admired and coveted.
Many denominations do not follow Christ’s doctrine on this topic. The Catholics have many flowery titles of address in their great and complicated hierarchy. They even use one of the very words Jesus said should not be used, referring to their highest leader as the Holy Father. From their very beginning, Anabaptist congregations address their members and ministers by the same title of brother.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The Greek word for servant here is diakonos, which is sometimes translated deacon. The general principle of humility and meekness in Christian leadership marks a fundamental difference between the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdoms of this world. Jesus explained this to His disciples on an earlier occasion, for which see my notes at Mat 20:25-28. The twelve Apostles learned this lesson well, as we may judge by their later example and writings. Peter wrote, Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (1Pet 5:5-6).
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Here begins a series of seven woes against the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Their words were pious and stern, but their actions betrayed the true state of their souls.The first woe was the most serious: Ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men. Not only had they personally rejected the Messiah and His new Kingdom, but they also forbade others to enter in (see John 9:22). The parallel passage in Luke reads, Ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered (Luke 11:52). How stunning that these highly religious ones would antagonize and kill that Good One who worked such untold miracles of goodness and love.
While Jesus went about doing good, healing the sick and aiding the poor, the righteously-attired and pious-praying Pharisees went to devour widows’ houses. They would tax widows until they lacked the very necessities of life. “You devour the houses of widows even while standing at the streets to make long, pretended prayers to God for them” (Mat 6:5; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47).
The Jews would work ambitiously to convert a Gentile to Judaism, yet they rejoiced more to see these men obeying their strict rules and regulations (Gal 6:13) than to see them confess the God who made the heavens and the earth. Apparently these proselytes learned quickly the nuances of being a Pharisee, and Jesus condemns their actions in very strong language: Ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves (v15).
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
These verses speak against swearing, but the greater principle at issue is honesty. The Jews were notorious liars and cheats. Their words were so much doubted that they were obliged to swear by oaths to affirm the truthfulness of their statement. Even this did not fix the deep problem of lying, for rather than acknowledging and reforming, they invented reasons why their solemn oath was not prosecutable. “Aha! I swore by the altar, not the gift on the altar. Tough, but you shouldn’t have been so gullible! Anybody can see that donkey I sold you is a lot older than four years.” Down to the present day, the Jewish generation has suffered with this reputation. Christianity is greatly hindered by the dishonesty so prominent in many cultures and nations of the world. Jesus addressed this widespread problem in the Sermon on the Mount (see Mat 5:33-37).
Some criticize that Jesus called the Pharisees fools when earlier He had said not to use that term (Mat 5:22). Remember though, that Jesus, as the perfect image of the invisible God (Col 1:15), could accurately and righteously use that word while unrighteous and limited Man cannot. Second, a clear-minded reading of that passage indicates that Jesus is not eradicating the single word “fool” from the Christian’s dictionary, but forbidding the usage of all hurtful vocabulary. Speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:15) means that we must carefully guard our lips, whether we are giving encouragement or admonition, praise or condemnation.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
The Pharisees’ life-focus was to require strict and unbending adherence to even the most obscure rule in the Law of Moses, all while ignoring blatant transgressions of those weightier matters upon which the Law was based: judgment, mercy and faith, or as Luke has it, judgment and the love of God (Luke 11:42). The Jews required the Moses-prescribed yearly 10% tithe of all possessions, and were downright strict about it – even measuring out the spice cabinets! Yet they completely neglected to teach, command and do the Law’s greater commandments (cf 1Tim 4:11).
The Pharisees were acting like the man who stops eating his bowl of lentil soup to strain out a gnat that has fallen into it, yet somehow goes on eating the nasty unwashed camel therein. This is not the only time Jesus would preach to the people using humorous illustrations (see Mat 7:3; 19:24). Both the gnat and camel were considered unclean animals to the Jews, the gnat for being a flying creeping thing (Lev 11:23) and the camel for not dividing the hoof (Lev 11:4).
This demonstrates yet another class of error in the religion of the Pharisees – strict regulation of minor laws while permitting serious infractions of the important laws. It is a loud warning for conservative churches today. Let us not strictly regulate details of dress and living yet neglect to uphold the foundational New Testament principles of justice, mercy and faith. How shameful to find in plain churches the very sins that these Pharisees were guilty of committing: gossip, jealousy, lying, greed, superiority, materialism, carnality and other sins of the flesh. Brethren, these things ought not so to be (James 3:10).
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
The Pharisees appeared to be pious, righteous and holy men, but their hearts were wicked, greedy and ugly. The outside was clean and washed, but the inside was filthy. Sadly, this has happened in Christendom too, from the Catholic priests and Evangelical television preachers to even the plainly-dressed Mennonites and Amish of the past and present. The warning in these verses continue to be necessary in the churches of Christ today. While the outside of the cup must be kept clean, it is even more essential that the inside be clean. Cleanse first that which is within, and then the outside cannot but follow suit. Some men’s sins are known beforehand, while the sins of others only become known on the Day of Judgment (1Tim 5:24). Study also the meaning of Jesus’ words in Mat 15:17-20.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
The Jews honored the tombs of their forefathers, being proud of their heritage and lineage. Jesus points out that in decorating the graves of their ancestors, they were bearing witness to being the direct descendants of murderers! For although they liked to think of themselves as the descendants of those within the tombs, they were unfortunately the descendants of those who unjustly killed them. “Ah,” they said, “But we ourselves would never have participated in killing the prophets!” Just a few days later, they would meet together in secret to plot and kill the greatest of them all, that Prophet which the world had so long waited for(John 1:21).
Jesus likens the iniquity of the Jews to a cup being slowly filled up to the brim, but instead of wine the contents are filthiness, abomination and wickedness (Rev 17:4). See Paul’s version in 1Thes 2:16 and compare Gen 15:16. The greatly privileged position of the Jewish leaders should have facilitated them to more easily recognize and accept their Messiah. They had the Scriptures, centuries of study, the Temple of God, the ancient traditions; but if they did recognize Jesus of Nazareth, they certainly did not want Him to be their Messiah (Luke 19:14). See note for John 5:39. Other passages where Jesus strongly condemns the Jews are Mat 11:21-22; 12:34; John 8:44.
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Hidden in this last warning to the Jewish rulers is a prophetic alert that Jesus’ disciples would experience continual persecution from the Jews as they worked to spread the Gospel after His departure (Mat 10:16-20). The jealous Jews would not stop at killing the Son of God, they would continue to reject the messengers of the Messiah’s Kingdom. They would scourge, crucify and persecute from city to city all that would follow the way of Truth. Their ancestors had killed the prophets of old, and they would fill up the measure of their wickedness by shedding the blood of prophets, and wise men, and scribes in the New Kingdom of Christ.
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth. For centuries, the wicked and adulterous generation of the Jews had shed the blood of their righteous countrymen (Luke 11:50). Very soon the punishment for these crimes would begin (Mat 22:7). The Jews of Jesus’ day were not personally guilty of the past murders of the righteous, but they were part of the larger “generation of this world” (Luke 16:8) which had persecuted the just. In spiritual lineage, their father was the Devil (John 8:44), and his adulterous and sinful generation (Mark 8:38) has always opposed and afflicted the chosen generation of God (1Pet 2:9). In the symbolic pictures of the Revelation, these two generations are represented by Babylon the Great and the New Jerusalem. Babylon is found responsible for the blood…of all that were slain upon the earth (Rev 18:24). The wicked Jews who crucified Jesus and persecuted His followers were part of that ungodly generation. Instead of repenting for their atrocities, they added to them, demonstrating that they were truly the sons of their fathers in deed as well as blood.
This generation was guilty of all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from Abel to Zacharias. While we might infer that these two names were alphabetically chosen, indicating every name between A and Z, the fact is that the last letter of the Greek alphabet is Omega, and the last letter in Hebrew is Tau. The letter Z comes much earlier in the orders of the Greek and Hebrew alphabets.
What then, is the criteria of inclusion in the statement, “all the righteous blood from Abel to Zacharias?” There are two options. The first possibility is that Jesus chose these two men due to the great injustice of their deaths, for Abel’s shed blood cried out to God from the ground (Gen 4:10), a victim of his brother’s jealousy and anger. The second possibility is that Jesus chose the first and last martyrs in time, for Abel was the first righteous man to be killed.
Who then is Zacharias, son of Barachias? It is a much-discussed question. According to Jesus, he was murdered in the inner court of the temple, in the space between the brazen altar and the Holy Place. The Greek word for temple here is naos, which signifies the 30’x60′ sanctuary itself. The brazen altar was in the Court of Priests, just outside the temple sanctuary. This is where Joab fled after David had died (1Kings 2:28-34). There are four ideas concerning the identity of this martyr, Zacharias, son of Barachias.
- Some think he was a recent martyr whose name was immediately recognized by His listeners, but whose story has been forgotten in history. Perhaps John the Baptist’s father (Luke 1:5).
- Others think he was the minor prophet Zechariah, whose father’s name was Berechiah (Zech 1:1). The Scriptures do not record that he was murdered, but some Jewish targums did, even saying that he was killed in the temple.
- Some think he was that Zechariah who warned the people of their transgressions, and for it they stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD (2Chr 24:20-22). With his dying words, he asked God to judge those who were guilty of his unjust murder (as Abel). In that account however, Zechariah is called the son of Jehoiada, not the son of Barachias. Nevertheless, many scholars take this latter option, for double names were common. The writer of this book was Matthew, but was also called Levi (Mat 9:9; Mark 2:14). Peter was also known as Simon, and Lebbaeus was called Thaddeus.
- The final opinion is that Jesus prophetically names the last righteous Jew to be killed in old era of Judaism. Josephus, the non-Christian historian of the Jews, actually recorded the details of that remarkable event in the final overthrow and destruction of the city of Jerusalem: “And now these zealots… intended to have Zacharias, the son of Baruch, one of the most eminent of the citizens, slain, – so what provoked them against him was, that hatred of wickedness and love of liberty which were so eminent in him… So they called together…seventy of the principal men…before these was Zacharias accused…Now when Zacharias clearly saw that there was no way remaining for his escape from them…in a few words confuted the crimes laid to his charge…hereupon there rose a great clamor of the zealots…two of the boldest of them fell upon Zacharias in the middle of the temple, and slew him” (Josephus, “Wars of the Jews” Book 4, Chapter 5). The names Barachias and Baruch may be spelled differently due to language and translation.
The last option has much to commend it, especially for encompassing the time from Abel to the final dissolution of the Jewish religion and priesthood. Additionally, Josephus’ remarkable account of the death of Zacharias in the temple is an astounding prophetic detail, for very seldom is a person’s name predicted in prophecy. It is also a prophecy impossible to “invent,” for Josephus was not a Christian and there is no hint that he was acquainted with the book of Matthew, which was written about 25 years before the destruction of Jerusalem. It is certainly curious that the names, place and circumstances of murder so closely coincide with Jesus’ words.
Jesus holds this generation (speaking to the Jews) guilty of Abel’s death, even though the Hebrew race did not begin until centuries later. Yet, this wicked and adulterous generation has existed since Cain at the very beginning and it will not pass away until the end of the world (Mat 24:34). It is appropriate that the “wicked generation” of both Old Testament dispensations (pre-flood and Mosaic) are held accountable for their wickedness, and that the same “wicked generation” will continue and be finally judged at the close of the present, third dispensation.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
This verse is key to understanding the difficult prophecy of the next chapter, especially as it relates to this generation (Mat 24:34). Chapter 23 is a pointed condemnation of the Jewish race (or generation) and their prolonged rebellion against God. Jesus described the wickedness of their forefathers and showed that the listening Jews were no better than they. He went on to predict that they would continue to antagonize and murder the prophets and wise men that God would send them. And He finished by saying, “Upon you has come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from Abel unto Zacharias, who you killed in the Temple. Yes, all these wicked acts have been committed by this generation.“
Clearly this generation does not refer to only the Jews then living, for Abel lived thousands of years prior to the Jews of Jesus’ day. In saying this generation, Jesus groups the wicked and sinful of all ages into one. The Jews, with all their knowledge of good and evil, were actually members of that evil and adulterous generation (Mat 12:39), and they filled up the cup of iniquity to the full (Mat 23:32). Just as Gentiles who have the faith of Abraham are considered to be Jews (Gal 3:7-9), so too those Jews who have the iniquity of Satan are part of his wicked generation. For similar usage of this word in the NT, see Mark 8:38; Luke 16:8; Act 2:40; Php 2:15.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem. The double pronunciation parallels the prophetic chapter 29 of the prophet Isaiah, Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! (Is 29:1). In another Isaiahic prophecy, God sadly describes how He had spread forth His hands unto Jerusalem in love and acceptance, but she kept refusing Him (Is 65). Finally, due to constant iniquity and obstinacy, her house would be desolated. Jesus’ words however, show that He deeply wished it were otherwise. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze 33:11). The picture of God protecting His people as a hen protects her young is seen in other passages too (Ps 91:4; 36:7; 63:7; Deut 32:11; Ruth 2:12).
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. The multitude had shouted this Messianic declaration as He entered the city of Jerusalem only a few days earlier (Mat 21:9). Very shortly He would be leaving them in death. These Jews will not see Him again until He returns in the clouds of heaven with His holy angels to finish the work in righteousness (Rom 9:28). During the long intervening years, some Jews would yearn for those days when He lived and walked among them, but it would not happen (Luke 17:22). The wickedness and jealousy of the Pharisees had stopped the hand of mercy.
Not everyone acclaimed Jesus when He entered Jerusalem with branches of palm and the praises of the multitude (Mat 21:1-10), but when He returns the second time every knee will bow and acknowledge His glorious coming (Rom 14:11). These Jews, and all others who reject Jesus the Son of God, will not be rejoicing as they say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Instead, their words acknowledge their error and respect His identity and power (Rev 3:9). Even the ones who pierced Him will behold Him in the clouds of heaven, but without joy. Instead they will mourn in deep bitterness as they contemplate their loss (Zech 12:10). Compare this prophetic enigma to the one in Mat 26:29.