Jesus said (Matthew 23:34-36 NET):

For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!

I’ve understood this without much thought just as the NET translators translated it: as Jesus’ justification for what He planned to do to Israel in 70 A.D.  The realization however that the description of events during the siege of Jerusalem has more to do with sin than Christ’s righteousness functions like a ratchet, making it difficult to go back.  I have to admit I have no alternative understanding ready at hand.  But I also have to admit that it takes very little thought to call the most persuasive portion of this translation—this generation will be held responsible for all these things—into serious question.

First, I want to consider one of Zechariah’s more controversial prophecies (Zechariah 12:10 Tanakh):

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced (dâqar, דקרו), and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

There is a companion prophecy in Revelation (1:7 NET):

Look!  He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced (ἐξεκέντησαν, a form of ἐκκεντέω) him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him.  This will certainly come to pass!  Amen.

The translators of the Septuagint couldn’t imagine a scenario in which y^ehôvâh (יהוה) could be pierced.  Their translation reads: ἐπιβλέψονται πρός με ἀνθ᾽ ὧν κατωρχήσαντο (“and they shall look to me because they have danced triumphantly” – NETS).  The Complete Jewish Bible reads: “And they shall look to me because of those who have been thrust through [with swords]…”^[1]

In his “Analysis of Zechariah 12:10 A closer look at what the text of Zechariah 12:10 really says” published on Jews for Judaism online, Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz explained:

Starting with the beginning of Zechariah chapter 12 the prophet speaks of a time when the nations of the world will be gathered against Jerusalem to destroy it (Zec 12:3). On that day, G-d Himself will defend Jerusalem and destroy all of its enemies (Zec 12:4-9). G-d will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication toward the Jews…This new spirit will motivate the Jewish nation to look towards G-d concerning those Jews (collective Jewish Martyrs) (see Hosea 11:1 for the Jewish people described as him. See Ex.1 etc. verbs of oppression in singular. Cf. Deut 32, Hos 8:3 and Ex. 19:2) who have been killed in battle prior to G-d’s divine intervention in fighting our adversaries.

“For I tell you, Jesus prophesied over Jerusalem, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”^[2]

An exhibition—The Great Revolt in the Galilee—in The Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa in Israel was reviewed in the June 2013 issue of the Jewish Magazine online by Norman A. Rubin.  He quoted extensively from the preface of the exhibition catalog by Ofra Rimon, the museum curator and director: “The Great Revolt against the Romans…constitutes one of the historic events that are permanently etched in the historical memory of the Jewish people…”  Two writers whose divergent opinions offer an interesting contrast were also quoted in that preface.

“Certainly, small Judea could have resigned itself to its fate and surrendered to Rome – and remained occupied with Torah,” Joseph Klausner wrote in his book, When a Nation Fights for Freedom:^[3]

But then the Romans would have laid even a heavier hand on it and oppressed it more and more. An aggressive and abusive nation – in particular, its low-level officials – can sense a weak and submissive nation – and immediately tramples it like clay. Keeping quiet, turning the heart away from the affairs of the State and studying Torah and wisdom – woe is Torah that comes from dejection, alas the wisdom that comes not from expanding knowledge but from the imprisoned spirit in the cage of cruel servitude. Torah – that is the genius and that is the glory of the nation; and where they cease – Torah also ceases. And wisdom that has no vision, no exaltedness, no freedom, it too, is not worth very much.

Meir Shalev was quoted as counterpoint from a newspaper article titled, “Accepted Lies”:^[4]

.…Judea was not destroyed because of factionalism and Judaism did not survive because of unity. Judea was destroyed because of the military superiority of the Romans, because of the stupidity and extremism of the Zealots and because of the surrender of the leadership to their Messianic violence. Judaism survived thanks to the wisdom, vision, and moderation of personalities like Rabbi Yochanan ben-Zakkai, who succeeded in escaping these murderous patriots, handing himself over to the Romans, exchanging the Temple for the synagogue and the slaughtered lamb for prayer, and equipping us with the means of cultural and spiritual existence for the time in exile.

Two thousand years after the destruction, two thousand years in which Judaism decried the Zealots and tried to put them out of heart and mind, we returned to Jerusalem. The Temple, fortunately, we have not yet built, but we have already acted like fools and called streets in our cities after those contemptible figures, Shimon bar-Giora, Yochanan of Gush Halav, and Elazar ben-Yair. And now we have added even honey-lipped gatherings of mourning and destruction, where they preach unity between those who do not quite understand the nature of these Zealots and those who see them as exemplars.

Before taking offense at the words “Messianic violence” remember that most in Israel don’t associate Messiah with a loving and gracious Savior who brought forgiveness to those who were dead in [their] transgressions and sins,^[5] resurrection^[6] and new birth^[7] into an eternal life^[8] of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control^[9] by his own indwelling Holy Spirit.^[10]  But consider the story of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai:^[11]

The greatest Jewish sage of the time was Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. He wisely foresaw that Jerusalem was doomed and understood the need to transplant the center of Torah scholarship to another location, to ensure the survival of Torah study after Jerusalem’s destruction. He devised a plan that would allow him to leave Jerusalem, despite the Zealots’ blockade. He feigned death so that he could be carried out of the city. His disciples carried the coffin out of the city’s walls, and Rabbi Yochanan proceeded directly to Vespasian’s tent. He entered the tent and addressed Vespasian as “Your Majesty.”

“You are deserving of death on two accounts,” said Vespasian. “First of all, I am not the emperor, only his general. Secondly, if I am indeed emperor, why did you not come to me until now?”

Rabbi Yochanan answered: “You are an emperor, because otherwise the Holy Temple would not be delivered in your hands.… And as for your second question, the reckless Zealots would not allow me to leave the city.”

While they were speaking, a messenger came and told Vespasian that Nero was dead and he had been appointed the new Roman emperor. Vespasian was so impressed with Rabbi Yochanan’s wisdom that he offered to grant Rabbi Yochanan anything he wanted as a reward. Rabbi Yochanan made three requests. The primary request was that Vespasian spare Yavne – which would become the new home of the Sanhedrin – and its Torah sages.

Rabbi Yochanan thus ensured the continuation of Jewish scholarship after the fall of Jerusalem. Even though they would no longer have a Temple or a homeland, the Jews would always have a spiritual center in the Torah.

Rabbi Yochanan’s “death” was faked, his “resurrection” merely a relocation to another city but his love for the Scriptures was more Christlike than any of the warlords Mr. Shalev excoriated or Mr. Klausner justified.  I tell you the truth, Jesus said, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!^[12]  The Greek word translated will be held responsible was ἥξει (a form of ἥκω).  A table of all the occurrences of forms of ἥκω in the New Testament follows:

Clearly, the translation of ἥξει as will be held responsible owed more to an interpretation of—For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar^[13]—than to the meaning of any form of ἥκω.

That in itself opens my mind to the possibility that this was Jesus’ lament, predicated on his foreknowledge of what would happen to people who rejected Him, his death for the forgiveness of sins, his resurrection, his new birth into an eternal life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control by his own indwelling Holy Spirit, people who endeavored instead to establish their own righteousness in their own strength against a superior military force who knew nothing of these things.  Consider what Rabbi Irving Greenberg wrote:

The second Destruction…was the end result of a major national religious revival. The “crime” of the Jews was excessive enthusiasm and determination that only God would rule over them. The crushing defeat was all the more devastating. How could it be rationalized?

With my mind open I notice now that everything Jesus said in Matthew 23:34-36 was offered in relation to his question in Matthew 23:33 (NET):

You snakes, you offspring of vipers [e.g., experts in the law and you Pharisees^[14]]!  How will you escape being condemned to hell?

I’ll pick this up in another essay.  A table of the Old Testament occurrences of dâqar and its translation in the KJV, NET and the Septuagint follows.