Matthew 23:32

Tuesday, 27 October 2026

Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Matthew 23:32

“And you, you must fill the measure, the ‘fathers, yours’.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they were witnesses against themselves that they are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Having done so, there is something left for their kind to do to bring about their desired reaction from God.

In other words, if these people believed the prophets were true, they would be abject fools to kill the prophets who were proclaiming the word of the Lord. But like the religious arrogant throughout time, they claim God while denying His power. The thought is reflected in Ezekiel 9 –

“Then He said to me, ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, “The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!”’” Ezekiel 9:9

Because of this disgraceful thinking, Jesus emphatically says to them using an imperative, “And you, you must fill the measure, the ‘fathers, yours’.”

These men are the sons of their fathers, meaning those who have killed the Lord’s prophets for centuries. With each act against the Lord, they are measuring up guilt and wrath that will someday be poured out on them for their iniquity. But with each incident seemingly ignored by the Lord because no response was forthcoming, they would push the matter a little further, testing to see if there would be a response.

They were like children poking at their parents to see how far they could go before getting a reaction. But the guilt was accumulating whether they knew it or not. This seemingly delayed judgment is seen in how the Lord dealt with the inhabitants of Canaan at the time of Abraham –

“Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’” Genesis 15:12-16

The Lord promised Abraham the land, but it would not come until its inhabitants had become too wicked to be allowed to continue. The Lord knew how long that would be and would use Israel to destroy them in judgment.

Jesus, in His words to these men, emphatically urges them to finish the job of their fathers. There is a measure that must be filled before it reaches the season for judgment. The cup was almost full, but they needed to do a little bit more before it overflowed and judgment would then be poured out.

This “little bit more” would be the crucifixion of Christ, His continued rejection, and the persecution and killing of His saints. With those things filled up in Israel, the Lord would call down their destruction.

Life application: One can see the same attitude in the people of the church today. There is a caving of moral principles. Churches are filled with the acceptance of other religions into their halls. There is immorality that increases in intensity almost weekly in some churches.

Homosexuals and lesbians have taken over leadership positions. The efficacy of the cross and resurrection is lambasted as foolish delusions, and any social nonsense that can be inculcated into the churches’ mission become priorities. The word of God is belittled, and the name of Jesus holds no honor on the lips or in the hearts of these wicked people.

And because the Lord doesn’t come and snatch the life out of them in an instant, they think He doesn’t care, or maybe He isn’t capable of defending His name. And so, they move from one act of defiance to another, testing Him and mocking Him in the process.

Someday they will have filled up the measure of their wickedness, and He will act. But having rejected the word, they misunderstand that God’s love restrains Him as He waits for the change to be in them –

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8, 9

People think God’s failure to act demonstrates a weakness. Some go so far as to say that God simply doesn’t exist. His failure to act proves it. Such people know nothing about the plans and purposes of God.

Lord God, may we never assume that You are not there or that You don’t care when our prayers seem to go unheard. Help us to remember that Your plans and timeline are what matter. Help us to patiently wait on Your timing. Amen.