Woe to the Hypocrites
For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23:39 · Berean Standard Bible
Jesus says they won't see Him again until they say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' It's both a goodbye and a promise: this isn't the end of the story.
These are Jesus' last public words in Matthew. He's leaving, but the word 'until' holds open a door of hope. There will come a day when they welcome Him.
Jesus speaks His final words to the public, mixing sorrow with a hint of future restoration.
There's pain in these words, but also hope. Jesus is walking away, but He leaves the door cracked open. The story isn't over. A day of reunion is still possible.
Jesus quotes Psalm 118:26, a Messianic processional psalm. The phrase 'you will not see Me again' (ap' arti ou mē me idēte) marks His departure from public ministry. The 'until' (heōs an) holds out eschatological hope: they will one day acknowledge Him as 'Blessed is He who comes.'
This verse looks both backward to the Triumphal Entry (21:9), where this psalm was sung, and forward to the Parousia. It frames Israel's rejection as temporary, not permanent.
Jesus delivers His final public words before the Passion, combining judgment with a distant note of hope.
Jesus speaks His last public words before the cross. There is judgment here, but also a whisper of future hope: one day, they will welcome Him with the words of Psalm 118.
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
38Look, your house is left to you desolate.
39For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Read all of Matthew 23 — Seven devastating woes crash down on the religious establishment. Jesus doesn't whisper his critique — he thunders it.
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