What does Matthew 23:35 mean?

God's wrath is something which can be stored up until sin reaches a tipping point; then God begins to pour out judgment (Matthew 23:29–34). The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' era will reach that tipping point with their own sinful actions. As predicted by Christ, these men will continue to murder and oppress those who believe in Jesus (Acts 8:1–3). In a chilling metaphor, Jesus speaks of that generation experiencing a reckoning for thousands of years of sin.

The "righteous" ones listed here are those who followed God in humility and sincerity. Abel was the victim of humanity's first murder, killed by his brother, Cain, in a jealous rage (Genesis 4:4–8). Zechariah's murder, as an act against God's messenger (2 Chronicles 24:20–22), is also connected to the sin of these scribes and Pharisees. These two incidents occur early in the book of Genesis and late in the book of 2 Chronicles. In the Jewish Scriptures of that time, those were considered the first and last books, respectively. In a literary sense, this implies all prophets and messengers martyred in the Old Testament.

Skeptics sometimes note that Jesus mentions Barachiah as Zechariah's father. The name given for the father of a man named Zechariah in 2 Chronicles chapter 24 is Jehoiada. Jesus might possibly be referring to the prophet mentioned in Zechariah 1:1. Or, the Zechariah of 2 Chronicles was the descendant of a man named Barachiah, not necessarily his immediate son.

It is interesting that the Zechariah described in 2 Chronicles 24:20–22 said, "May the Lord see and avenge!" as he was dying. Jesus predicts that very vengeance will be delivered upon the scribes and Pharisees of His own day.