Scripture: Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Matthew 11:20-24 ESV
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, Jesus graciously tells John’s disciples to return to John and report what they hear and see: Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant’s mission (Isaiah 61:1-2). Satisfied, John’s disciples return to their rabbi with encouraging news. Immediately, without condemning John’s struggle with doubt, Jesus turns to the crowd and rhetorically asks who they sought to see in the wilderness: a man of affluence and influence or a prophet from God. Not waiting for a response, he tells them that John exceeds the prophets before him because he is the chosen one to prepare the way for the Messiah. Thus, John is more significant than any who came before him, for he has come in the Spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for the Messiah as foretold by the prophet Malachi (3:1; 4:5). Finally, Jesus calls out his generation for their fickle expectations. They accuse John of having a demon because of his stringent diet, and the Son of Man of being a glutton, drunkard, and a friend of sinners because he dines with tax collectors and the like.
For today’s reading, having lauded John the Baptist’s unique calling to prepare the way for him, Jesus points out to the crowd that many of their fellow Israelites dismiss both of their ministries on moral grounds that have no basis (discussed in yesterday’s Daily Focus). His flow of thought then turns to three cities in Galilee, where he had performed miraculous signs that verified his Messianic mission: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Sadly, the majority of citizens of each of these communities proved unworthy of receiving the good news of Jesus’ Gospel invitation.
Geographic note: Chorazin’s name appears only here and in Luke 10:13. Archeologists believe its ruins are part of Kirbet Keraze, located two miles northwest of Capernaum. Bethsaida, situated on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, is home to Andrew, Peter, and Philip (John 1:44). And Capernaum, located on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, served as the home base for Jesus’ ministry and residence for Peter’s adult family (wife and mother-in-law).
Takeaway: Ironically, the above three communities witnessed more miracles and heard more sermons than any other town in Jesus’ itinerant ministry. And yet, their cultural mindset was one of arrogance and pride. They dismissed what their eyes and ears perceived and blasphemed the Holy Spirit by attributing Jesus’ works to evil forces. Thus, because they have fully seen and heard what the ancient pagan cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom could only know in part, these contemporaries of Jesus will face more severe consequences on the “day of judgment.”
Our takeaway? First, we must understand that Jesus is not referring to all who live in these towns, just as God’s judgment on Sodom did not include Lot’s family. But as D.A. Carson observes (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, p.273), Jesus’ woes against these cities reveal three elements of his authority:
- Being the Judge, Christ has contingent knowledge; he knows what Tyre and Sidon would have done under similar circumstances.
- Christ is not obligated to reveal himself to all humanity, even though, as Paul contends, his created world provides sufficient evidence: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse”(Romans 1:20 ESV).
- The punishment on the Day of Judgment takes into account opportunity. Those exposed to a greater revelation of Christ and yet reject him will suffer a higher degree of consequences (albeit the remainder of Scripture does not elaborate on this point).
Theologian Michael Wilkins illustrates this last point by recounting New Testament scholar Robert Funk’s telling of his faith journey. Funk founded the infamous Jesus Seminar, a think tank that redacts Scripture of all its miraculous accounts. Being raised in a Christian home where he confessed Christ, Funk, as he advanced his education, rejected orthodoxy in favor of the modernist, progressive view that dismisses Jesus as a divine Savior and reimagines him as a moral teacher. Sadly, he would go on record to say that those who continue to believe in the Jesus of the New Testament and the church’s creeds are “compliant, mindless adherents of the received tradition” (NIV Application Commentary: Matthew, p. 432).
Our part? It is undoubtedly a wake-up call not to assume we are Christians because we grew up in a Christian home. Nor should we lean on our understanding of Scripture over the church’s historical teachings represented by some of the most brilliant and godly minds of their time. Of course, the church can get it wrong, which led to a reformation. But if we prayerfully read the Word and extra-biblical writings, the Holy Spirit will verify truth over human machinations.
Indeed, our faith journey is rigorous and requires us to exercise our spiritual muscles to the end of life. The good news is that the more we exercise it, the more it reveals Christ to us, and conversely, the more we see evidence of Christ working in our midst, the more we strengthen our faith. And we will know that we are on the right track when we concern ourselves more with developing a deeper understanding of Christ’s grace than fearing his judgment. For grace fulfills God’s judgment and imparts his mercy!
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who still performs miracles in our midst, the greatest being a transformed heart and mind surrendered to your will. So, please help us stay on course in nurturing a loving relationship with you and your Son, where we grow in our faith and understanding of grace and fear less about judgment. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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