Anchor My Faith

Do You Understand the Warning?

Scripture: Matthew 11:20-24; Luke 10:16

In the previous lesson Jesus “appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go” (Luke 10:1). While they were out doing their assigned work, Jesus was busy delivering a warning to the unrepentant.

^{Mt 11:20} “Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.” These cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are where most of the miracles of Jesus were performed and yet their occupants rejected his mission and remained unrepentant.

^{Mt 11:21} “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. ²² But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.”

Using this link will show a map of Galilee showing the location of the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum to be north to northwest of the Sea of Galilee. Tyre and Sidon were gentile cities in Phoenicia and were often the object of condemnation of Old Testament prophets for their Baal worship and arrogant materialism. Their sin was great, but Jesus says that it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for Chorazin and Bethsaida.

^{Mt 11:23} “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. ²⁴ But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

A Google search reveals that “Sodom and Gomorrah are possibly located under or adjacent to the shallow waters south of Al-Lisān, a former peninsula in the central part of the Dead Sea in Israel that now fully separates the sea’s northern and southern basins.” Their sin was great, but Jesus says that had the miracles he performed in Capernaum been performed in Sodom they would have repented. But since you saw the miracles and did not repent, then your judgment will be worse that that of Sodom.

^{Lk 10:16} “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

We have been sent out as witnesses of Jesus, to share the gospel with the people we meet (Matthew 28:19 – 20; Mark 16:15). Those who are willing to hear us are in a way hearing Jesus and those who reject what we say are not rejecting us but are rejecting him. Anyone who rejects Jesus rejects the Father because Jesus has explained to us that he and the Father are one (John 10:30).

Conclusion

This was a short section but an important section. Those who hear the gospel have the responsibility to respond to it. You can reject it and continue your journey on to experience the wrath of God forever or you can humble your self before Jesus and accept the work he finished on the cross and receive the gift of eternal life. Make the right choice while there is still time!