Bible Reading: Matthew 11
Matthew 11:23-24 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Jesus ‘upbraided’ the cities where most of his mighty works were done. He had done miracles in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. (He did miracles in other cities too, but these were where most of his mighty works were done.) Why would he say that Capernaum was exalted unto heaven? This is the city where Jesus took up residence after he left Nazareth. This is the city of Simon, Andrew, James and John. They ran fishing businesses on the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee. The reason that Capernaum is exalted to heaven is that God in the flesh came to live there!
No other city on earth has experienced what Capernaum did during those days. Jesus lived there and he did many mighty works there because of the timing of his ministry. And yet, listen to the ‘upbraiding’ he gives to the city! He says it shall be brought down to hell. Why? Because the people for the most part remained in unbelief when they heard Jesus preach and saw the mighty works he did. He compares Capernaum to Sodom and says that if Sodom had seen what Capernaum saw, it would have remained! Jesus says that if Sodom had met Jesus, the people would have heard his words and repented and believed. He says the same of Tyre and Sidon:
Matthew 11:21-22 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
Because of this, Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom will receive more tolerable judgments that will Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. They will still receive judgment and condemnation, but it will be greater for the cities that saw so much of the ministry of Jesus.
What do we learn from this? We learn that people who have much of the light of Jesus are expected to repent and believe. I wonder what Jesus says about America? There are many American cities with a church on every corner! What about us? Are we radically changed because of knowing Jesus?
In Christ,
Rody
