Matthew 11:20-24

Matthew 11:20-24

Then He began to reproach the cities where many of His powerful acts became reality because they did not repent.  “Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the powerful acts that became reality in you all became reality in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  Nevertheless I say to you all, it will be more bearable in the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you all.  And you, Capernaum, you will not be given a position as high as heaven, will you?  You will be brought down as far as Hades because if the powerful acts that become reality in you all were becoming reality in Sodom they would have remained until today.  Nevertheless I say to you all that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The Greek word that Jesus uses for “woe” (οὐαί) in this passage is not a word of anger.  It is not a word of wrath.  It is not the word of a person who is reacting because they have been abused or insulted.  It is a word of utter disappointment and sorrow.  Jesus is not angry at Bethsaida or Chorazin or His hometown of Capernaum.  He is saddened by their lackluster response.  He is broken by their hard hearts.  Yes, judgment will come.  But it is not judgment from anger or vengeance.  It is judgment brought on by one’s own uninspiring reaction.  How sad that judgment can be found not because we work against God but because we fail to seize the opportunity to work with Him?

How often do you think of God as being sorrowful?  When and where in your life has your response to Him evoked sorrow from God?  What can you do about that now that you see this dynamic in your life?

Second Thought:

Let’s make sure that we do not miss Jesus’ point.  Those who see the greatness of God will have the greatest expectation to respond.  If we see the power of God on display, we should respond!  If we live a great life of being blessed by God, we should have the greater response in obedience!  It is a great thing to be able to say that we have been blessed by God.  But it is to our shame if we are not even more obedient because of that blessing!  After all, how much can God expect a person to respond in faith if the person lives in a hidden tribe who has never heard of Jesus?  How much can God expect us to respond in faith if we have churches on every corner and Bibles on every shelf?  Being blessed by God is an amazing thing.  But it assumes a greater response in kind.  As we see here, if we live in the midst of God’s blessing and do not respond, we are asking for the consequences we deserve.

How does your level of blessing compare with your level of obedience to God?  Not that we can ever match God, but are you responsive when God puts Himself on display in your life?

Third Thought:

Take a look at Revelation 3:15-18, especially Revelation 3:16.  Here is another passage in which Jesus is basically giving the same message as He gives here to these cities.  Clearly humanity has an issue with not responding properly.  Human beings can sometimes be an utterly bland people.  But remember the lesson from yesterday?  We can often be lackluster because we are also contrary.  We can find ourselves doing nothing because we are impressed by neither the prophetic warning nor the amazing power of God.  Yesterday’s and today’s lessons are powerful indeed – but even more so when seen together as a cohesive unit.

Have you ever been dull in your response to God because you refuse to take His warning seriously?  Have you ever not responded to God properly because you refuse to be excited about His hand at work?  How does it make you feel to know in times like these that we are lukewarm, deserving to be spit out of the mouth of God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 11:25-30