Luke 10:13-16

Luke 10:13-16

“Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  If the power that came in you came in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago after sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  Nevertheless, it will be more tolerable in Tyre and Sidon in judgement than for you.  And you, Capernaum, surely will you not be exalted into heaven?  You will be thrust down into Hades!  The one who hears you hears me.  And the one who rejects you rejects me.  And the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We have a warning in these verses about Chorazin and Bethsaida.  Look at the warning.  Jesus’ issue with these people is they are unwilling to listen.  Their minds and their hearts are closed.  In fact, they must be very closed.  Jesus says that if the Gentiles had the same kind of opportunity they would have come to repentance!  Jesus is giving us an incredible warning.  We need to be willing to listen.  We need to be willing to admit we’re wrong.  We need to be willing to acknowledge we make mistakes and come to God in humbleness.

Where are you humble in your humanity?  Where are you not humble?  How does arrogance lead you away from where God wants you to be?

Second Thought:

If we turn to the witness against Capernaum, we hear a very similar message.  They are likewise closed to God’s message.  They are so convinced that they are righteous that they don’t recognize they are headed to the place for the unrighteous!  If we are not careful, we can be so convinced of our goodness that we are blind to our sinfulness.

What is the natural product of being overconfident regarding our righteousness?  Where does our righteousness actually come from if not within ourselves?

Third Thought:

There is an important principle at work in the closing verse.  If people reject Jesus, they inherently reject the one who sent Jesus.  Most Christians don’t have a problem with this idea.  It just makes sense that if you reject God’s Son then you reject the Father who sent Him.  But the interesting element to this is that Jesus sends it one step further.  If we reject someone that Jesus legitimately sent into our life, we inherently reject the Son.  It’s the same principle that we put into words a moment ago.  Of course, if people reject the Son through their rejection of one sent by the Son, then they are rejecting the Father, too.  If we are honestly doing the work of the Father, we do not need to fear rejection.  God will take care of us.  He will also take care of those who reject us.

When have you rejected legitimate authority God placed in your life?  How do you recover from such an action?  Has your authority from the Father ever been rejected?  How do you recover from that rejection?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 10:17-20