The unrepentant will suffer! - Matthew 11:20-24
The unrepentant will suffer! - Matthew 11:20-24
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 29, 2019
With the New Year coming there will be those who celebrate it by getting drunk, making silly resolutions that they cannot keep, or by thinking that it will give them a magical reboot on life. None of these make any sense nor do they solve any problems until one addresses what the real root of their personal problems are they will continue to rely on getting high, making faulty promises, and hoping for change that will not come.
Jesus had just gotten through declaring that the unrepentant Jews would not listen to God’s prophets, John the Baptist, or the Messiah who was standing right in front of them! He now gives them the example of unrepentant cities that faced God’s wrath and how they would also face similar judgment unless they repented. Jesus tells them that unrepentant cities will suffer, let’s discover what he meant…
READ: Matthew 11:20-24
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the Day of Judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:20-24 NIV)
Though it was not Jesus’ primary thrust in his First Advent to pronounce judgment, Jesus did denounce sin. Here he specifically pronounced condemnation against the cities in which some of his most significant miracles had occurred and all three near the Sea of Galilee’s northwest shore: Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.
The first two cities Jesus mentions are Korazin and Bethsaida Jewish cities known for their commerce and the final one we will look at is Capernaum.
Korazin is located on the side of a large hill about two and a half miles north of Capernaum. This city is remembered as one of the three key cities in which Jesus spent much of his ministry. It was a prominent ancient city, although during the third century AD the city became uninhabited and today its archaeological remains are identified. A synagogue was discovered in the 19th century. The majority of the ruins are black basalt and one of the most interesting findings was the Seat of Moses which was carved out of a single block of stone with an Aramaic inscription. More evidence includes images of Medusa carved onto stones, something that wasn’t common to Jewish Synagogues. Some legends later claimed that the Antichrist would be born in Korazin.
Bethsaida, which means “the house of fishing”, and is aptly named since it is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was an important fishing town for the area and exported its fish to the surrounding cities. Bethsaida was the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Jesus had healed a blind man there and fed the five thousand near the town. Some believe it is located where the Jordan River enters the Lake. During the time of Jesus it was renamed Julias by Herod Phillip II to honor Augustus’ wife but the locals continued to refer to it as Bethsaida.
The final city mentioned by Jesus is Capernaum. It too was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, a Jewish/Greek empire, and was located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Peter’s home that he lived in during his ministry with Jesus was there. It was reported to have been the hometown of the tax collector Matthew, and located not far from Bethsaida. Jesus spent a lot of time there, healed a man with an unclean spirit there, taught in its synagogue, where he healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and the Centurion’s servant. Capernaum is also the location of the healing of the paralytic lowered by friends through the roof to reach Jesus, as reported in Mark 2:1-12. In fact some suggest that the wording in Matthew 9:1 “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town” refers to Capernaum. It became significant because it was Jesus’ headquarters during his ministry. So each of these cities was significant in receiving the ministry and attention of the Messiah but they had refused to acknowledge him just as many do today! So “Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.”
EXAMPLE: Korazin and Capernaum were Hebrew cities that knew about God. They understood their history and how important it was to repent of their sins. They also knew about the promised Messiah to come but they did not repent of their sins. How could people who were supposed to be God’s witnesses in the world, who understood their history, and yet they could not or would not repent of their sins?
Now we come to the cities of Tyre and Sidon. Why are they significant?
The names Tyre and Sidon were famous in the ancient Near East. They are also important cities in the Old and New Testaments. Both are now located in Lebanon, with Tyre 20 miles south of Sidon and only 12 miles north of the Israel/Lebanon border. Today each is just a shadow of their former selves. Sidon, called Saida today (Arabic for “fishing”), was named after the firstborn son of Canaan (Genesis 10:15) and probably settled by his descendants.
Twenty miles south of Sidon, in the middle of a coastal plain, Tyre was constructed on a rock island a few hundred yards out into the Mediterranean. In fact, the city took its name from this rock island. Tyre comes from the Semitic sr (Hebrew Sor) meaning rock. Apparently the island was fortified first and called Tyre, while the coastal city was settled later. Beginning with David, the Tyrian connection became prominent; Hiram, king of Tyre, offered cedar trees, carpenters and masons to build David’s palace and later for Solomon. In the days of Ezra and Zerubbabel, the Jews returning from captivity also sent to the men of Sidon and Tyre for cedars to build the Second Temple.
During Jesus’ ministry Tyre and Sidon were prosperous Roman port cities. Yet there was great spiritual hunger in the region. Early in Jesus’ ministry, people from Sidon and Tyre heard about the things he did. They came to see him (Mark 3:8) and be healed by him (Luke 6:17). Later in Jesus’ ministry, he visited the region of Sidon and Tyre. There he healed the Canaanite (Syrophoenician) woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21–28). Therefore Jesus’ pronounced judgment on Korazin and Bethsaida suggests that if the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon had experienced what Korazin and Bethsaida did, they would have long ago repented in sackcloth and ashes. The pagans of the region recognized him for who he was and his own people did not!
Sidon was the scene of heavy fighting during Lebanon’s civil war and its situation only deteriorated. Today Tyre is a depressed city that has suffered greatly during Lebanon’s civil war and Israel’s subsequent occupation of southern Lebanon. The modern isthmus that joins the island to the mainland holds streets of houses and shops. Tyre has a number of unplanned squatter settlements.
EXAMPLE: Prosperity does not mean spirituality, in fact often quite the opposite. Just look at the Hollywood elite or the politically powerful. Far too often those who find financial success forget who gave them life in the first place. Tyre and Sidon were prosperous but needed a Savior and it seems that unlike many today some were willing to listen to Jesus and repent.
Conclusion: How do you recognize Jesus today? Are you ungrateful for what he has done by sacrificing himself for your sins? Today’s world needs a Savior, today’s world needs Jesus if not the unrepentant will suffer!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 29, 2019
With the New Year coming there will be those who celebrate it by getting drunk, making silly resolutions that they cannot keep, or by thinking that it will give them a magical reboot on life. None of these make any sense nor do they solve any problems until one addresses what the real root of their personal problems are they will continue to rely on getting high, making faulty promises, and hoping for change that will not come.
Jesus had just gotten through declaring that the unrepentant Jews would not listen to God’s prophets, John the Baptist, or the Messiah who was standing right in front of them! He now gives them the example of unrepentant cities that faced God’s wrath and how they would also face similar judgment unless they repented. Jesus tells them that unrepentant cities will suffer, let’s discover what he meant…
READ: Matthew 11:20-24
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the Day of Judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:20-24 NIV)
Though it was not Jesus’ primary thrust in his First Advent to pronounce judgment, Jesus did denounce sin. Here he specifically pronounced condemnation against the cities in which some of his most significant miracles had occurred and all three near the Sea of Galilee’s northwest shore: Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.
The first two cities Jesus mentions are Korazin and Bethsaida Jewish cities known for their commerce and the final one we will look at is Capernaum.
Korazin is located on the side of a large hill about two and a half miles north of Capernaum. This city is remembered as one of the three key cities in which Jesus spent much of his ministry. It was a prominent ancient city, although during the third century AD the city became uninhabited and today its archaeological remains are identified. A synagogue was discovered in the 19th century. The majority of the ruins are black basalt and one of the most interesting findings was the Seat of Moses which was carved out of a single block of stone with an Aramaic inscription. More evidence includes images of Medusa carved onto stones, something that wasn’t common to Jewish Synagogues. Some legends later claimed that the Antichrist would be born in Korazin.
Bethsaida, which means “the house of fishing”, and is aptly named since it is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was an important fishing town for the area and exported its fish to the surrounding cities. Bethsaida was the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Jesus had healed a blind man there and fed the five thousand near the town. Some believe it is located where the Jordan River enters the Lake. During the time of Jesus it was renamed Julias by Herod Phillip II to honor Augustus’ wife but the locals continued to refer to it as Bethsaida.
The final city mentioned by Jesus is Capernaum. It too was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, a Jewish/Greek empire, and was located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Peter’s home that he lived in during his ministry with Jesus was there. It was reported to have been the hometown of the tax collector Matthew, and located not far from Bethsaida. Jesus spent a lot of time there, healed a man with an unclean spirit there, taught in its synagogue, where he healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and the Centurion’s servant. Capernaum is also the location of the healing of the paralytic lowered by friends through the roof to reach Jesus, as reported in Mark 2:1-12. In fact some suggest that the wording in Matthew 9:1 “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town” refers to Capernaum. It became significant because it was Jesus’ headquarters during his ministry. So each of these cities was significant in receiving the ministry and attention of the Messiah but they had refused to acknowledge him just as many do today! So “Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.”
EXAMPLE: Korazin and Capernaum were Hebrew cities that knew about God. They understood their history and how important it was to repent of their sins. They also knew about the promised Messiah to come but they did not repent of their sins. How could people who were supposed to be God’s witnesses in the world, who understood their history, and yet they could not or would not repent of their sins?
Now we come to the cities of Tyre and Sidon. Why are they significant?
The names Tyre and Sidon were famous in the ancient Near East. They are also important cities in the Old and New Testaments. Both are now located in Lebanon, with Tyre 20 miles south of Sidon and only 12 miles north of the Israel/Lebanon border. Today each is just a shadow of their former selves. Sidon, called Saida today (Arabic for “fishing”), was named after the firstborn son of Canaan (Genesis 10:15) and probably settled by his descendants.
Twenty miles south of Sidon, in the middle of a coastal plain, Tyre was constructed on a rock island a few hundred yards out into the Mediterranean. In fact, the city took its name from this rock island. Tyre comes from the Semitic sr (Hebrew Sor) meaning rock. Apparently the island was fortified first and called Tyre, while the coastal city was settled later. Beginning with David, the Tyrian connection became prominent; Hiram, king of Tyre, offered cedar trees, carpenters and masons to build David’s palace and later for Solomon. In the days of Ezra and Zerubbabel, the Jews returning from captivity also sent to the men of Sidon and Tyre for cedars to build the Second Temple.
During Jesus’ ministry Tyre and Sidon were prosperous Roman port cities. Yet there was great spiritual hunger in the region. Early in Jesus’ ministry, people from Sidon and Tyre heard about the things he did. They came to see him (Mark 3:8) and be healed by him (Luke 6:17). Later in Jesus’ ministry, he visited the region of Sidon and Tyre. There he healed the Canaanite (Syrophoenician) woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21–28). Therefore Jesus’ pronounced judgment on Korazin and Bethsaida suggests that if the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon had experienced what Korazin and Bethsaida did, they would have long ago repented in sackcloth and ashes. The pagans of the region recognized him for who he was and his own people did not!
Sidon was the scene of heavy fighting during Lebanon’s civil war and its situation only deteriorated. Today Tyre is a depressed city that has suffered greatly during Lebanon’s civil war and Israel’s subsequent occupation of southern Lebanon. The modern isthmus that joins the island to the mainland holds streets of houses and shops. Tyre has a number of unplanned squatter settlements.
EXAMPLE: Prosperity does not mean spirituality, in fact often quite the opposite. Just look at the Hollywood elite or the politically powerful. Far too often those who find financial success forget who gave them life in the first place. Tyre and Sidon were prosperous but needed a Savior and it seems that unlike many today some were willing to listen to Jesus and repent.
Conclusion: How do you recognize Jesus today? Are you ungrateful for what he has done by sacrificing himself for your sins? Today’s world needs a Savior, today’s world needs Jesus if not the unrepentant will suffer!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
Comments