Lesson 11 - Matt. 11:20-30 - THE UNREPENTING CITIES
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Matt. 9:35-38; 10:1-8, we studied Jesus' reaction-His deeply felt compassion-as He observed the great crowds of people who had come to see Him. He saw them as lost sheep who were in urgent need of a shepherd. He told His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." And to prepare for this monumental task, He then told them to pray for, "the Lord of the harvest to send out workers" (9:37-38). In chapter 10, we saw Jesus summon and commission His 12 apostles, equipping them with the powers they needed to accomplish His work. We came away from this lesson with four important points of personal application: (1) We need to see lost people as Jesus saw them. Jesus felt gut-wrenching compassion for them, both physically and spiritually, and He provided a cure for both conditions. Jesus also saw the great need for workers in the harvest. As one of Jesus' sheep, He wants you to see yourself as a worker in His harvest. (2) We need to feel for lost people as Jesus felt. The reality is they are headed for hell-eternal damnation-unless we follow Jesus' example and not only feel but actively show genuine compassion for them. Because Jesus cares, so should we. (3) We need to do for lost people what Jesus did. What did Jesus do? He ministered to people's spiritual and physical needs, and He prayed for more workers. "Ministry" means service, and every Christian is called to serve Christ. He has given us unique gifts and opportunities; and we are to take what He's given us and use it to serve the people He places in our path. And (4) like Jesus' disciples, we are commanded to go to the lost sheep. As disciples of Jesus, all ordinary Christians (that's me and you!) have the ability to proclaim that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" by sharing our personal witness with others. We don't need to be professional preachers in order to honestly tell people that Jesus loves them and has a plan for his or her life, not to harm them but to give them hope and a future-eternity in heaven with Him.
This week, in Matt. 11:20-30, we'll hear Jesus pronounce judgment on the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum in Galilee and His reasons for doing so. This is part of a larger section of Matthew-Chapters 11-13-that record Israel's rejection of its Messiah and its consequences for the nation as a whole. One major indication of Israel's was the antagonism the rulers and religious authorities showed towards John the Baptist's and Jesus' methods-"repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:1-3). Another was their total indifference to Jesus' message and their refusal to respond to it-e.g., "I came to fulfill, not abolish the Law and the prophets" (Matt. 5:17-20).
While Jesus and His disciples had preached and healed throughout Galilee, most of the people did not repent and believe. This is where we cone into today's lesson.
Read 11:20-24 - WOE TO YOU, CHORAZIN, BETHSAIDA, AND CAPERNAUM!
20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."
v. 20: "Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent." - The people of these "cities" had seen the powerful miracles performed by Jesus with their own eyes, yet, they did not repent (a change of mind and heart) but were indifferent, unmoved. Added to that, these same people went as far as to accuse John the Baptist of being possessed by a demon and to describe Jesus as glutton and a drunkard, who befriended tax collectors and sinners! (11:18-19). Jesus did not denounce these cities because they had actively opposed His ministry but because of their stubborn lack of interest, their willful indifference.
v. 21a: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!" - The term "Woe" (Gk. Quai [oo-ah'-ee]) carries a forewarning of impending doom. "Chorazin" was about two miles northwest of Capernaum and "Bethsaida" was on the northeast coast of the Sea of Galilee (see, Galilee map).
v. 21b: "For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." - "Tyre and Sidon" were Gentile cities in Syro-Phoenicia on the Mediterranean coast to the north (see map). In the ancient Near East, wearing "sackcloth" and rubbing "ashes" on your body were common evidence of people in mourning.
v. 22: "Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you." - Jesus' statement here reveals that as the all-knowing God in the flesh, He knew that the pagan, idol-worshiping people of "Tyre and Sidon" would have positively responded to His message had they received the same forceful witness that the Galileans had seen and heard. This tells us two things: (1) That the special revelation received by the Galileans from Jesus had been a privilege-a real honor, not a right and (2) moreover, when God judges, he will take into account the opportunity the people have had. This implies that there are degrees of punishment in hell just as there are degrees of honor in heaven.
v. 23: "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day." - "Capernaum" was the base from which Jesus conducted His earthly ministry. Half of all of the miracles Jesus preformed took place in Capernaum, many of which were irrefutable proof of His Messiahship. Had Sodom, the wicked OT capital of sexual sin, been as privileged to hear and see Jesus as had Capernaum, it would have been spared.
v. 24: Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you." - The plural "you" incorporates all three of the towns mentioned. Their citizens followed Jesus around, and many directly benefited from His miracles, but they failed to respond to His message. They were entertained by His miracles and teachings, but His loving kindness never touched their hearts. Lastly, because of Capernaum's special revelation, Jesus declares that Capernaum will be punished more severely than Sodom on the Day of Judgment. This makes me think of people who claim to have a 'neutral' attitude towards Christianity-neither for or against, when in fact there's no neutral ground: You must either accept or reject Jesus for who He is.
Read Matt. 11:25-27 - REVEALED TO INFANTS
25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
v. 25a: "At that time Jesus said," - This phrase connects Jesus' comments about Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum to the prayer that follows.
v. 25b: "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth," - Addressing God as "Father, Lord of heaven and earth," captures both the nurturing and the all-mighty sides of God.
v. 25c: "that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants." - The verse reflects Jesus' personal experience in His ministry. The rulers and religious leaders have rejected Jesus, yet common people, including the dregs of society like tax collectors and sinners, flock to Him. The "wise and intelligent" refer generally to the self-sufficient Jews who rejected Jesus because they basically felt no need for what He offered. But the "infants," not feeling full of self, were open to receiving God, and having no other religious assurance, they were open to receiving grace; and having no wisdom, they were open to Jesus' teachings. Notice that the polarity between those who reject or accept Jesus is self-perpetuating: The more Jesus directs His appeal to the discarded people in society, the more the higher-ups in society reject Him.
v. 26: "Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight." - It was God's good pleasure to hide truth from some and reveal it others. This doesn't mean that God is arbitrary and unjust. The cities were given every possible chance to welcome Jesus as Lord, but they deliberately refused to submit to Him. So, when they refused the light, God withheld the light from them. If the rulers and authorities refuse to believe, then God will reveal Him to those who are humble in heart.
v. 27a: "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father;" - This would seem to be a presumptuous claim from anyone else, but from the Lord Jesus it is a simple statement of truth. At the time, with opposition to Him mounting, it did not appear that Jesus was in control of events, but it was, in fact, vice-versa: The program of His life was moving unfailingly toward a glorious triumph.
v. 27b: "and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." - Like the Trinity, there is an unfathomable mystery about the Person of Christ-the union of deity and humanity in one person raises problems that boggle our human minds. His divine and human natures are inseparable. Thus, although we can know Him, there is a sense in which only the Father can truly understand Him.
v. 27c: "nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." - The "Father," too is Himself unfathomable. Ultimately, only God (and Jesus is God), is great enough to truly understand God. We humans can't know Him by our own strength or intellect, yet Jesus can does reveal the Father to those whom He chooses; and whoever comes to know the Son, also comes to know the Father (John 14:7).
Read Matt. 11: 28-30 - TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU
28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
v. 28: ""Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." - This and the two following verses are among the most quoted and beloved in the Bible, because all of us, at times, feel burdened and in need of "rest." In the context of Jesus' time, these verses spoke specifically to those burdened by the Jewish Law. God had originally given the Law to guide the Jewish people through the moral snares-sin-of the world; however, the Pharisees and scribes had added to and embellished the Law to such extent that it had become an unattainable burden rather than a guide. The common person didn't have a chance of perfectly keeping the law-not even close. But Jesus offered something that lifted them up rather than put them down. The "rest" is a free gift of salvation that comes from realizing that Jesus finished the work of redemption on Calvary's cross.
v. 29a: "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me," - Rabbis often likened the Law to a yoke-a wooden frame fitted across the necks of two oxen to make them a team. The yoke gave a measure of control over the animals because neither was free to go in its own direction. The yoke of the Law, originally designed by God to guide people through the sin of the world, had been turned into an unsupportable burden on people by the religious authorities. But taking on Jesus' yoke-submitting to Him and living by His teachings to steer you through the world-is light by any comparison.
v. 29b: "for I am gentle and humble in heart," - In utter contrast to the Pharisees and scribes, who were prideful and self-serving, Jesus as teacher is gentle and humble. Those who take on His yoke will learn to be like Him and humbly take the lowest place.
v. 29c: "and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS." - This is the "rest" one experiences in the service of Jesus Christ when you stop trying to bring any of the credit to yourself, and Jesus provides this "REST FOR YOUR SOULS" to anyone who comes to Him in humble faith.
v. 30: "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Again, this is a striking contrast to the yoke imposed on the people by the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus' yoke, by comparison is "easy" and "light." The yoke of discipleship may involve opposition from the world at times, but it is still an easy and comfortable burden. It doesn't mean there will be no problems or trials in the Christian life. But is does mean that we don't have to bear them alone, for we are yoked to One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need. To serve Him isn't bondage but perfect freedom.
APPLICATION-Jesus' Invitation is Still Open
1. Lost people need to be warned of the danger of ignoring Jesus' gospel of grace (vv. 20-24). The people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum heard the gospel of grace but by and large, chose to ignore it and go their own way. It is no different today. People have heard of Jesus and may even know something of His works, but they, like the people of these cities, are indifferent. It's the job of the church-us-to inform people from all walks of life of life of the danger into which they are heading-judgment. Why don't people accept and submit to Christ? It's because they are trapped in sinful lifestyles and feel no need of what Jesus offers. But they really need to be told that there's a better 'way' before it's too late, and it's our mission to show them this way-the gospel of grace.
2. As born-again Christians, God, in His mercy and grace, has revealed the truth about Jesus to us (vv. 25-27). God Himself has chosen to reveal the truth about Jesus to you and me in such a way that we have accepted Him as our personal Lord and Savior. This is cause for rejoicing every day of our lives. Because of God's revelation of Jesus to us, it's our bounden duty, both as individual believers and as a church, to share with others what Jesus has personally done for us, and to tell them that Jesus is willing and ready to offer the same free gift to them.
3. The weary and heavy-laden lost people of this world are in critical need of rest (vv. 28-30). Many people today are trudging through life under the yoke of the world-the bondage of sin-trying to cope with life through their own efforts, which ultimately gives them no hope, no real peace. It's no wonder they're "weary." They don't understand there's actually an alternative-a truly wonderful alternative: the gentle and light yoke of Jesus Christ. We need to tell them that the yoke of discipleship under Jesus is an easy and comfortable burden. While it doesn't mean they will avoid all the inevitable trials of life or even opposition from others, it does mean that they no longer have to bear their burdens alone, because they are yoked to Jesus, the One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need.
