Smoodock's Blog

As I begin this, my next study in chapter eleven of Matthew’s narrative, my mind drifts to a familiar phrase: familiarity breeds contempt! There was nothing, that I can see, that would make the cities Jesus rebukes particularly wicked cities. Rather, it seems that the cities of Galilee were so used to hearing the word of God that they grew deaf to its meaning. Their worldview was built up by receiving the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, who constructed a web of synagogues throughout the land, where they taught the sense of the word of God, or their worldview concerning the word of God.

The problem was, the sense they had been taught by the authorities that ruled these synagogues didn’t communicate the proper meaning of God’s word. As a consequence, the people developed a wrong worldview of God and his Messiah, who was predicted by Daniel to appear in their generation. Therefore, when Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, they didn’t hear his words. Instead, they interpreted him in the context of the wrong worldview they had been taught by the Pharisees[1] about him and God who sent him (cp. Matthew 13:15).

Therefore, when it became apparent that the cities, where he preached and did so many miracles, gave evidence of their obstinacy, Jesus began to warn them against rejecting him. In doing so, he rebuked them by comparing certain cities of Galilee to ancient gentile cities, which the Lord had judged long ago for their wickedness.

Tyre was among the cities listed as an inheritance of Asher (Joshua 19:34-31), but Israel never conquered Tyre. Both Tyre and Sidon were noted for their wickedness and idolatry, but Sidon was of particular note, as that pertained to the fate of Israel. Israel’s king, Ahab, married the Phoenician princess, Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon, and she led Israel into paganism and idolatry (1Kings 16:31), which, eventually, brought the judgment of God against Israel, destroying their nation and scattered them throughout the gentile kingdoms. So, what Jesus presents to us in Matthew 11:20 is two pagan and unrepentant cities, at least one of which was physically unconquerable for Israel, vis-à-vis her defense was too strong for Israel to overcome. The other was spiritually unconquerable for Israel, in that Israel fell prey to its influence rather than Sidon being overcome by the influence of Israel’s relationship with God.

Jesus’ point is that Israel fell prey to the influence of Tyre and Sidon, yet, had the same miracles been performed in those cities that had done in Chorazin, they would have been overcome with the truth and repented long ago. What a contradiction! Israel was too weak to stand before Tyre and Sidon, but they stood against the Lord Jesus, refusing to repent and receive him (cp. John 1:11). Yet, Jesus claimed he would have long ago conquered their conquerors, their enemies, had the Gospel he preached and the miracles he had done in Chorazin been done in Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 11:20-21).

Next, Jesus mentioned the city of Capernaum, which he says was “exalted to heaven,” which is an expression to say she was particularly favored among the cities of Galilee. How so? Jesus made his place of residence in Capernaum, and this city was consequently privileged to see many of his miracles and was taught the Gospel of the Kingdom, vis-à-vis of God’s Presence, by Jesus, probably more often than any other city in all of Palestine. What a contradiction! Jesus preached the Gospel of the Presence of God within the believer, yet Capernaum rejected the Gospel although Jesus’ physical presence resided there, in that city!

Jesus said that, had the Gospel been preached and the miracles done in Sodom that had been done in Capernaum, that wicked city that was destroyed under the judgment of God (Matthew 11:23-24; cp. Genesis 19:24), would have repented long ago and, as a consequence, would have remained to the time of Jesus’ public ministry. Imagine! Such a wicked city would have received Jesus and repented of her wickedness, and would never have been destroyed by God in judgment. Yet, Capernaum, who knew the word of God and was instructed every Sabbath in her synagogues, was so wrapped up in her wrong worldview of God, that she didn’t hear the Gospel of Jesus, and the city as a whole rejected their Messiah. Thus, Matthew’s narrative offers us evidence that it isn’t wickedness, per se, that rejects the Gospel of the Kingdom of heaven, as much as it is believing and being satisfied in a wrong worldview! Being unwilling to be wrong about life and God keeps us from receiving Jesus as our Savior

[1] Paul talks about being corrupted by philosophy (Colossians 2:8), and, according to Josephus, one of the four philosophies of Judaism was that of the Pharisees (see JOSEPHUS; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; chapter 1; paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6).