Matthew 11:20-30

Matthew 11:20-30 NIV

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For 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 to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For 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.”
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was a boy Jesus was depicted in pictures with long wavy hair and either blue or brown eyes. His expression seemed to me gentle, loving, and sometimes sad. I had two plastic framed pictures of Jesus. One was of Him as the good shepherd. He carried a lamb over his shoulders. The other sheep gathered around seemingly eager to be near Him. The other picture was of Jesus knocking on a door. He looked sad. The door is a metaphor for the human heart and it is closed to Jesus.

The truth is we don't know what Jesus looked like and we don't know how He felt except for biblical passages that tell us. In these Jesus shows a range of emotions from joy to anger to sadness, like the shortest verse in the bible.

John 11:35 NIV

Jesus wept.

We see fear or anguish in Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. And we see caution when He avoids the crowd, undue attention, and threats on His life.

In today's reading Jesus denounces three cities in Galilee: Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum. All three are located on the north end of the Sea of Galilee. These cities are known as The Evangelical Triangle in biblical circles. Jesus centered His ministry out of Capernaum. Peter's mother in-law had a home there. Some of His apostles, like Philip, came from Bethsaida.

Jesus' denouncement seems harsh, so it would be easy to think Jesus was angry when He delivered this message. I've seen plenty of biblical movies that show crazy, yelling prophets delivering words of judgement. I'm aware these film characterizations influence how I might read Jesus here.

Try reading this passage, not with anger and dissatisfaction, but with compassion and sadness, like how a parent might feel when praying for her children who've gone astray. How does the passage feel to you? Angry still?

I like to think that Jesus was mourning the loss of the souls in these cities. They did not know what they were missing when they turned away from the gospel. Jesus made a similar evaluation of the fate of Jerusalem.

Luke 19:41-44 NIV

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Notice what was Jesus' emotion. He wept. He felt sad for the people. Perhaps Jesus felt the same way about Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Korazin.

He compares Bethsaida and Korazin to Tyre and Sidon. These are port cities on the Mediterranean Sea. These cities were populated by the Phoenicians. The cities were wealthy with trade centering from their ports to Africa, Asia, Europe and Arabia. The Old Testament prophets predicted their downfall. (See Isaiah 23, Ezekiel 26) Jesus compares Capernaum to Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities south of the Dead Sea that were destroyed by the wrath of God. Trye, Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah are all condemned for their excesses and idolatry. For Jesus to say it will be easier for these cities on Judgement Day than for Capernaum, Korazin and Bethsaida is saying that these cities are more wicked. They rejected the gospel. They paid no mind to Jesus and the miracles He performed. The signs and wonders should have given them ample reason to embrace Jesus as messiah, but they did not.

Jesus then prayed openly to God praising Him for revealing Himself to the simple of heart, but hiding the revelation of Jesus from the so called wise and learned. Jesus is God visiting them in the flesh, but they do not see it. Some however, did see and followed Jesus.

John 1:44, 49 NIV

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

These men embraced Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus reveals in His prayer that God the Father reveals the Son to these men of simple faith and Jesus in turn reveals the Father God to His disciples, because only God knows His Son Jesus and only Jesus knows The Father, for He came from The Father.

When Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Christ Jesus told him that God in heaven made it known to him. (Mat 16:15-17). And when Jesus was returning to the Father in heaven, the disciples wanted to see God, but Jesus told them they had already seen God.

John 14:9 NIV

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

So it is that some will not be able to see who Jesus is because their relationship with God has not opened their eyes. Perhaps their education has puffed up their pride and they cannot see past themselves. But people of a simple and childlike faith are given the ability to see Jesus and come to Him.

This passage ends with an invitation to come to Jesus. I read this invitation as if it is delivered to Bethsaida, Korazin and Capernaum, and for all who have not yet embraced Jesus as their Lord. Read these words with compassion knowing that Jesus' heart was torn for the lost souls around Him. It almost seems as if He is trying to portray coming to Him as attractive and easy.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This invitation is attractive to those who know Jesus as well as those who don't, for who isn't soul weary sometimes by the burdens of this life? Jesus is inviting you to step up next to Him and let Him help carry the load. He will carry the brunt of the weight. You do what you can and follow His lead. Rest will be yours with that peace that comes from knowing the Father through Jesus Christ.