Matthew 11:20-24 20Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his miracles had been done, because they did not repent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Not everyone accepted Jesus’ words or recognized his authority. Even after witnessing and experiencing his great miracles, many towns and villages refused to change. Verse 20 gives the basic situation, and verses 21-24 give the specific faults of three of the cities. The response these cities should have given was to listen, believe, and repent. Repent (metenoēsan) means to change one’s mind which should lead to changing one’s behavior. In spite of all the evidence, these cities rejected the Messiah. The words Woe to you are filled with many nuances: sadness, regret, compassion, and warning. Jesus looked at these cities and
Chorazin is only mentioned here in the New Testament. Bethsaida was a village along the shore of the Sea of Galilee near the mouth of the Jordan river. Jesus did many miracles near there, such as healing a blind man (Mark 8:22-26) and feeding the five thousand (Luke 9:10-17). In spite of these great and indisputable miracles, the people refused to repent. Tyre and Sidon were powerful pagan cities in the Old Testament times that were denounced by the prophets (Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 26; Amos 1:9–10). The surprise is that these cities would have repented if they had seen the miracles Jesus did in Chorazin and Bethsaida. Capernaum was a significant city in Jesus’ ministry. He called it his “own city” in 9:1. Sodom was known in biblical history for its great sin that led to its destruction by fire recorded in Genesis 19. Its reputation for immorality is often used in the New Testament as an image for sin (Luke 10:12; Romans 9:29; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7). Jesus’ ministry brings a choice to people. Accepting his message in faith and repentance leads to salvation, but rejecting it brings judgment.
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