Matthew 11:20-24

Woe on Unrepentant Towns
²⁰Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹“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.²²But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[^e^] For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Matthew 11:20-24

It is so easy to skip past passages like this and move onto the ones that have juicy stories or inspiring teachings. However, these are important moments in Jesus’ ministry and these judgments are serious. After all, Jesus had lived in Capernaum. He knew the people, they were his friends and neighbours. They were his colleagues at work and they were his community. These were places where Jesus had gone to and performed incredible miracles. And yet, despite everything that he had done for them, they still held onto a dream of a Kingdom that would be won through swords and spears and military genius. They imagined a kingdom of human power and control. They imagined a kingdom where they could be in charge. This was not the Kingdom that God was inviting them into.

The comparison to Sodom is a particularly damning image as it was a commonly used example of total annihilation. Sodom was not conquered by enemies but totally obliterated and destroyed. Jesus sees where their hearts will lead them: to destruction, death and pain. They had seen his miracles and heard his message but had not changed. They had chosen.

This reminds me of one of the surprising features of the early church: their radical ownership of the sins of society. They would support orphans as if they were their own. They would serve the poor as if they had been the ones who had hurt them. They would look after the sick as if they were their brothers and sisters. They owned the problems of society and sought to transform whole communities through ownership, repentance and love.