Bible Study series: Matthew 11:20-24. If you reject Jesus, you put your soul in peril. The same goes for entire towns.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
I also comment more at that link.
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 11:20-24
20 Then he began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! Because if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, long ago they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes! 22 However, I tell you it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you! 23 And you Capernaum: Will you be exalted to the heavens? You will go down to Hades! [Is. 14:13, 15] Because if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would remain to this day! 24 However, I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!” (Matt. 11:20-24)
Comments:
Jesus was in the middle of his mission trip (11:1), and the disciples of John came and questioned Jesus about his mission. Is he the Messiah? But let’s not skip over the bigger picture, however. He was still on his mission trip, and now he was taking stock of the towns which did not show adequate repentance, despite the miracles done in them.
The towns which would have repented were Gentile. And how much ungodlier can any town get than Sodom? But at least they did not have a self-righteous, cluttered version of who God was, as the Israelites of Jesus’s day had. His fellow Jews were filled with old traditions of a shopworn religion, and Jesus was bringing change. Would they receive it? Apparently not, as the next short pericope demonstrates (vv. 25-27).
20-24:
Tyre was known for its oppression of God’s people (Ezek. 27-28), and Sidon was famous for paganism, “but neither city had as much opportunity as Israel” (Keener, p. 345).
Chorazin and Bethsaida: archeology shows that they had substantial communities comparable to Capernaum. Chorazin is less than an hour’s walk to Capernaum. Jesus could reach it easily from his adopted hometown or headquarters, Capernaum. Bethsaida is on the northside of the Lake of Galilee, but the other side of the Jordan. Peter and Andrew were reported to have come from there (John 1:44; 12:21). Bethsaida is outside the territory of Herod Philip (France p. 438).
“miracles”: iIt is often translated as “power,” but also “miracle” or “miraculous power.” It means power in action, not static, but kinetic. It moves. Yes, we get our word dynamite from it, but God is never out of control, like dynamite is. Its purpose is to usher in the kingdom of God and repair and restore broken humanity, both in body and soul. For nearly all the references of that word and a developed theology, please click on Miracles, Signs and Wonders.
What Are Signs and Wonders and Miracles?
“I tell you”: this clause, used twice (vv. 22 and 24), also denotes and authoritative and solemn pronouncement that may surprise his listeners and make them uncomfortable.
“repented”: it is the verb metanoeō (pronounced meh-tah-noh-eh-oh), and “to repent” literally means “to change (your) mind.” And it goes deeper than mental assent or agreement. Another word for repent is the Greek stem streph– (including the prefixes ana-, epi-, and hupo-), which means physically “to turn” (see Luke 2:20, 43, 45). That reality-concept is all about new life. One turns around 180 degrees, going from the direction of death to the new direction of life.
Now let’s look at the doctrine of judgment.
“on the day of judgment”: it does not last 24 hours, but “the day” is the dawn of a new era.
Yes, Jesus is employing firm rhetoric—even harsh rhetoric—but there are theological truths here that explain the strong rhetoric. First, the names of the towns stand in for people. It’s not clear (to me at least) how God through Christ will judge towns and individuals in the town, but he will. But towns seem to take on an ethos or character, probably because neighbors copy each other. It is easy to imagine, however, that a few people may have welcomed or would have welcomed the kingdom of God. If a few adults broke free from the crowd of unbelief, then God will judge them differently, like Lot and his family escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, God distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked. Abraham asked God, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25, ESV). The answer is yes.
Second, people are judged according to the light they have. Sodom had very little light other than moral law, which they completely ignored to the point of extreme crimes, wreaking damage on people. So their judgment on earth was devastating and final. Now imagine how the judgment will be on these towns named in this pericope or section! They had a much brighter light than just moral law. They had the kingdom of God and the Messiah in their midst. If the towns could not accept them, then their judgment will be severe. With greater gifts and light come greater responsibility. If people reject God’s gifts and light, then their judgments will be severe.
Are There Degrees of Punishment, Rewards after Final Judgment?
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
Third, we don’t know how judgment and sentencing will be carried out. Three Bible-based theories are possible for Evangelicals to believe. (1) Will there be eternal, conscious torment even for your grandmother who never got around to repenting and having faith in Jesus, yet she cared for a dozen Lazaruses, as seen in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? (2) Or will everyone in hell / hades eventually be annihilated, including Satan, that is, pass into nonexistence, so the spiritual and physical realms are forever pure? (3) Or will God eventually reconcile everyone to himself, after they spend the right length of time in hell / hades (except Satan)?
“Hades”: The term is not as clear in the details as we have been taught. It is mentioned 10 times in the NT: Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14. And Matt. 11:23 // Luke 10:15 are parallels, so the number of distinct times is actually nine. And hades is not elaborated on in detail, and not even in Revelation, except for some symbolic usage; that is, even Hades will even be thrown in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).
Jesus singles out Capernaum, because it was his adopted home base (Matt. 4:13; Mark 2:1), and he had a successful ministry there (Matt. 8:14-17; 9:1-7; Luke 4:23, 31-37; 7:1-10; John 2:12; 6:24-25). If all of the people did not fully repent, then his adopted hometown would undergo severe judgment.
In contrast, I heard two TV preachers, who focus on the Word of Faith and now the Grace Revolution, tell their audience that God is not a judging God. They are wrong. Judgment is coming, and don’t let the Happy Highlight preachers tell you otherwise.
Once again:
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
GrowApp for Matt. 11:20-24
1. Does it seem just or fair to you that there are degrees of rewards and punishments on the day of judgment? Explain.
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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