Luk 10:16 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord says “woe to” Chorazin and Bethsaida because these cities have seen so many of His works of power and yet have not repented. He has proven time and again to be the Messiah, but they continue to refuse to accept Him. With this they sink deeper into their sins than Tyre and Sidon who, according to the Lord’s judgment, would have repented long ago if He had done those miracles – literally: works of power – there. The question may arise why He did not do so, for then those cities would have repented. The answer is that God has an appropriate testimony for every occasion in every period. He approached Tyre and Sidon with a testimony that exactly suited them and could be understand by them, but that they consciously rejected. It is important to hold on to the sovereignty of God Who knows much better what is in man than we do. He knows what He can ask of a person and takes into account the circumstances in which that person finds himself. According to that knowledge He measures the responsibility of man and tests him therein by the message He sends to him. That message is exactly what is needed for that person. Thus He has always acted, and therefore His judgment is also perfectly righteous. Never will a person be able to sue Him why He didn’t treat him in another way. Every human being will realize that God has approached him in a perfect fitting manner, but that he has rejected Him. The most severe punishments come therefore on those who are most favored by Him, those whom He has taken nearest to Himself, or to whom He has come in Christ. Therefore it will be more tolerable for the heathen cities of Tyre and Sidon in judgment than for the cities of Israel. The cities of Israel are visited by God Himself in Christ and they have rejected God revealed in the flesh. And what does Capernaum, the city where the Lord Jesus lived for a long time, think? Does the abode of the Son of God in their midst mean the exaltation of the city to heaven? That could have been if they had accepted Him. But the abode of the Son of God in their midst remains without any effect on their heart and conscience. That only makes their guilt bigger and their rejection of Him worse. The city will be brought down to Hades. The Lord connects Himself at the closest to the message that the seventy will bring to the cities. It is therefore essentially His message. They do not bring their own words, but His words. Therefore, to hear and accept their words is in reality to hear and accept the Lord’s words. With rejecting the messengers it is the other way around. He who does so, rejects Christ and with Him also the Father Who sent Him. Whenever we hear God’s Word, we must be aware that we are not listening to a human being, but to God, whereby the test is not our feeling, but God’s Word. It is not about whether we like the messenger or the message, but about whether we are open to what God has to say through the messenger.

‏ Luke 10:16

‘Woe’ to the Galilean Cities

The Lord says “woe to” Chorazin and Bethsaida because these cities have seen so many of His works of power and yet have not repented. He has proven time and again to be the Messiah, but they continue to refuse to accept Him. With this they sink deeper into their sins than Tyre and Sidon who, according to the Lord’s judgment, would have repented long ago if He had done those miracles – literally: works of power – there.

The question may arise why He did not do so, for then those cities would have repented. The answer is that God has an appropriate testimony for every occasion in every period. He approached Tyre and Sidon with a testimony that exactly suited them and could be understand by them, but that they consciously rejected.

It is important to hold on to the sovereignty of God Who knows much better what is in man than we do. He knows what He can ask of a person and takes into account the circumstances in which that person finds himself. According to that knowledge He measures the responsibility of man and tests him therein by the message He sends to him. That message is exactly what is needed for that person.

Thus He has always acted, and therefore His judgment is also perfectly righteous. Never will a person be able to sue Him why He didn’t treat him in another way. Every human being will realize that God has approached him in a perfect fitting manner, but that he has rejected Him.

The most severe punishments come therefore on those who are most favored by Him, those whom He has taken nearest to Himself, or to whom He has come in Christ. Therefore it will be more tolerable for the heathen cities of Tyre and Sidon in judgment than for the cities of Israel. The cities of Israel are visited by God Himself in Christ and they have rejected God revealed in the flesh.

And what does Capernaum, the city where the Lord Jesus lived for a long time, think? Does the abode of the Son of God in their midst mean the exaltation of the city to heaven? That could have been if they had accepted Him. But the abode of the Son of God in their midst remains without any effect on their heart and conscience. That only makes their guilt bigger and their rejection of Him worse. The city will be brought down to Hades.

The Lord connects Himself at the closest to the message that the seventy will bring to the cities. It is therefore essentially His message. They do not bring their own words, but His words. Therefore, to hear and accept their words is in reality to hear and accept the Lord’s words. With rejecting the messengers it is the other way around. He who does so, rejects Christ and with Him also the Father Who sent Him.

Whenever we hear God’s Word, we must be aware that we are not listening to a human being, but to God, whereby the test is not our feeling, but God’s Word. It is not about whether we like the messenger or the message, but about whether we are open to what God has to say through the messenger.