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167. Woe to the Cities


Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 10:13-16
Key Verse: "He who listens to you listens to Me; he who rejects you rejects Me; he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
Luke 10:16

When the world talks about Jesus, it talks of what it thought it saw. The world remembers His kindnesses, His miracles, His compassion and His unconditional acceptance of the poor and down trodden. The world paints a picture of a god that everyone would want to have in their corner. Nice Jesus. He wouldn't hurt a fly! The world likes this Jesus because He doesn't judge. He just loves and lets us continue doing what we want to do until we feel like getting around to changing because this Jesus is also infinitely patient. Yes, the world loves this fictitious Jesus of their own creation.

The world often explains Jesus’ mission as one to teach us how to love one another and not judge. Thus, Ghandi was able to say something to the effect of, "I like your Jesus, but not your Christians." Of course, because we Christians, who walk this earth, are still sinners, it was easy for Ghandi to point a finger and accuse us of falling short of the mark. We Christians are still being sanctified, still becoming like Him. We are not yet His finished work, so we are an easy target for criticism because we often fail. Also, God is not fashioning us to become like the world’s recreated image of Christ. We are being modeled after the real thing, not a fictitious character, so in truth, as they rejected the true Jesus, they can't help but reject us if our true mission is the same as His.

It is true that Jesus did show kindness and perform miracles, but the goal of His ministry was to lead the world to repentance which is something that the world does not want to do. So, it glosses over Jesus’ true mission to see what it wants to see. Didn't Dylan Thomas say, "There are none so blind as those who will not see?"

History may have recreated Jesus in softer hews, but in truth, the people of Jesus’ day, didn't really like His message either. While they benefited from the miracles and blessings, these loving acts did not lead to changed hearts, which was Jesus’ true desire.

So, Jesus in turn criticizes the cities that have benefited from His ministry. He mentions the cities of Israel's enemies, Tyre and Sidon, all the way back to Sodom, the ultimate den of iniquity, to compare their attitudes to those of His present day. "If Sodom had experienced what you have experienced in Me, perhaps I would have found fifty righteous and their city would have been spared. These cities of the present day, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, they will be without excuse. They have experienced what the prophets longed to experience and remained unchanged.”

This serves as a warning to us as well. We have experienced God's grace in ways that the Children of Israel, couldn't even imagine. The Holy Spirit actually lives within us and not in a tabernacle in the middle of a camp! God will never leave us personally, as He withdrew from those who were disobedient! How are we responding to what we have? Do the miracles we experience call us to repent and live a life pleasing to the One who has blessed us? If we do not, then, not just "woe to the cities," but "Woe to us!”

"Change My Heart O God" 

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