People of Galilee Rebuked for Their Unbelief

Take Every Passage to Prayer - Volume 2, The Gospels
^{Saturday August 17, 2024}

Matthew 11:20-30, Luke 10:12-24

Father, it is my human nature to rebel from You. It is my human nature to reject Your ways and the gospel itself. I ask that You not pronounce judgement upon me. Instead, I ask that You have mercy on me. I am but a humble child who knows I am nothing before You and I cannot save myself. I hear Your call to salvation, and I come to You on my knees asking for mercy. I have learned from the trials of life that I am not my own god. I need You to be my God. Please save me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I am confident that the work He will call me to do will be blessed as I surrender my heart to Him. Amen.
Father, Jesus had just instructed His disciples that they are to shake the dust off their sandals of a town that has rejected the gospel message. It is a warning that those who reject the gospel will be rejected by You. Their fate will be more severe than the occupants of Sodom who died in the sulfur and ash falling from heaven. The greatest of all sin is the rejection of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A great chasm will separate throughout eternity those who embraced Jesus Christ as their savior and those who did not. The godly will have nothing to do even with the dust of the place where the ungodly dwell.
Jesus took the opportunity of this discussion to reflect upon the region of Galilee. While we read about the thousands of people who delighted in the miracles and teachings of Jesus, it is a small group of people that the gospels record as having deep faith in Galilee. Thousands upon thousands of people have encountered the ministry of Jesus. Many have been healed by Him. However, the Bible shares the deep faith of only a few individuals from the region. I would think that if many people had come to deep faith in Jesus, Matthew 4:23-25 would read something like this:
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Many people came to faith in Him. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Many people came to faith in Him. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him, having committed their lives to their Savior.”
Had Jesus failed in His ministry? No. The people of ancient Galilee, just like the people of the 21st century, knew who Jesus claimed to be but chose not to place their faith in Him for their eternal salvation. It is in this context that Jesus denounced the towns where He had performed most of His miracles.
“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. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Father, throughout the writings of Old Testament prophets we read how You offered grace and mercy to those to whom You had just declared judgement. The final word is not destruction. The final word is mercy. Jesus reflected Your character by doing the same. After He pronounced judgement on those who have rejected the gospel, He then mercifully offers salvation to those who will embrace the gospel. Who are the people who accept the gospel?

1. The humble. They are not proud like those who boast about their intelligence and degrees and get caught up in ideology, philosophy, and complex arguments. Instead, the humble are like little children who grab on to the simple basics: “I have sinned against God, I can’t save myself, I need a savior, and His name is Jesus Christ.”
2. Those to whom Jesus has chosen to reveal You. Only those who have been invited by Jesus into the personal relationship You and He have. It is impossible for anyone to know You and Him unless Jesus has invited the person into that relationship.
3. The weary and burdened. Those who think they are in control of their lives, who feel comfortable and relaxed in life, don’t believe they need a savior. The people who believe they need a savior are those whose sense of self-reliance and control has been broken by the troubles of life. Adversity can be a friend of ours if it leads us to our knees and to the gospel.

Jesus invites and welcomes all who come to Him for salvation and relief. This includes anyone from the towns of whom He had just pronounced judgement. Those who surrender their lives to Christ won’t be oppressed or burdened. They will feel a sense of peace, contentment, and joy that truly gives their souls rest. Our work for the Kingdom of God will be a delight for us when we truly surrender our lives to Jesus. Amen.