When Cities are Rebuked - Matthew 11:20-24

The Gospel of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted 2 months ago • Presented 2 months ago

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Jesus rebukes three cities for their lack of belief, and says that three wicked cities would have repented a long time ago had they seen His mighty works.

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Introduction: What is the health of our U.S. cities today? I think most of us would say that it’s not good. I believe most of us would say that the health of our cities is on life-support. Things don’t look good. Consider the following about these cities:

· New York overdose crisis reaches a historic level (ABC News).

· Houston, Texas has the highest rate of human trafficking in the U.S.

· St. Louis has more murders per capita than any other city.

· Omaha, Nebraska has the highest percentage of the population who have used Marijuana.

· New Mexico recorded the nation’s highest violent crime rate.

· Washington had the highest property crime rate.

· Pueblo, Colorado is the city with the most car thefts.

· Phoenix, Arizona has become the kidnapping capital of America.

· New Jersey has the highest abortion rate out of any U.S. city. (usnews.com).

Do you think that these cities could use some rebuke? In our text today we are going to discover that Jesus rebukes three cities for their lack of belief, calls them to repentance, and speaks to them of a pending judgment day.

I. The need for Rebuke – 11:20

20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done because they did not repent:

What does the word “rebuke” mean? To reproach, to revile, to rail at, to upbraid (as used in some Bible translations), or to chide.

Have you ever had someone “chide” you? In our text today Jesus is going to chide three cities. He is going to express sharp disapproval of them because of their behavior and actions. I think our U.S. cities could use some chiding today.

Now, I’ve heard of rebuking people but rebuking cities. Yes, Jesus rebukes cities. Cities are made up of lots and lots of people. And a lot of times people within a city all have the same basic ideas of life. This was the case for the cities that Jesus had in mind here.

· He (Jesus) began to rebuke the cities – The people living there.

· In which most of His mighty works were done – The miracles He had done among them.

· Because they did not repent – Unwilling to make necessary changes.

Jesus not only rebukes but extends…

II. The call to Repentance – 11:21-24

21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

What do we have in these verses?

A. The Woe – 11:21

The word “woe” means, warning of doom that shall come upon you. It has been said that when Jesus pronounces a “woe”, ruin is the result.

Jesus rebuked the cities of Chorazin (11:21), Bethsaida (11:21), and Capernaum (11:23) because He did mighty works in them and they refused to see them as being from God. They would not acknowledge that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, came from God, and that His message was from God.

· The History of Chorazin – It was a small village nestled in the hills some two and a half miles north of Capernaum. It has long ceased to exist, and its ruins are known today as Charaza, a variation of Chorazin.[1]

· The History of Bethsaida – It was thehometown of Philip, Andrew, and Peter, and it was located still farther north and to the west, in the plain of Gennesaret[2]

· The History of Capernaum – It became the headquarters of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

B. The Works – 11:21

What were the mighty works that Jesus did in these three cities? Well, all we need to do is to look back at the message that Jesus set to John while he was in prison or reread through Matthew chapters 8-9 and look at the ten miracles. Back in Matthew 11:5, we have a great picture of Jesus’ mighty works:

· The blind see

· The lame walk

· The lepers are cleansed

· The deaf hear

· The dead are raised

· The poor have the gospel preached to them

Dr. Warren Wiserbe wrote, “Five of the ten miracles recorded in Matthew 8–9 were performed in Capernaum.[3]

Seeing the miracles of Jesus Christ makes one without excuse.

C. The refusal to repent – 11:21,23

21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Don’t miss what Jesus says to these three cities. He says,

· The works done in Chorazin would have caused Tyre to repent.

What do we know about Tyre? It was a godless Gentile city. It was a place of violence, profanity, pride, injustice, greed, and immorality. It was so excessive that the Lord destroyed it (vv. 16–19; cf. Ezekiel 28; Jer. 25:22; 47:4).[4] And yet, had they witnessed with their eyes what Chorazin saw they would have repented. They would have turned from their sins.

Jesus says,

· The works done in Bethsaida would have caused Sidon to repent.

What do we know about Sidon? It was the oldest Phoenician city. O.T. Prophets often spoke of the coming punishment upon Sidon (Joel 3:4-13; Zephaniah 2:6-15). It was known for its Baal temple, and Jezebel (who was from Sidon) used its plan for the construction of a similar temple in Samaria (1 Kings 16:29-31). The cult of Baal involved the offering of many animal sacrifices. Priests would officiate on behalf of the persons presenting sacrificial animals to the god. Some of the northern kingdom rulers even “made their sons pass through fire”—offering their own sons as sacrifices to Baal. “Holy prostitutes”—both male and female—were available to worshipers, encouraging the fertility of both land and people.[5]Sidon was a prosperous city, but one given over to heathen practices. And yet, Jesus says that this city would have repented had they seen the works that Bethsaida witnessed.

Jesus says,

· The works done in Capernaum would have caused Sodom to remain to this day (another way to say they would have repented).

Underline “Capernaum” in your text. Are you aware that this city was the home base for the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ? In Matthew 9:1 we read, “His own city.” Jesus spent a lot of time going in and out of that city. People in Capernaum saw a lot of Jesus Christ. And many of His miracles were done in the presence of the citizens of Capernaum as well.

What did Jesus do in Capernaum: “He performed more miracles and preached more sermons in and around Capernaum than at any other place during His entire ministry. It was there that He raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead and healed the nobleman’s son. It was here that He healed the demoniac, Peter’s mother-in-law, the woman with the hemorrhage, the two blind men, the centurion’s servant, the dumb demoniac, and the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends.”[6]

Jesus did all of that, but the people of Capernaum did NOTHING with them. They shrugged them off. They paid no attention. They were indifferent to the miracle of Jesus Christ.

What is the price of indifference? Jesus said that the city of Capernaum was exalted to heaven (the place where God dwells), but that it would be brought down to Hades (the awaiting place of the unrighteous dead).

Why was Capernaum exalted to heaven? Two possible reasons: First, Jesus lived there, taught there, preached there, and called the people to repentance. Second, this city had a synagogue, and Jesus would go into this center of worship, and He would call the people to enter the kingdom of heaven (Luke 4:31). They had the Son of God in their very presence.

The citizens of Capernaum were literally without excuse. They would not be able to say that no one spoke to them about the Kingdom of Heaven. No, someone told them, and that someone was the Son of God. They were without excuse.

What do we know about the city of Sodom? Most people know the story of Sodom. It was destroyed in the book of Genesis because of their gross sexual immorality (they practiced all kinds of forms of sexual sin; including bestiality and homosexuality). We read in Genesis 19:1-29, that God sent fire and brimstone from heaven, and He destroyed this city from the face of the earth. And yet, Jesus says here in our Matthew text that Sodom would still be standing today had they seen the mighty works that the city of Capernaum witnessed. In other words, had they seen the works of Jesus, they would have repented and put on sackcloth, and sat in ash.

Elements of Repentance

· What is repentance? To have a change of mind and a change in direction. It means to stop what you are doing and to turn towards God.

· What is sackcloth? Cloth made of black goats’ hair, coarse, rough, and thick, used for sacks, and also worn by mourners (Genesis 37:34; 42:25; 2 Samuel 3:31; Esther 4:1, 2; Psalm 30:11, etc.), and as a sign of repentance (Matthew 11:21). [7]

· What are ashes? Just that, ashes. People would place ash on their heads, and their bodies, and would sit on ashes as a sign of genuine humility and repentance before God.

III. The Coming Day of Judgment – 11:22,24

22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

There is a coming day of judgment. In the future, there will be a judgment day for cities. Not just for people, but for entire cities. And no city will be exempt – not even Spirit Lake.

Woe is the city that rejects and refuses to repent after seeing the mighty works of Jesus Christ. And please do not forget that today the mighty works of Jesus Christ are the people who have been born again. Changed lives are now the mighty works of God in our day and age. Cities have churches that are preaching the Gospel. Christians that are sharing their testimonies. Cities are without excuse.

Dr. John MacArthur wrote, “When people have great opportunity to hear God’s Word, and even to see it miraculously demonstrated, their guilt for rejection is intensified immeasurably. It is far better to have heard nothing of Christ than to hear the truth about Him and yet reject Him. “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26–27). The greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility; and the greater the light, the greater the punishment for not receiving it.”[8]

Think about this - even the citizens of the city of Spirit Lake, Idaho will stand before God and must answer what they did with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Did they receive the message of the servants of Jesus Christ, or did they reject it? Did they turn a deaf ear?

J. C. Ryle penned, “Surely these words ought to make the ears of everyone tingle who hears the gospel regularly and yet remains unconverted. How great is the guilt of such a man before God! How great the danger in which he daily stands! Moral and decent and respectable as his life may be, he is actually more guilty than an idolatrous Tyrian or Sidonian or a miserable inhabitant of Sodom. They had no spiritual light; he has, and neglects it. They heard no gospel; he hears, but does not obey it. Their hearts might have been softened if they had enjoyed his privileges. Tyre and Sidon would have repented. Sodom would have remained to this day. His heart under the full blaze of the gospel remains hard and unmoved. There is but one painful conclusion to be drawn. His guilt will be found greater than theirs at the last day.”[9]

J.C. Ryle went on to write, “May we all think often about Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum! Let us settle it in our minds that it will never do to be content with merely hearing and liking the gospel. We must go further than this. We must actually repent and be converted. We must actually lay hold on Christ and become one with Him. Until then we are in dreadful danger. It will prove more tolerable to have lived in Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than to have readily heard the gospel in our free country today yet still died unconverted.[10]

Do our U.S. cities need some rebuke? Most defiantly! Do our U.S. cities need to repent? Absolutely! Will there be a judgment day for cities? According to Jesus, there will be.

Conclusion: So, we have reached the moment in the chapter where I share our takeaway truths. Here they are from this section of Matthew 11.

1. Be open to rebuke, especially if it is biblical.

2. Now is the time to repent (to change your mind and direction).

3. Cities need to respond to the mighty works of Jesus Christ (today it has changed lives).

4. Sackcloth and ashes were signs of repentance. What would be the signs of repentance today? A deep humility before God and man.

5. There is a coming day of judgment, so make sure you are right today.

6. Knowing and comprehending truth carries with it a greater responsibility.

7. Don’t reject the opportunities you have been given to turn to Jesus Christ.

[1]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew(Vol. 2, p. 264). Moody Press. [2]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew(Vol. 2, p. 264). Moody Press. [3]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 41). Victor Books. cf. confer (Lat.), compare [4]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew(Vol. 2, p. 264). Moody Press. [5]Finley, H. E. (1996). Gods and Goddesses, Pagan. In Evangelical dictionary of biblical theology(electronic ed., p. 302). Baker Book House. [6]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew(Vol. 2, p. 265). Moody Press. [7]Easton, M. G. (1893). In Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (p. 592). Harper & Brothers. [8]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew(Vol. 2, p. 264). Moody Press. [9] Ryle, J. C.. Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew [Updated Edition]: A Commentary (p. 104). Aneko Press. Kindle Edition. [10]Ibid

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