Matthew 11:16-24

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Introduction

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

17  “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

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Today we’re going to look at how both Jesus and John were perceived by their contemporaries, or more specifically, how the people in their day responded to their ministries. Or to say it another way, what’s been the large scale reaction, thus far, to the lives and ministries of John and Jesus?

To what shall I compare this generation

13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

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So immediately there in verses 16-18 Jesus paints for us a comparison to answer that question. He says there in verse 16,
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16 “But to what shall I compare this generation?

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So Jesus turns to the crowd and says to them, “what shall I compare this generation” to? What would be a good analogy to describe this generation? And when Jesus uses the phrase ‘this generation’ it means that Jesus is speaking in broad terms, he’s going to give us a general assessment of the people who have witnessed his life and ministry thus far.

Children determined not to be pleased

And so he wastes no time, and says there in the latter part of verse 16, this generation,

is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

17  “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

In essence, Jesus is saying that this generation has not responded appropriately to either John or Jesus himself. That this generation has been like children playing in the marketplace determined not to be pleased.
Now, all of us who are parents can relate, that there are times when it doesn’t matter what you do, that there are times when your children will not be pleased, it’s as if they’re determined not to be, and it’s incredibly frustrating to encounter this kind of stubbornness. In fact, we ourselves can be like this. And it’s precisely the reason we’ll see later in verses 20-24 Jesus’ very strong warnings and judgments against many of the towns in Galilee where he has taught.

This generation indifferent to Jesus and John

And Jesus tells us that this is precisely what this generation is like, stubborn and obstinate. That they’re ultimately indifferent to Jesus and John’s messages (which means they don’t really care about what they’re saying). So it’s as if Jesus were saying here, “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.” Or John saying, “We sang a dirge, but you did not mourn.”

The marketplace

Now, in the first century the marketplace was not only a place where children accompanied their parents to buy and sell goods, but the marketplace was a setting where much of the town’s corporate social life took place. It was a place where weddings and wedding celebrations took place, even funerals were frequently conducted there. And so this analogy would have been a vivid picture for those listening.
They could have easily imagined a funeral where their son or daughter stood by unaffected by the mournful dirge, or song, that was being sung during the funeral. While others wept, the children remained indifferent to the seriousness of the moment. And this is what Jesus compares his generation to, children indifferent to his message. This generation, in large part, remained unaffected by the message of John and Jesus. They’ve certainly been entertained, they’ve certainly gathered and followed these men, whether to see this crazy so-called prophet in the wilderness or to witness the mighty works done at the hands of Jesus, yet despite all of that Jesus tells us that this generation has largely remained unresponsive to their message.

They just can’t win

Or
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In fact, Jesus says there in verses 18-19 that they just can’t win with these people, he says there in verse 18,

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

So John comes along with his highly ascetic lifestyle of fasting, praying, having no wine or strong drink, denying himself earthly pleasures by living in the wilderness, and people say, well, he must have a demon. Then Jesus comes along with his disciples who aren’t fasting like John’s disciples, who seems to have no problem eating with sinners and drinking at wedding feasts, and yet people say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

They cannot be pleased

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This generation cannot be pleased, neither Jesus or John can satisfy these people. Why? Because they have no interest in what is true or whether Jesus is the Messiah, or whether John is Elijah, because no matter how much evidence they have they’ll find some reason to discard it. Sure, they’ll come see what’s going on, but they ultimately don’t seriously want anything to do with Jesus or John, their lives remain unchanged despite Jesus or John’s teachings.
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Now they seem to be captivated by Jesus’ miracles
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Jesus fleshes this out for us further there in verses 18-19,

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

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In the first century the marketplace was not only a place where children accompanied their parents to buy and sell, but the marketplace was a setting where much of corporate social life took place. It was also a place where weddings and wedding celebrations took place, even funerals were frequently conducted there.
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And what’s particularly applicable to us about this is that we can easily fall into the same trap. For instance, we may exhibit a certain curiosity about Jesus but yet remained unchanged by him. Maybe we like the idea of Jesus, or maybe we’re intrigued at what Jesus might do for us, but at the end of the day we don’t really want to change or to conform our lives to his teaching. So the question for all of us is, “Does Jesus’ message change you? Does his message elicit a desire to leave everything behind and follow him? Does Jesus’ message cause you to turn from your sin?” Or does Jesus’ message ultimately fall upon deaf ears? Do you remember the refrain we saw back in verse 15?

15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Wisdom vindicated by her children

Now, while Jesus’ contemporaries were largely indifferent and remained unaffected by his message it would be the lasting fruit of Jesus’ ministry that would demonstrate the validity of everything he had said, and everything he had preached. This is why he says there at the end of verse 19,

Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

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In other words, the ministries and message of Jesus and John would be vindicated by the consequences that would follow, by the fruit of their deeds. It didn’t matter how many people in their immediate context remained indifferent that didn’t change the truthfulness or ultimate effectiveness of their message.

Message of repentance

And what was that message that John and Jesus preached? What did all of their teaching and preaching boil down to? By now we ought to know the answer to that question. In we read that, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heave is at hand.” and in we read that after John is put into prison that, “from that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Both Jesus and John demanded that the people of Israel turn from their sin. Their unified message demanded a response, a changing of mind, a turning away from their sin. And so there in verse 20 Matthew tells us that Jesus,

began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

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This is what marked much of his generation, a reluctance to turn from their sin and repent. And it’s why Jesus continues there in verses 21-24 by saying,

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

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Yet, Jesus says to the crowd at the end of verse 19, that despite their indifference to him that
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However, if we love him, this will compel us to follow him, this will keep us from being indifferent to him.

Chorazin, Bethsaida & Capernaum

These three towns that Jesus lists here are along the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee and are all within 2-3 miles of each other. Jesus could travel from one to the other in less than an hour by foot. And if you’ll recall Jesus’ disciples Peter, Andrew and Philip were all from Bethsaida, and while Chorazin is hardly mentioned in all of the Gospels it’s not a stretch to assume that Jesus regularly travelled there to preach, or that the residents of Chorazin often travelled those few miles to hear Jesus.

Oracles of woe

Now, when we studied the Sermon on the Mount back in chapters 5-7 we spent several weeks working through the beatitudes, which at the time, I said were literary devices known as oracles of blessing, or oracles of wheel, but here Jesus uses what’s called an oracle of woe. Rather than a pronouncement of blessing over these cities Jesus is pronouncing divine judgement on the people of these cities. And because of their unwillingness to repent Jesus condemns them.
Now he doesn’t do this flippantly, or without good reason. If you notice there in verse 20, Jesus begins to denounce these cities “where most of his mighty works had been done.” In other words, they have no excuse for their lack of faith and repentance. Of all the places in all the world Jesus has spent a majority of his time in these three cities performing the majority of his mighty works, which were definitive evidence of his messianic credentials. These miracles, of which we saw so many of in chapters 8-9, have given the people of these cities no excuse for their hardened hearts, and their unwillingness to repent. They are without excuse and so Jesus says to Chorazin and Bethsaida there in verses 21-22,
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21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

Tyre and Sidon

Well, firstly, Tyre and Sidon were not Jewish cities, and never had been. Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities, they were some of the largest cities of the Philistines. And if you’ll recall it was the Philistines who were the constant thorn in Israel’s side after they have conquered much of the land of Canaan. The Philistines were actually one of the Canaanite clans that were never eradicated by Israel because of their disobedience to God. The Philistines were God’s judgment against Israel. They were a consequence of what Moses said in ,
Now, Tyre and Sidon were not Jewish cities, and never had been. Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities, they were some of the largest cities of the Philistines. And if you’ll recall it was the Philistines who were the constant thorn in Israel’s side after they had conquered much of the land of Canaan. The Philistines were actually one of the Canaanite clans that were never eradicated by Israel because of their disobedience to God. The Philistines were God’s judgment against Israel. They were a consequence of what Moses said in ,

if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

In fact, Sidon is where king Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, was from. She was a Phoenician princess and brought all kinds of idol worship to Israel, and she was known for trying to put all of the prophets of Israel to death, including the prophet Elijah.
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Tyre and Sidon were pagan cities, that the OT prophets Isaiah and Ezekial had repeatedly condemned and described as proud and arrogant.
Tyre and Sidon were pagan cities that the OT prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel had repeatedly condemned and described as proud and arrogant. And it was even Ezekiel who seemingly to mingled his description of Tyre with a description of Satan himself in chapter 28 of his book.

Jesus’ indictment

So it’s an incredible statement for Jesus to say there in verse 21 that “if the mighty works done in [Chorazin and Bethsaida] had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes,” and that “it will be more bearable on the day of judgement for Tyre and Sidon than for you.” This indictment would have been nothing short of inflammatory to those who were listening. Yet Jesus goes on there in verses 23-24,

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

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Capernaum singled out

He tells those living in Capernaum that if he had done these same mighty works in Sod
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Why would it be more bearable on the day of judgement for Tyre and Sidon than for Chorazin and Bethsaida?
Notice how Jesus breaks these three towns into two groups. The first group includes Chorazin and Bethsaida, and the second group includes only Capernaum. Why? Because Capernaum is where Jesus lived, it was his home base, it’s where the light of his many mighty works were the brightest, so rather than comparing Capernaum to Tyre and Sidon he compares them to Sodom. The same Sodom of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities that God destroyed with fire from heaven because of their sin. So to compare Capernaum with Sodom was to compare them to the pinnacle of evil, to do so was even more wounding than with Tyre and Sidon.
And city of Sidon is actually where

Conclusion

These are without a doubt strong words from the mouth of our Lord. There’s a reason many do not preach the entire counsel of God’s Word, for there are many things that are unpalatable to the world, and in some ways we’ve all been influenced and affected by the world and so we too sometimes cringe at certain points in God’s Word, and can even find ourselves offended at certain points. That’s why it’s for good reason that Jesus said back in verse 6 that,
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blessed is the one who is not offended by me.

By nature we are an unholy people, therefore it can be quite painful and uncomfortable to stand in the presence of a holy God. In fact, it’s quite normal for us to experience this discomfort, the only question that matters though is will we harden our hearts against God like the people of these towns did, or will we bend our knee and humble ourselves before him and with eagerness receive the grace that he so freely offers? You see, the backdrop of God’s holiness helps us to see the beauty and greatness of the salvation purchased for us by our Lord.

Prayer

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