In spite of mighty works, WOE:

Matthew 11:21-24 “...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. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 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. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you...”

Luke 10:13-15 “...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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades..."

What do we know about Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum?

- All three were near the Sea of Galilee’s northwest shore.

- Chorazin is only mentioned in these two verses. Chorazin was a short walk, less than two miles, from Capernaum.

- We've already read about the ministry of Jesus in Cana and Capernaum .

John 4:46-54 Jesus healed the official's son in Capernaum, from Cana

Mark 1:21-26 "...And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching... And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit... But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him..."

- Bethsaida, mentioned seven times, appeared to be a place to which Jesus retreated.

John 1:44 "...Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter..."

Mark 8:22 "...And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him..." And he did!

What do we know about Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom?

- all three were pagan cities.

2 Chronicles 2:11 "...Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them...”

- Solomon's Temple was built with materials from Tyre.

- Tyre and Sidon were ruined by commercial prosperity.

Mark 3:7-8 "...Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him...."

Genesis 13:13 "...Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord..."

Genesis 18:20-21 "...Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know...”

Ezekiel 16:49 "...Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy..."

What was the sin of Sodom?

- Pride, prosperity and excess without aiding the poor and needy.

- Sodom, like Tyre and Sidon, was ruined by it's prosperity.

What comparison is Jesus making between the Galilean cities and the pagan cities?

- the Galilean cities will have it worse on the day of judgment.

Are there degrees of judgment?

Are there degrees of opportunity?

What did the Galilean cities have that the pagan cities didn't?

- mighty works were done in them.

To what does Jesus expect His mighty works to lead?

- repentance.

Did Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum face judgment?

- In the wars between the Jews and the Romans, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum were so completely desolated that it is difficult to determine their former situation.

Why would the Galilean cities end up in such harsh judgment?

- they refused to commit to the King of Kings.

In what ways might we be guilty of the same thing?

Luke 10:16 "...The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me..."

The Luke account follows the sending out of the seventy. God's people are either received or rejected. Miracles are offered. To reject God's people is to reject God.

What is the result of rejecting God?