TEXT [Commentary]

C. Jesus Pronounces Woe to Unbelievers (11:20-24)

20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. 21 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.

23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.[*] For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. 24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”

NOTES

11:20 Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles. The denunciation of Jesus’ contemporaries begun in 11:16-19 is sharpened by two similar reproaches in 11:20-24. The reproaches are introduced by the general statement of 11:20, which highlights the guilt of those who saw Jesus’ miracles but refused to repent (cf. John 12:37).

What sorrow awaits. This translates the word “woe.” The pronouncement of woe here balances the beatitude spoken to John’s followers in 11:11. Additional pronouncements of woe upon unbelief occur in the OT (see Num 21:29; Isa 3:9-11; Ezek 24:6-9) and in Matt 18:7; 23:13-16, 23-29; 24:19; 26:24.

11:21-22 Korazin and Bethsaida! These were towns near Capernaum at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus charged them with unbelief even worse than that of Tyre and Sidon, important coastal cities that were ancient enemies of Israel.

Tyre and Sidon would have shown their repentance with burlap and ashes (cf. Esth 4:1-4; Ps 69:11; Jonah 3:5) had they seen Jesus’ miracles, so the verdict was rendered that Korazin and Bethsaida will fare worse than Tyre and Sidon on judgment day (cf. 15:21-28). Korazin and Bethsaida are not mentioned elsewhere in Matthew, but evidently were involved in the ministry of Jesus summarized in 4:23; 9:35; 11:1. (For Tyre and Sidon see 2 Sam 5:11; 1 Kgs 9:11-12; 2 Chron 2:10-11; Pss 45:12; 87:4; Isa 23:1-9; Jer 25:15, 22; 47:4; Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9-10; Zech 9:2-4.)

11:23 Capernaum. The second reproach follows the same pattern of charge (11:23) and verdict (11:24). Sodom will fare better on judgment day than will Jesus’ own city of Capernaum (4:13; 9:1).

you will go down to the place of the dead. In describing Capernaum’s unbelief, Jesus alluded to the OT (Isa 14:13-15; Ezek 26:20; 31:14; 32:18, 24) to compare Capernaum’s arrogance to that of the pagan king of Babylon. Far from being exalted to heaven, Capernaum would be punished in hades, the place of the dead. And that punishment would be worse than that of Sodom, the most notoriously wicked city in the entire Bible. Jesus had already spoken in a similar way about Sodom in 10:15 (cf. among many texts Gen 18:20-19:28; Deut 29:23; 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; Ezek 16:46-56; 2 Pet 2:6; Jude 1:7). These three Galilean towns would face such severe judgment because they had received such clear and sustained revelation. With greater access to truth comes greater accountability to believe it.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The reproaches of 11:20-24 are the most severe words of Jesus to this point in Matthew (but see 23:13-36). If there are any questions on the part of the reader as to how Jesus’ ministry was being received, they are put to rest here. Although Matthew has stressed how the multitudes followed Jesus due to his healing miracles, here he shows that the majority of these crowds did not grasp the point of the miracles—Jesus’ authority on earth to forgive sins (9:6). Many had personally experienced the blessings of the miracles, and evidently many more had observed the miracles taking place. But sadly, relatively few had grasped the significance of the miracles as authenticating the Kingdom message of repentance (cf. John 6:14-15, 26-27). The eschatological blessings of the Kingdom were enthusiastically received, but the ethical imperative of repentance was rejected.

Jesus’ woes against Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum assume an important principle of divine judgment, that of proportional accountability, which results in degrees of reward and punishment (cf. Luke 12:47-48). Tyre and Sidon, along with Sodom, were wicked cities that had rejected God’s revelation. But the revelation they had received was not nearly so clear or sustained as the revelation of Jesus to Korazin, Bethsaida, and especially Capernaum, Jesus’ adopted hometown (4:13; 9:1). Thus, the judgment of Tyre, Sidon, and even Sodom would be more tolerable than that of Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.

Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum also serve as a warning to all those today whose familiarity with Christianity seems to have bred contempt. Being born into a Christian family, being a member of a church where the gospel is faithfully proclaimed, or even being a citizen of a country where Christianity is prominent are choice blessings from God, but none of them is a substitute for personal repentance. It is one thing to know about the gospel due to one’s environment; it is another thing entirely to have personally acknowledged one’s own need of the gospel. Judas Iscariot’s life bears sad testimony to the fact that those who are nearest to the means of grace are sometimes the farthest from its end. Bruner (1987:424-429) makes some pointed and appropriate remarks about how this passage ought to impact those who have become nonchalant about the gospel.