Luke 10:13-16 Woe to the Impenitent Cities
“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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
Luke 10:17-20 The Seventy Return with Joy
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:21-24 Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”
The last thing Jesus tells the seventy as he sends them out is, “But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.” (Luke 10:10-12)
Is Jesus being harsh or not? All this time, people have been streaming in from remote parts of the Middle East to listen to Jesus and to watch him do miracles. Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida are very close to each other, and Jesus has focused much of his ministry in that area; yet, many of the people from those towns continue to regard Jesus as some kind of crude entertainment. While others are falling on their faces in repentance, the citizens of these three towns are yawning, “Oh yeah. Jesus of Nazareth? That’s that carpenter’s son. Sure, it’s fun to go watch him, but when he starts demanding I change my behavior, that’s when I stop listening. I attend temple regularly and keep up with the Jewish laws the best way I can. Shouldn’t that be enough for God?” Little do these people realize that they have been visited by the Son of God and that rejecting him means rejecting the God they claim to worship.
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Although the disciples have already enjoyed the experience of healing people and casting out demons in Jesus’ name, now the 35 pairs of ministry partners return exulting in the same experience. Face it, these men harbor no illusions about themselves; the first time a leper presents himself or herself for healing, these guys would like to disappear. But they have persevered and have found that even the demons flee at the name of Jesus.
You can imagine Jesus smiling as he tells these men, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” It is possible to get so caught up in the results of a ministry that we fail to remember the foundations of it. Power to heal and power over demons comes from God and not from us. Above all else, we should rejoice that our names are written in heaven.
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Spiritually, all of us are babes. No matter how much we think we have advanced spiritually, when we are honest, we realize that we are making ant-like progress as we try to travel a marathon distance. There is no end to the Kingdom of heaven; neither is there any end to God’s knowledge or His Divine Nature. But God delights to reveal Himself to us if we only will seek His wisdom.
What’s the take-home lesson here? Don’t make the same mistake as Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida. Those three cities had a golden opportunity to know Jesus, but the failed completely. Today, much of these three cities consists of ruins. Chorazin particularly is noted for its conies or rock badgers, but most of the city has been destroyed, leaving the rock badgers in charge. May God help us so that we will humbly worship Him and follow Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship You and never to forget that You are a God of miracles and healing. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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