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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Matthew 11:20 - 11:24
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_11:20-24
20Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."
Mat_11:20-24 "He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done" This showed the universal truth that to whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luk_12:48). The cities of Jesus' day are compared with the OT cities. They had seen His miracles and heard His teachings. Nineveh had repented at the preaching of Jonah, while Tyre, Sidon, Sodom, and Gomorrah did not, yet the Galilean cities of Jesus' day had much greater light by which to respond. Those who have greater light are more responsible!
Jesus' comments were introduced by "woe" (cf. Mat_18:7; Mat_23:13; Mat_23:15-16; Mat_23:23; Mat_23:25; Mat_23:27; Mat_23:29; Mat_24:19; Mat_26:24). This was one of the three usual literary forms by which the OT prophets communicated their messages (promise oracle, court scene, and funeral dirge or lament). This form represented a funeral dirge (lament).
▣ "repent" Repentance is a turning from sin and self, the negative aspect of salvation, while faith is a turning to God in Christ, the positive aspect of salvation (cf. Mar_1:15; Act_3:16; Act_3:19; Act_20:21). By combining the meanings of the Greek and Hebrew words, the meaning of repentance is a change of mind followed by a change of action. Repentance is more than feelings (cf. 2Co_7:8-11). It must result in a lifestyle change. See complete note at Mat_4:17.
Mat_11:21; Mat_11:23 "if" This is a second class conditional sentence which is called "contrary to fact," a false statement is made to show the false premise drawn from it.
Mat_11:21 "Chorazin" This shows our limited knowledge of the works of Jesus, for we have no Gospel record of Jesus' miracles in this town. We must remember that the Gospels are selected theological truths to reveal Jesus to selected audiences (i.e., Jews, Romans, Gentiles), and not western histories (cf. Joh_20:30-31).
▣ "Bethsaida" There were two Bethsaidas. One was somewhere close to Capernaum and one at the place where the Jordan River flowed into the Sea of Galilee.
▣ "if" This is a second class conditional sentence , see note at Mat_11:23.
▣ "Tyre and Sidon" Tyre and Sidon were OT types of sinful, prideful nations or mankind. The phrase found in Mat_11:23 related this to Isa_14:13-15 and Eze_28:12-16. In these verses the pride of the Kings of Babylon and Tyre were used as examples of the pride of Satan.
▣ "in sackcloth and ashes" In context this may refer to a sign of repentance (cf. Jon_3:5-8).
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Mat_11:22 There are degrees of both reward and punishment based on the amount of light to which the hearers have been exposed (cf. Luk_12:47-48; Mat_10:15). See Special topic at Mat_5:12.
Mat_11:23 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you" This grammatical construction expects a "no" answer. This may be an allusion to Isa_14:13-14 and Eze_28:2; Eze_28:5-6; Eze_28:17, which magnifies the pride of the kings of Babylon and Tyre.
▣ "descend to Hades" This may be an allusion to Isa_14:15 or Eze_26:20; Eze_28:8; Eze_31:14; Eze_32:18; Eze_32:24. This referred to the realm of the dead (cf. Luk_16:23) in Hebrew Sheol. According to the rabbis, there was a righteous part, called Paradise and a wicked part, called Tartarus. This may be true. Jesus' words to one of the criminals crucified with Him in Luk_23:43 seem to imply a righteous part of Hades because Jesus did not return to heaven until Pentecost. At Jesus' resurrection He took the righteous part of Hades (Sheol) to be with Him. Therefore, Paul can now say in 2Co_5:8 b that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Be careful not to combine the concepts of Hades and Gehenna. They are distinct in the New Testament. See hyperlink at Mat_5:22.
▣ "if" This is a second class conditional sentence which is called "contrary to fact" (as was Mat_11:21). This should then be translated, "If the miracles had occurred in Sodom, which occurred in you (but they did not), then it would have remained to this day, (which it did not)."
Mat_11:24 "the land of Sodom" The word "land" may be the Aramaic phrase for "the city." Modern archaeologists believe this OT city was located on the southern end of the Dead Sea.