Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
This reading reminds me of contrast between the the story of Jonah and the Ninevites, and Jesus and his failure to preach in His own hometown. Johan hated the Ninevites, they were pagans and they were not worthy of His time and attention. But eventually He listens to God’s call and the whole nation of Nineveh converts. Contrast that with Jesus in His own home town, He could not do miracles there, because they did not believe that He was anything more than just a young carpenter.
These stories bring into focus the fact that those people that should know better and should believe often dont, while on the other hand those that you would think might be the least likely to believe can often become the very best Disciples. This is what is happening in todays reading as well. Rabanus Maurus explains it this way:
“Chorazin, which is interpreted ‘my mystery,’ and Bethsaida, ‘the house of fruits,’ or, ‘the house of hunters,’ are towns of Galilee situated on the shore of the sea of Galilee. The Lord herefore mourns for towns which once had the mystery of God, and which ought to have brought forth the fruit of virtues, and into which spiritual hunters had been sent.”
Tyre and Sidon on the other hand were given over, as Jerome reminds us “to avarice and vice,” and “had abandoned all things holy, and had resorted to living under natural law alone.” And yet these people heard the message of Jesus and repented. The pride of tradition and knowledge can often block our minds from being able to see Jesus standing right before us or the miracles that He wants to bring into our lives. But conversely, those that find themselves stuck in the total abandonment to sin, often times are ripe for conversion, and can become some of the greatest of God’s disciples.
It makes you wonder how many signs that the Lord has done in our own lives, that have either not been noticed or outright ignored. How many times has God reached into our lives to help us repent and our pride prevents us from seeing it. We should all take this question to prayer, and use this meditation as an examination of conscience for our lives. I do indeed believe that God is constantly working in our lives, and we need to be aware of that, we need to be open to that, and we need to seek it out on a day to day basis. Jesus is there trying to become part of your life, all you need to do is to answer the call.
