The Life of Jesus Christ - Chapter 5 - Jesus tells people the good news and cures people in *Galilee - Part 9
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An online Bible Study course by Barrie Wetherill about the life of Jesus. This book is in EasyEnglish Level B. Use the links below for other online Bible Study books and commentaries that will help you. Or go to the Word List, which explains words with a *star.
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Jesus did many wonderful *miracles. But many people did not
learn anything when they saw the *miracles. These people were not sorry for the
wrong things that they had done. They did not ask God to forgive them. The
people in the area of Capernaum heard Jesus speak to them. They had not changed
the way that they lived. Jesus was angry and he blamed them for this.
In this passage, Jesus spoke about these towns as if they were
people. He blamed the people from these towns for their weak reaction to his
message:
Matthew 11:20-24 Then Jesus began to accuse the people
who lived in these cities. He had done most of his *miracles there, but the
people did not *repent. “This is not good for you, Chorazin! This is not
good for you, Bethsaida! You have seen many *miracles. If such miracles
happened in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, their people would have *repented.
They would have shown how sorry they were. But I tell you that a day of *judgement
is coming. Then it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you,
Capernaum, what will happen to you? Will God be pleased with you? Will he
bless you? No, not at all. If Sodom had seen *miracles like these, it would
have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be better for Sodom on
the day of *judgement than for you.”
The people in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had seen what
Christ did. They had heard what he taught them. Many people before that did not
have such an opportunity.
There is an important principle in the Bible. God expects people
to use their opportunities wisely. The people in Capernaum had a great
opportunity to trust God, because Jesus was there. But they wasted their
opportunity.
Many *prophets said that Tyre and Sidon were proud. They were
too fond of money and very cruel (Ezekiel 26-28, and Isaiah 23). Amos spoke
against the people of Tyre. They had attacked the Israelites when they were
weak. Then they sold the Israelites as slaves to their worst enemies, who were
the people in Edom (Amos 1:9, 10).
In the same way Jesus compared Capernaum to Sodom and Gomorrah.
The people in Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that God destroyed the whole
area with fire. The Bible always refers to them as places which God has
punished. Very evil things happened in these places. Jesus said that at the day
of *judgement, everyone will know this. But it will be better even for people
from Sodom and Gomorrah than for people from Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.
Many people hear the good news about Jesus. And they can read
God’s word (the Bible) for themselves. These people are responsible for the
effect that they let this have on their lives. God offers to forgive those who
*repent. We must all listen carefully to this! God loves us and wants to forgive
us. He invites us to live with Christ as our friend and helper. So, we must
*repent and we must trust God.
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2002-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)