Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20130403.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Matthew: Jesus As Israel's Messiah And His Kingdom
Part XV: Christ As Israel's Messiah Seen By The Opposition To His Ministry, Matthew 11:2-16:12
B. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Contrasting Responses To The Calloused And The Oppressed
(Matthew 11:20-27)
  1. Introduction
    1. Matthew's Gospel reveals that Jesus is God's Messiah to Israel though He did not establish His Messianic Kingdom at His first coming because Israel rejected Him. (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1337, "Introduction to the Gospel According to Matthew"; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 16)
    2. To validate Christ's identity as Messiah regardless of His rejection by Israel, Matthew's Gospel shows how Jesus not only [understandably] rebuked those who rejected Him, but how He encouraged the few and lowly who followed Him unlike a false Messiah who would not value the lowly (as follows):
  2. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Contrasting Responses To The Calloused And The Oppressed.
    1. After noting how many in Israel had wrongly found fault with the ministries of both John the Baptizer and Himself (Matthew 11:16-19), Jesus began to "denounce" the cities wherein most of His miracles had been performed because they remained spiritually calloused and had not repented, Matthew 11:20.
    2. Accordingly, He denounced Chorazin and Bethsaida, Matthew 11:21-22:
      1. Chorazin was just north of Capernaum, and Bethsaida was located northeast of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Matthew 11:21a; Ibid., Ryrie, Map 12, "The Ministry of Jesus."
      2. Christ announced "woe" to each of these cities in divine judgment, Matthew 11:21a, for had the miracles that had been performed in them been done in the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon of Phoenicia, they would have long before truly repented in sackcloth and ashes, Matthew 11:21b. This is an amazing comparison, for the real ruler of Tyre in Ezekiel 28:11-19 was Satan who was behind the city's ruler (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1283), and Sidon, an affiliate city to Tyre, was also judged for its apparent self-exalted pride typical of Satan's pride exhibited at Tyre.
      3. Accordingly, Jesus said there would be more tolerance for Tyre and Sidon, cities heavily influenced by Satan, in the day of God's final judgment than there would be for unrepentant Chorazin and Bethsaida who had seen so many great miracles of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 11:22.
    3. Jesus then denounced Capernaum, His home base of ministry, in even steeper judgment, Matt. 11:23-24:
      1. Capernaum, the town by the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Ibid., Ryrie), had become the home base of Christ's ministries to Israel as a whole, cf. Matthew 4:12-16.
      2. However, as that town, being exalted as it were to heaven in being the home base of Christ's earthly ministry, had also refused to repent, Jesus said it would be brought down to hell, Matthew 11:23a.
      3. The reason for this condemnation was that had the great miracles that had been performed in Christ's home base of ministries to Israel, that is, in Capernaum, been performed in wicked Sodom regardless of its abusive perverts (cf. Genesis 19:1-10), which city God judged with fire and brimstone from heaven (Genesis 19:24), even that city would have remained until even Christ's era, Matthew 11:23b.
      4. Accordingly, Jesus declared that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for Capernaum that had failed to repent in spite of its great exposure to Christ's works, Matthew 11:24.
    4. However, in great contrast to the unrepentant cities that He had condemned, and unlike a false Messiah who would not value the lowly, Jesus thanked God the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding the truths He had delivered from the wise, learned leaders of Israel (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 45) while revealing them to spiritual "little children" such as His disciples, Ibid.; Matthew 11:25-26.
    5. These "little children" were lowly individuals who were open to Christ's truth (John 6:36-40b, 44-45), and God the Father and Jesus righteously valued them in the love of God! (Matthew 11:27)
Lesson: Jesus is the Messiah since though He denounced those who had been given great evidences of His credentials but did not repent, He greatly valued and blessed lowly individuals who trusted in Him.

Application: (1) Though many do not do so and are not thus blessed, may we trust and grow in Christ and be individually blessed of God. (2) If we serve the Lord in His power, may we like Jesus rejoice in the lowly who respond well while leaving those who do not respond well to our efforts for God to judge.