I
assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment
day. "What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I
did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have
repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing
ashes on their heads to show their remorse. Yes, Tyre and Sidon will be better
off on judgment day than you. And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored
in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead." Then he said to
the disciples, "Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And
anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting
God, who sent me." Luke
10:12-16 
Capernaum synagogue
Israel
Will they be honored in heaven?
Then
Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles,
because they hadn't repented of their sins and turned to God. "What sorrow
awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been
done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins
long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to
show their remorse. I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment
day than you. "And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven?
No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for
you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. I tell you,
even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you." Matthew 11:20-24
Meditate
on repentance.
Repent!
That is the key, the first step to obedience with Jesus. That was His first
message and it is still continuing as He heads to Jerusalem for the last time.
From then on Jesus began to preach,
"Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is
near." Matthew
4:17
Wickedness
with no repentance results in sorrow, but if someone repents their life
changes. Jesus was admonishing the cities that didn’t repent—and did you catch what
happens to them? Capernaum will not be honored in heaven, but will be going to
the place of the dead—also translated as Hades. That is the worst—it is not
just in a place for a lifetime with the absence of Jesus, but it is the very
place that will be cast into the Lake of Fire according to Revelation 20:14.
Jesus tells His seventy disciples whom
He is sending out to villages that if they are rejected, those people are
rejecting Jesus and God, too. God sent Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for the
sins of all mankind. If someone refuses to accept, or even acknowledge Jesus as
the Son of God, they are rejecting God the Father, too. Can anyone afford to do
that? Where do you stand with Jesus? Are you accepting Him…or rejecting Him?
What do we learn about Jesus’
personality from this scripture passage today?
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, there was a father whose son was filled with an evil spirit, and
the father asked for healing. "What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus
asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes." The father
instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my
unbelief!" Mark 9:23-24. Likewise, help my unbelief. I know that all
things are possible for You, Jesus. You can heal anyone from anything. You are
the Kingdom of Heaven—not just near, but here. I praise You. Forgive me for the
sins—willful disobedience that I have committed. I recognize that I must
repent. It is the key to obedience that is necessary to be Your follower. Thank
You.
Verse
of Salvation ~ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away
from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow.
But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10
© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
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