“Woe
to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Luke 10:13-16
Luke 10 [1.] Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place, where he was about to come. Then he said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest. Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house. Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you. Heal the sick who are therein, and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.
Luke 10 [13.] “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Luke 10 [17.] The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
Meaning:
Jesus has just told the seventy that a town which refuses them will fare worse than Sodom on the day of judgment (Luke 10:12). Now he turns to three towns of Galilee that had already seen his works and not turned to God. The words are not spoken in anger but in sorrow, and they explain why the mission of the seventy carries such weight.
- “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!”
Chorazin and Bethsaida lay near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, within a few miles of Capernaum. Jesus did much of his ministry in this small area. Bethsaida was the home town of Philip, Andrew and Peter, and near it Jesus fed the five thousand. Chorazin is mentioned nowhere else in the Gospels, which reminds us that many of his mighty works were never written down. “Woe” is a cry of grief and warning, like the woes of the prophets. Matthew records the same saying (Matthew 11:21).
- “they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes”
Tyre and Sidon were wealthy Gentile ports on the Phoenician coast, often condemned by the prophets for pride and idolatry. Sackcloth and ashes were the outward signs of mourning and repentance, as when the king of Nineveh humbled himself at the preaching of Jonah. Jesus says these pagan cities would have responded better than the towns of Israel that saw his miracles every day. Privilege brings responsibility; those who have seen more will be judged by what they saw.
- “You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.”
Capernaum was Jesus’ base in Galilee, where he taught in the synagogue and healed many (Luke 4:31). It was “exalted to heaven” by his presence there. Yet the town as a whole did not repent. The words echo the taunt against the king of Babylon, who said, “I will ascend into heaven!” and was told, “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol” (Isaiah 14:13-15). Hades is the realm of the dead. A town lifted up by grace but unchanged by it faces a great fall.
- “Whoever listens to you listens to me”
Jesus closes with comfort and warning for the seventy. They are not speaking for themselves. To listen to them is to listen to Christ, and to reject them is to reject him and the Father who sent him. John records a similar saying: “he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me” (John 13:20). This gave the messengers courage when they were turned away.
The Significance of Luke 10:13-16
- Familiarity with Jesus is not enough
The people of these towns lived near Jesus and saw his works, yet they did not change. Many today grow up near the gospel without ever turning to God. Hearing and seeing call for a response.
- Greater light, greater responsibility
God judges fairly, taking into account what each person has received. Those who have the Scriptures, churches and the witness of believers have much, and much will be asked of them (Luke 12:48).
- The dignity of the messenger
Those who faithfully share Christ’s words carry his authority. Rejection of the message is not merely a personal slight but a refusal of God himself.
Cross-References:
Matthew 11:21: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!" Matthew’s parallel account.
Isaiah 14:15: "Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit." The fall of the proud.
John 13:20: "he who receives me, receives him who sent me." Christ’s messengers carry his authority.
Luke 12:48: "To whomever much is given, of him will much be required;" The principle of greater responsibility.
Conclusion: Jesus pronounces woes on Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, towns that saw his mighty works but did not repent. Gentile Tyre and Sidon would have done better, and Capernaum, lifted up by his presence, would be brought down. His messengers speak with his authority, so to reject them is to reject Christ and the Father who sent him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible