Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
As you consider the city or town in which you live, I wonder how much you know about its history? Is your city an old city with a long history or a relatively new town? Do you think your city will still be here 50 years from now? Have there been significant events which have taken place in or near your city which are milestones in the story of your city? Are there famous people who have lived in your city? What would you say is the reputation of your city in your part of the world? Finally, is God doing now, or has God done in the past, some significant things in your city which may shape the future of your city or region or even the country in which you live?
I’m in Israel these days and it’s amazing to me how archeologists have worked to carefully unearth the remains of famous cities of the past such as Caesarea or Capernaum, while other cities like Nazareth and Tiberias have survived two millennia yet are not dramatically different from what they may have been like in the days of Jesus.
As I walked the ruins of Capernaum today, some words Matthew wrote about his town stirred in my memory: “Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago… And you, Capernaum…if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Matt. 11:20-25)
For both Chorazin and Bethsaida, there are only suspicions of exactly where those town ruins might be today, 2000 years later. For Capernaum, the archeologists have unearthed key parts of the city such as the old Synagogue and the main market area, giving us a glimpse into what once was the premiere town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and the city in which Jesus spent more time in the Galilee area than any other. Yet as I stand here on the shoreline surrounded by Capernaum ruins, over there to my right, a few miles down the shoreline, I see the bustling town of Tiberias, very much alive and vibrant today. Both were towns in Jesus’ day.
What caused Tiberias to survive while Capernaum didn’t? Is there long-term danger for a city, any city, which experiences the presence and power of God, if that city rejects God and doesn’t allow Jesus Christ to bring His great influence into that city? In America and Western Europe there are many towns which have seen great movements of God in the past, yet today little evidence can be seen of those days. Are those towns in great danger of the same fate as Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida? Is there a great price to be paid when a people reject God?
Matthew was from this town, Capernaum, or at least it was here that Jesus approached Matthew’s tax collecting booth and challenged Matthew to ‘come and follow Me.‘ Here Matthew hosted a dinner for Jesus, inviting other tax collectors. (Matt. 9:9-13) Here Matthew’s life changed as he did follow Jesus and became one of His disciples and the author of the first book of the New Testament. Matthew documents many significant events with Jesus which occurred here in Capernaum, and yet there is no evidence of any significant spiritual response to Jesus in this town!
Over there is a beautiful garden, hillside and old church commemorating the place many believe Jesus spoke His great first message of hope which only Matthew records for us and we call the “sermon on the mount”, yet when Jesus finished speaking that great message Matthew gives us no record of a significant response from the people. Evidently the people simply walked away, back to their busy lives.
Matthew tells us Jesus came down from that hillside and was met by a man with leprosy, whom of course no one else would want anything to do with. That man begged Jesus for help and Matthew records: “Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man, saying: ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” (Matt. 8:1-4) I wonder what those who saw this did in response to such a dramatic miracle?
Mark tells us Jesus was in a house in Capernaum speaking to a house full of people when four men came carrying their sick friend. Finding no way into the crowded house they went up on the roof, and peeling open a hole in the roof, lowered their friend down right in front of Jesus. Jesus both cured the man of his illness and told him that his sins were forgiven and that angered the religious leaders of Capernaum. (Mark 2:1-12) Mark tells us that “The people praised God saying, ‘we have never seen anything like this.” And yet there is no evidence anything significant spiritually came from this amazing dual miracle.
Matthew records in his 9th chapter that one of the synagogue rulers named Jairus came to Jesus in a panic. His daughter was dying, and Jesus agreed to go to the house to see the situation. On the way a woman who had a bleeding disorder for 12 years and could find no medical solution approached Jesus and reaching through the crowd simply touched His garment and the healing power of God flowed from Jesus into this woman and she was made well!
Jesus then went on to Jairus’ home and raised his daughter back to life for she had died. We don’t know exactly where Jairus lived, but both these miracles began as Jesus was approached on a busy street in Capernaum. (Matt. 9:18-26) Mark tells us Jesus was confronted by a demon possessed man in the Capernaum Synagogue as Jesus was speaking one Sabbath. Jesus cast out that demon and the man was freed. The response of the people is recorded to be: “What is this? A new teaching and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey Him.” (Mark 1:27) Yet I see no evidence anyone came to Jesus seeking to know Him or follow Him or understand His power over the demonic world!?
Matthew and Mark both recount the story that Jesus called the brothers John & James, Peter & Andrew to leave their nets and follow Him, which they did on the shoreline of Galilee there at Capernaum. (Mark 1:16-20) Matthew tells us the risen Jesus met with His disciples on a familiar hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee when He explained to them their life purpose: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. As you are going, make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them all I have commanded you and I will be with you always…” (Matt. 28:18-20)
As I watched the waves lap ashore today in the ruins of the old city of Capernaum, a place Jesus spent a great deal of time, I wondered why? Why had their hearts been so resistant, their ears so closed, their eyes unwilling to see the truth that God was living among them in the person of Jesus Christ? And reading again those words of Jesus: “And you, Capernaum…if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Just the other day we drove along the Dead Sea area, the region where Sodom and Gomorrah had been so many centuries ago, before the judgment of God fell from heaven and destroyed those cities. Oh my, that Jesus would compare Capernaum to Sodom!
And what about my town, where I now live? I’m part of a church plant which has adopted Isaiah 61:4 as the vision we believe God has given to us for the impact we Christians should be having in our city. Is. 61:3 describes what type of people God wants us to be: “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.” And when those types of people live empowered and led by the Holy Spirit of God, we believe the result should be Is. 61:4… “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”
Now let’s pause right here. What does God see as He looks at your town and mine today? What is the both the past and future of our towns? What difference are Jesus followers making in our towns? And how do those powerful words of Jesus about Capernaum apply to your town and mine, today?
Today’s Scripture is Matt. 11:20-25.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.