Luke 10:13 (ESV) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
In this passage, Jesus was sending out 72 disciples to bring the kingdom of God near to the towns of Israel. Some of the towns would receive the gospel message and others would reject it. Jesus calls out two towns Chorazin and Bethsaida for rejecting the gospel. He said that mighty works were done in the. What were these mighty works?
These mighty works were the healing and deliverance miracles that Jesus and His disciples did. Jesus compares these two towns to the Old Testament gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon. Numerous prophets can prophesied on the judgement of God coming on those two cities. Yet, Jesus is saying that the people of those cities would have repented if they had seen the same miracles. Receiving the gospel is evidenced by repentance.
Luke 10:14-15 (ESV) But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
The are degrees of judgment in hell, although it will be a place of eternal torment for everyone who goes there. Jesus speaks of another Israelite town, Capernaum, which seems to have been prideful. That city and its inhabitants who rejected Jesus would spend in eternity in Hades, another name for hell. Then Jesus explains to the 72 disciples what this meant for their mission.
Luke 10:16 (ESV) “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Jesus wanted them to know that some cities would reject the gospel they preached, even though it was backed up by miracles. These disciples were being sent out in Jesus’ name. That meant that the gospel of the kingdom they were preaching was Jesus’ words. When that gospel message was rejected, they would be rejecting Jesus, not the disciples. And to reject Jesus is to reject God Himself. Jesus is the only way to God.
The fundamental question that every person on this planet must answer in their life is “who is Jesus?” The answer to that question can only be found in God’s Word. Who a person thinks Jesus is, is meaningless if it is incorrect and contrary to the Bible. Many people who claim to be Christian believe in a Jesus of their own invention. If a person believes in a Jesus of their own making and not the Jesus of the Bible, they are not saved. Believing in the real Jesus and what He taught about Himself is the only way to God.
How can you tell whether a person is a true Christian? One way is to ask them the question, do you believe that there are many ways to God? If their answer is yes, they’re not a Christian, as they don’t understand who the real Jesus is. And you have an opportunity to tell them about Jesus, the only way to God. Jesus is the only way to God. Since Jesus is the only, we can …