Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Job 19-20
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 11:21-24
Jesus: Woe to you, Chorazin! And woe to you, Bethsaida! Had I gone to Tyre and Sidon and performed miracles there, they would have repented immediately, taking on sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you this: the people from Tyre and Sidon will fare better on the day of judgment than you will. And Capernaum! Do you think you will reign exalted in heaven? No, you’ll rot in hell. Had I gone to Sodom and worked miracles there, the people would have repented, and Sodom would still be standing, thriving, bustling. Well, you know what happened to Sodom. But know this—the people from Sodom will fare better on the day of judgment than you will.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Jesus’ condemnation of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum should scare us to death today, but too many of us just don’t get it. He compares the plight of these three cities to Sodom and the utter destruction of that city in the days of Abraham. You probably remember the story.
God’s judgment came to Sodom because of its great wickedness. Abraham convinced God to spare the city if just ten righteous people could be found in the city. God agreed and His angels took inventory. But not even ten righteous people were found in that great city of the plains. God’s angels gathered Lot, his wife, and daughters together and led them out of the city with the warning not to look back. Lot’s wife, lured by the pleasures of the city, took one last look and turned to a pillar of salt. Nothing remained of the city after fire and brimstone fell from the sky to completely destroy the city and its wickedness.
Jesus says the people of Sodom will fare better than those of these three cities. Why do you suppose that is true? I think scripture tells us when it says “to whom much is given much is demanded.” You see, Sodom and Gomorah suffered God’s judgment for their wickedness before the law came to Moses. Those cities felt God’s wrath because of the moral law He places in each of our hearts. We know what is right and wrong. Whether we grow up in a Christian background, a Muslim faith, a Hindu, or some pagan tribe in dark Africa, we know some semblance of right and wrong. Every community understands that murder is wrong. It must be or the community disintigrates.
So Sodom and Gomorah found themselves judged by that primitive moral law God stamped on their hearts. But Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had the law of Moses. They were part of the twelve tribes of Israel. They descended from Abraham who God gave the responsibility to bless all other nations. Part of that blessing included sharing the laws God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. The law pointed them to right living, yet they continually failed to live according to the law God gave Moses.
The law pointed toward the coming of the Messiah and all the prophecies showed Jesus to be that Messiah. His actions, His words, His character, His background all said He was the Son of God. Yet those who should have known best refused to believe in Him. They had all the information in front of them, yet refused to look at it with eyes of faith and stayed blind to the truth.
So what does that have to do with us today? Look around you? How many Bibles do you have in your home? How easy is it for you to access God’s word with the number of sites that carry it online? What translation do you want? There are dozens for you to pick from. What language do you want? You can find it in at least 180 languages now. What excuse do you have for not reading and hearing and studying God’s word? The answer is none.
All of us have access to His word today. All of us are in the same boat as Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum. We have no excuse. We can read the scriptures and know the truth. If we choose not to listen to His word, that is our fault, not God’s. If we choose not to take advantage of the resources available to us, that is our fault, not God’s. If we choose not to learn about Him, that is our fault, not God’s. At judgment, we will be as guilty as these three cities Jesus points out in the words we consider today. If we fail to take advantage of His words, listen to Him and follow Him, it’s our fault, not His.
God has done everything He can to make salvation available to us. But He won’t make the choice for us. The one area in which He has removed His power is in respect to our moral choice. We can choose to do right or wrong. We can choose to make Him Lord of our life or not. We can choose to live eternally by following His decrees or we can choose death by living our own way. It’s always our choice. He wants us to fare better than Sodom.
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