Tag Archives: Capernaum

Will you fare better than Sodom? (Matthew 11:21-24) March 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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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.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The bread of heaven (John 6:22-59), August 4, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 6:22-59

Set – 2 Chronicles 34; John 6

Go! – 2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6

John 6:22-59
22 The following day some people gathered on the other side of the sea and saw that only one boat had been there; they were perplexed. They remembered seeing the disciples getting into the boat without Jesus.
23 Other boats were arriving from Tiberias near the grassy area where the Lord offered thanks and passed out bread. 24 When this crowd could not find Him or His disciples, they boarded their small boats and crossed the sea to Capernaum looking for Him. 25 When they found Jesus across the sea, they questioned Him.
Crowd: Teacher, when did You arrive at Capernaum?
Jesus: 26 I tell you the truth—you are tracking Me down because I fed you, not because you saw signs from God. 27 Don’t spend your life chasing food that spoils and rots. Instead, seek the food that lasts into all the ages and comes from the Son of Man, the One on whom God the Father has placed His seal.
Crowd: 28 What do we have to do to accomplish the Father’s works?
Jesus: 29 If you want to do God’s work, then believe in the One He sent.
Crowd: 30 Can You show us a miraculous sign? Something spectacular? If we see something like that, it will help us to believe. 31 Our fathers ate manna when they wandered in the desert. The Hebrew Scriptures say, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
Jesus: 32 I tell you the truth: Moses did not give you bread from heaven; it is My Father who offers you true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God comes down out of heaven and breathes life into the cosmos.
Crowd: 34 Master, we want a boundless supply of this bread.
Jesus: 35 I am the bread that gives life. If you come to My table and eat, you will never go hungry. Believe in Me, and you will never go thirsty. 36 Here I am standing in front of you, and still you don’t believe. 37 All that My Father gives to Me comes to Me. I will receive everyone; I will not send away anyone who comes to Me. 38 And here’s the reason: I have come down from heaven not to pursue My own agenda but to do what He desires. I am here on behalf of the Father who sent Me. 39 He sent Me to care for all He has given Me so that nothing and no one will perish. In the end, on the last day, He wants everything to be resurrected into new life. 40 So if you want to know the will of the Father, know this: everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will live eternally; and on the last day, I am the One who will resurrect him.
41 Some of the Jews began to grumble quietly against Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
Crowd: 42 Isn’t Jesus the son of Joseph? We know His parents! We know where He came from, so how can He claim to have “come down from heaven”?
Jesus: 43 Stop grumbling under your breaths. 44 If the Father who sent Me does not draw you, then there’s no way you can come to Me. But I will resurrect everyone who does come on the last day. 45 Among the prophets, it’s written, “Everyone will be taught of God.” So everyone who has heard and learned from the Father finds Me. 46 No one has seen the Father, except the One sent from God. He has seen the Father. 47 I am telling you the truth: the one who accepts these things has eternal life. 48 I am the bread that gives life. 49 Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died as you know. 50 But there is another bread that comes from heaven; if you eat this bread, you will not die. 51 I am the living bread that has come down from heaven to rescue those who eat it. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. The bread that I will give breathes life into the cosmos. This bread is My flesh.
52 The low whispers of some of Jesus’ detractors turned into an out-and-out debate.
Crowd: What is He talking about? How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?
Jesus: 53 I tell you the truth; unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not know life. 54 If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, then you will have eternal life and I will raise you up at the end of time. 55 My flesh and blood provide true nourishment. 56 If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you will abide in Me and I will abide in you. 57 The Father of life who sent Me has given life to Me; and as you eat My flesh, I will give life to you. 58 This is bread that came down from heaven; I am not like the manna that your fathers ate and then died! If you eat this bread, your life will never end.
59 He spoke these words in the synagogue as part of His teaching mission in Capernaum.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The crowd that followed Me to Capernaum were much like a lot of people I encounter today. They follow Me wanting Me to act as a cosmic Santa Claus. Their only interest is in what material things I can give them. The crowd followed to get more food after after fed them on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Too many want the same from Me today. You’re only interested in what I can give you materially.

Yes, the prayer I taught you does say, “Give us today our daily bread,” but that doesn’t mean I’m the genie in the magic lamp. I will meet your needs. I’m not here to grant your every wish. I want you to hunger and thirst for righteousness. I want you to long for the bread of heaven, the meatier things found in My word. I want you to long for Me, not what I can give you.

When you come to understand the difference, you will find yourself close to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.