Christmas Day 10 of 24

 Today's Passage: Luke 10

Today's Focus: Vs. 13-16

There are many great passages in today's chapter that is worth mentioning. I am saddened to pick only one, but it is one of great urgency. 

The Gospel according to Matthew 11 tells us that Jesus did miracles and wonders in the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. However, His recognition of them is harsh as He warns them of judgment to come. He also mentions two other towns: Tyre and Sidon. Their judgment is a little different. It will somehow be a "lesser" judgment and will be "more bearable" for them than for those who lived in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. 

Why are the first three towns going to face worse judgment? Jesus tells them in verse 13,

"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."

If Jesus had performed miracles in Tyre and Sidon, those two towns would have repented and mourned their sins. They would have recognized and seen that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, God in the flesh. 

Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, on the other hand, witnessed Jesus' miracles and still did not repent! Just in case Capernaum, the town Jesus frequently ministered in, will somehow be exempt, His warning to her is worse. They saw the most miracles. 

What does this have to do with the "Christmas season?" You and I face a greater judgment than Chorazin, Bethsaida, or even Capernaum. Here is the miracle that will either save us or damn us: the Resurrection. We not have the account of Jesus' healings, we have the account of His death and resurrection. We not only have prophets warning us, we have the Holy Spirit. We may not have the apostles with us still, but we have the church who calls us, rebukes us, warns us, and admonishes us. 

The church today plays a vital role in heralding the message of Christ. They go and tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born, died, and was raised to life. We don't need to stand in the towns of Israel to hear the message or see the miracles. Jesus closes with these words in verse 16: "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."

As you read this devotion, do not reject its warning. Do not fall like the three towns did. Repent! Then, take this warning to others. May God grant them the mercy and gift of repentance. And if they reject you, remember that they are rejecting Christ.