“I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town” (Luke 10:12).
Jesus told the 72 disciples that if they entered a town where they were not welcome, they were to tell the people, “Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near” (Luke 10:11). Jesus assured them that Sodom would fare better on the day of judgment than that town.
It would be nice if every place the Gospel went was to open itself to the kingdom. There are towns and geographical areas where the hostility toward God is so intense it dwarfs the problems of other areas into insignificance. God not only deals with individuals as individuals, He also deals with communities as communities. Sodom is the premier example of this. The righteous individuals were saved, but the nation itself was destroyed.
Jesus pronounced just such a judgment against two cities in which He had preached. “Woe to you, Korazin! 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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you” (vv. 13–14). Korazin and Bethsaida were towns in Galilee, and the people had not responded to Jesus. The Old Testament prophets had poured out woes upon Tyre and Sidon, but it was the Son of God who was speaking against Korazin and Bethsaida!
When Jesus spoke of Capernaum, which had been His headquarters in Galilee, He said, “And you, Capernaum will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths” (v. 15). Here we see again the urgency of the kingdom. Those who received Christ would be exalted, while those who rejected Him would be damned.
We shall each stand before the judgment seat of Christ. But there are also judgment-comings of Christ in history, when He exalts righteous nations and destroys wicked ones. God has appointed a time for every city, every village, every nation to receive judgment from Him. How will your city and nation fare when Jesus comes to judge us as a people? Today, pray for your city and nation.
