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"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. 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 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."
(Luke 10:13-16)
When I was in the 9th grade, I was sitting on the couch one night watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I was watching as one family whose home had been destroyed was being given a beautiful new home and crying and screaming for joy, as one comes to expect from this show. Little did I know that just feet away from me at that very moment, another home was being destroyed. My next door neighbor's house was on fire with flames reaching up three or four stories above the actual height of the house. I heard a frantic pounding on the door. It was my neighbor from across the street. "Get out! You guys, are you home? You have to get out!" Startled, we all ran to the door to see a horrific look on our neighbor's face as she warned us that the house next to ours was engulfed in flames, and we needed to get out fast, as the big trees that spanned over both of our yards could so easily spread the flames to our house. In what seemed like seconds, we all grabbed the important things and ran outside and across the street. My parents grabbed all the important papers and photos, my brother grabbed his guitar, and I grabbed the cat. (It's interesting what you think to grab in a moment's notice when you think you could be moments away from losing everything.) Thankfully, the neighbors were not home at the time of the fire, and the amazing firemen were able to stop the flames from spreading to any other homes. The house was a complete loss, but we rejoiced that there was no loss of life, despite the still devastating results for my neighbors who lost all their material possessions.
When I think of Jesus' message to these unrepentant cities in Luke 10, I think about my neighbor banging on my door that night. "You guys are in immediate danger! Get out now!" I was happily enjoying a late night snack and watching TV. Can you imagine if my neighbor had not warned us because she didn't want to ruin our nice evening? She cared about us and warned us about the grave danger so that we could get out to safety.
Jesus' message to these cities is also one that comes from love. It may seem harsh, but a harsh warning is the most loving thing you can do when someone is in grave danger. Just as my neighbor sternly told us to get out of our house, Jesus gives His followers this message to share to the unrepentant cities. It is as though he sent them to say, "You guys are in danger! The house is on fire! You need to repent and get out while you still can, or else you too will be trapped in these flames that you are flirting with!"
Perhaps you're slow to share a message of repentance for not wanting to offend others. Please, love others enough to warn them of the grave danger that is right in their midst. We can do so with kindness, but may we not water down the message. Be bold as you share with kindness. The danger is real, and you can help show people the way to safety.
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