"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
No, you will be brought down to Hades.
"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Comment: This passage often bothers us if taken out of context. Jesus has been rejected by the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida, both towns in the Galilee. The term woe may also be translated alas and be less of a curse than the sigh of a prophet over the recalcitrance of the people of those towns. This passage is found only in Lk. Is this showing Jesus as bent on vengeance or recognizing that the towns of Galilee are sowing their own retribution?
It is so easy to ignore the prophets of our times. It is so easy to continue in our self-centered ways. But the sigh of Jesus over our waywardness is not to be ignored. The invitation to be connected with all of creation is Jesus’ call. When we reject it, we fail not only ourselves and God, but a whole new life of respect and inclusion.
1 comment:
I had not heard before that "woe" could be "alas," a sigh. I guess that's why we're studying the gospels this semester. That certainly sheds light on the passage.
I really like your "Loud Sounding Wisdom" quote. Her feeling about the sacred/secular divide was much the same as Luther's. And the prayer is wonderful as well. Peace.
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