The following words of Jesus do not fit well with the contemporary image of Jesus as a warm and wise teacher, eager to take care of us and lead us to heaven, but not to be taken too seriously. These words follow directly on the heels of Jesus’ words about John the Baptist. The first sentence is the key to the passage.
“…But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it. Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. ‘What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”
Again, Jesus talks about the linkage between belief and action. It is a linkage missing for many people of faith in America. So many of us go to “church” each Sunday, listen to the sermon, or study the Bible in classes and small groups, go to seminars on “gifts” and other spiritual matters, go to retreats for spiritual refreshment…and remain largely unchanged. As Neil Cole has observed, we are educated beyond our level of obedience.
Somehow we must make the change from spiritual consumers to sold-out followers of Jesus. It is tempting to embrace the easy believerism of this age, or even the everythingism that has infected the spiritual conversation of this age…the belief that all roads lead to heaven, that the same God is behind all the world’s religions, that our goodness is all that is required for his acceptance. I have heard those beliefs articulated many different ways in the past 50 years, almost always by people who have neglected to take the time to intellectually explore their validity. Under the lightest weight of scrutiny those statements are exposed for the sophomoric foolishness they really are.
Jesus had little time for such silliness. He went to an area; he preached clearly the good news about the Kingdom of God; He validated his teaching by his miracles and healings; and he called for the people to believe and follow him, to live as his disciples. It’s the same today. Scripture has preserved his message and the witness of his life. The believers of the ages have validated his continuing, life-changing influence. The call to repent, be baptized, and to receive the Holy Spirit continues to be issued. And the life of faith, a life of obedience lived in the community of other believers, continues to shape individuals, families, whole communities, and even nations.
Christianity is not a faith we just believe, it is a faith to live by. I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it see everything else. Anything less is insufficient for this grand enterprise we call life.
Prayer: “Father in Heaven, I am like the apostle Paul, wanting to do right, loving the law with all my heart, but infected with a sin so powerful that it makes me do the very things I do not want to do. I desire to believe and to follow you in all my ways. I want your heart to be glad when you look at me and see a life devoted to you. But if this is to happen you must help me with my weakness and heal me of my contrary nature. I know that faith is a day by day process, that I can’t suddenly become pure and noble and good. But I know too, that as I resolve each day to live as your disciple, I move closer to that happy end. I know that you are my greatest advocate. I know that, even when I fail (especially when I fail!) you are there to pick me up and point me in the right direction. I am grateful that you never give up building eternal life in me, and I know that the day is coming when all difficulty will be taken away and I will rest forever in your presence. I am glad and I pray this in your name, Amen.”