We’ve heard it said that “God loves us just the way we are, and he loves us so much that he will not let us stay just the way we are.” God is the sculptor, and we are his block of stone. Each day he takes out his hammer and chisel and chips away at us until we become the masterpiece he intends. We did not create ourselves and we don’t have much power to change ourselves—ask anyone who has tried to shed fifteen or twenty pounds.
Though we are God’s “project,” we have an important part to play in what he does. Unlike the slab of stone, we have free will. Our cooperation is needed just the way we must open our mouths for the dentist to fix our teeth. We have a word to describe our part in God’s work; it is “repent.”
In Hebrew the word associated with our word repent is “teshuvah.” It means to return, as if turning back to something we’ve strayed or looked away from. For them it was played out in the return of the Israelites from Egypt to their native land. Looking back even further it was Adam and Eve wanting to turn back to the fulfilling relationship they once had with God but were unable to do so.
When Jesus walked the earth, he proclaimed that a new “Exodus” was at hand. God, in his mercy, had once more intervened in the life of his people and was given them a “ticket” from Egypt back to their homeland. Jesus was the “new Moses” through whom God would bring about a new era–Jesus called it the “Kingdom of God.”
Though this was, and is, the greatest news in the history of humanity, the majority of people did not, and still do not, accept it. Though their lives in “Egypt” were miserable, most had become so used to it, they chose to stay there instead of following the “new Moses” back home to God. In Twelve Step meetings people are told that if someone does like the program, they will gladly refund them their misery.
Jesus promised such a “refund” to the people of his day (Matthew 11:20-24).
“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented…But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, on the day of judgment than for you.’”
Jesus did most of his work in a small territory at the north of Palestine. These small communities were the places where Jesus did his “mighty deeds.” He did what no human being could do when he healed the sick, cast out demons, cleansed lepers, and even raised people from the dead. What more mighty things could anyone have done? And, though, Jesus’ works grabbed the attention of people, and crowds followed him around, these towns, by and large, continued “business as usual” after Jesus left town. They were locked into their ways and weren’t willing to turn back to God.
He then unleashed a second round of woes toward the town in which he had set up his headquarters.
“And as for you, Capernaum…it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
There was no more corrupt city in history than Sodom, and yet Jesus rated Capernaum to be worse. Sodom did not see Jesus work “mighty deeds” whereas the people of Capernaum did.
Jesus continues to offer the Kingdom of God to the cities of our time. There are churches in every neighborhood and Bibles in almost every home. Though we are flooded with opportunities to repent and turn our backs from what we’re used to, and turn our faces toward God, we choose to remain locked in a state of unrepentance.
Today we are given another opportunity to turn our faces to Jesus and ask him to lead us into the Kingdom of God.
