Sermon for Sunday, November 16th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Jeremiah 8:4-7 ESV] 4 “You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? 5 Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. 7 Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the LORD.
New Testament Reading:
[Revelation 9:13-21 ESV] 13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Gospel Reading:
[Matthew 12:38-42 ESV] 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 11:20-24 ESV] 20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “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 in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Introduction
I’ve never ridden a horse. Have you?
I would have no idea what to do if I were on horseback.
But I know one things — from John Wayne and others — that to get a horse to stop you say “WHOA!.”
If you say “Whoa” then your horse should stop and hold in place. That’s how, quite literally, you “hold your horses.”
Now, in our passage today we have a different spelling of WOE. Rather than W-H-O-A, it is It is W-O-E.
And this WOE, from the Greek — ouai, “ooh-eye” — is “an interjection of grief or denunciation.” But, it is also, like the WHOA of horses, meant to get people to STOP. To stop and think and even turnaround, because of the destruction that is ahead for those whose do not accept Jesus as Lord.
Earlier in the chapter of Matthew 11, Jesus spoke positively of those who have faith in him:
[Matthew 11:6 ESV] 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Now, he speaks against those who do not believe. Those who reject Jesus.
Woe is called out to them.
He calls out WOE on three towns of Galilee. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.
This is an Old Testament theme brought to the New Testament – this idea of “woe” and ‘destruction.” Of course, there is Jonah who cried out to Nineveh to repent or destruction would be upon them. Jonah technically never used the word “woe” though he certainly could have.
Isaiah many times calls out sinners saying “woe.” Woe to those “who proclaim their wickedness like Sodom..” “Woe to the wicked.” And he says this against drunkenness: “Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!” And, one more, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.”
As for places, the Old Testament says “woe” to Assyria, to Jerusalem, Moab, those at ease in Zion, and those who feel secure on the mountains of Samaria.
Woe, woe, woe. Destruction is coming.
I. Woe to three towns of Galilee.
A. Chorazin
Chorazin was a small town to the North of the Sea of Galilee. And it is in ruins today. In fact, all three of these towns are basically ruins today; perhaps this is fulfillment of the “woe” upon them.
Chorazin is the least prominent town mentioned, and in fact, it is only mentioned here and in Luke’s Gospel on the same subject of “woe.”
B. Bethsaida
Then there is the second town, Bethsaida. It is groups with Chorazin.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
“Bethsaida” means “fishing house.” It was a place where fisherman resided on the west of the Sea of Galilee. The home of three of the disciples – Andrew, Philip, and Peter.
C. Capernaum
And the third town mentioned in Capernaum. I’ve actually been to this place. The locals say it like “COPPER-NUMB.” It too is ruins, but there is archaeology to see there. Notable is an old synagogue that has been discovered there.
In possibly that very same synagogue (or any earlier one), Jesus healed a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit. In Capernaum Jesus healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. In Capernaum Jesus healed the paralytic lowered down through the roof. Capernaum is even the town called “his own city” in Matthew 9:1.
Capernaum is also another hometown of the disciples. It is where Matthew is from. Matthew, the author of this Gospel writing about this woe to his own city! Consider that! That must be hard to write. Could you sound the alarm to your town? It is one thing for Jonah to go to evil Nineveh and say repent, it is one thing for us to send missionaries to other countries, but what about HERE! What if we, what if you were to call out WOE upon your hometown, or upon this town? That would be a hard calling, but there is an extent to which we need to do that. For the same lack of repentance of these towns in Galilee is also a problem here in every town in America and the world. And destruction is coming to ALL who do not repent.
Well, what is common among these three towns? They are in Galilee. That is one obvious similarity. But the similarity that Jesus is getting at is that each of these places is MORE FULLY WITHOUT EXCUSE for they have seen the miracles of Christ, and have had living among them, not merely passing through. These are places “favored with the Redeemer’s presence, teaching, and works above every other.” They have had ALL the opportunity in the world, all the evidence, to see that Jesus is the messiah. Yet, they do not believe.
What also is common, of course, is that they rejected Christ. Not every person rejected Jesus – we know that his disciples Andrew, Peter, and Philip were from Bethsaida, and Matthew from Capernaum — but the vast majority of the people did reject Christ.
I find this terrible, naturally, but also especially as a preacher, it helps to keep an understanding of possibilities and limitations. Even places where Jesus himself goes, the people will not convert. I’ve thought in our time that there are places and people in this world who wouldn’t be converted by (or even show up to hear) the preaching of Billy Graham, or of Charles Spurgeon, or of George Whitefield. And now we see there are people who won’t repent even under the preaching of Jesus.
II. Without excuse are three towns of Galilee.
And – and this is Jesus main point – these three towns are WITHOUT EXCUSE.
They have had EVERY opportunity to come to the Lord.
First off, they are Jews. Like the rest of the nation they are favored on the Earth with the “oracles of God.” They have the Scriptures. They should know of the coming of the Christ, and when He comes they should recognize him. But they do not.
So there is a sense in which this is a WOE upon all Israel. Jesus singles out these towns in Galilee, for they have had the most opportunity, but all Israel is blessed with the prophets foretelling of Christ, and yet the people of Israel in mass will reject Christ. Not all of them – there are many thousands in Jerusalem who come to believe in Christ after his death and resurrection – but the vast majority of the nation rejects the messiah.
Now because these three town had so much opportunity to believe in Jesus and yet rejected him, their punishment is worse than other places that have rejected God.
III. Worse punishment to come for three towns of Galilee.
There will be worse punishment for the three towns of Galilee.
The first mention is Tyre and Sidon.
The next mention is Sodom, of “Sodom and Gomorrah” infamy.
Jesus says:
“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 in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
These are meant to be shocking references to his listeners. Tyre and Sidon, those are GENTILE cities. Heathens! They are cities in Lebanon known for wealth and prosperity and all the evils that come along with that condition in life. And Jesus is saying that those places are BETTER than the three towns of Galilee. That’ll wake you up!
And if that doesn’t wake you up, look at the next reference – Sodom. As in “Sodomy.” As in “Sodom and Gomorrah” those places God destroyed with fire and brimstone. To hear themselves compared to Gentile pagan towns of Tyre and Sidon. Wow. And now Sodom!
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
I don’t think either of the hypothetical statements, the “if … this were to have happened, then they would have repented.” I don’t think either of those statements are included in this passage in order to specify a philosophical view of “God and Contingency,” but rather are there to focus on that main point that these three towns of Galilee have had SO MUCH opportunity but yet have not repented, and thus their punishment will be JUST and will be GREAT.
Ultimately, this is a call to repent. Not just for the people of that time and place — those three towns of Galilee — but it is a called for all people, in places, in all times. Including you and me, right here, and right now.
Application 1: We have even greater opportunity than the people of Israel.
All have the heavens declaring the glory of God. So everyone is without excuse.
The Jews had the Scripture; the old testament. So they had even less excuse.
Now, we have even greater revelation; the new testament.
We have Bibles in every house and every hand.
We have Christ preached in churches, on radio, on SermonAudio online, and in books all over the world. There is no excuse left.
So it is woe to him who denies Christ despite all of these evidences, for we have great opportunity, even more than Israel, to know Christ, to repent and have faith in him.
The evidence is overwhelming, though some continue to deny it.
Application 2: It takes the Holy Spirit to convert a person.
These towns, despite their great blessings and privileges did not come to repentance.
And even Judas who heard more of Jesus than anyone else, did not repent.
Jesus ays even more:
[Luke 16:31 ESV] 31 ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'”
So what does it take to bring repentance, turning from the evil of the world to the truth of God?
People say “I need more evidence.”
How about the fulfillment of prophecy?
How about the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
How about the willingness of the martyrs to die for Truth?
How about the lives even today changed by Christ.
No one can say they didn’t have enough evidence.
But I need more, they say. What will convince them. Nothing, unless the Holy Spirit comes and changes their minds and hearts.
So how can a person convert, and repent?
The Word is the occasional,
but the Holy Spirit is the power.
Application 3: A reminder of how good our God is to us.
Why does Jesus cry woe to these towns?
It is not only to punish them.
It may also be to warn believers in those places to flee before the coming destruction.
We could even put this rhyme to song: Woe to Three Towns of Galilee, woe to you and me.
Then, Jesus also cries out woe it is also an example for us, in that it is a reminder of how good our God is to US. He gives us warning of judgment!
Jesus isn’t all love and peace. We saw him say “I came not to bring peace, but a sword.” And we often think first of Jesus flipping over the tables of the money changers. And then, here, like in the Old Testament when God spoke of coming judgement, here Jesus says “Woe.” Judgment is coming.
Those who don’t listen will mock those words, but for believers it cuts to us, and changes us.
But these frightening words of woe, are to drive us close to God, thanking Him that such destruction will not come upon us, for Christ HAS borne our sins on the cross, and the Holy Spirit HAS brought us to repentance and faith in Him who has saved us.