Then He began to denounce the cities where most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "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. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 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. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you." At that time Jesus declared, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will (Matt. 11:20-26).The current popular view among Christians goes something like this. God wants to save as many as He possibly can. Fortunately, He knows in advance who will come to Him and what it will take to bring them. So, knowing who they are and what it will take, God brings to bear all the required forces to save as many people as He can without actually violating their wills.
It's a nice view. Sounds quite friendly. It seems to keep God's sovereignty in place while retaining the sovereignty of Man's Free Will. It places the onus of choice where it should be -- on the person -- and paints God in the best light, that of wanting to save as many as He can. Then we come to a passage like this and one has to ask, "How do you maintain that view with passages like this?"
There are several interesting facets in this passage. He denounced them because they didn't repent despite all the signs He performed. There appears to be layers, levels, if you will, of hell where it is "better for" some than for those on other levels. These are important points. But there are two points I'm seeing that may cause the "current popular view" problems.
The position holds that God wants to save as many as He can and will do what is necessary to obtain that goal. Oddly, Jesus says, "If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago." Wait! God knew what it would take to bring them to repentance. Apparently He just didn't do it! He says something similar about Sodom. Further, Jesus says that God played an active role here. "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things ..." The Father actively hid these things! According to Jesus, "Such was Your gracious will." It was God's will to hide things from some and reveal them from others!
It appears from this passage that God did not intend to save some. He deliberately avoided doing those things that He knew would cause them to repent. He had the ability (since Jesus was doing them), but He lacked the will. He deliberately hid from them those things that would have saved them. Indeed, it was His will to do so. Now, how does that fit with "It's God's will to save as many as He can, and He will do whatever He can to make that happen"?
One other point here. This suggestion I'm making -- that God deliberately chose some not to be saved -- will undoubtedly cause people to be upset. It's not fair. It's not kind. It's not reasonable. Well, it was Jesus who said it. Note Jesus's response to His own suggestion that 1) God did not take the steps necessary for people to repent, and 2) that God willfully hid these things from some. "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth." Jesus didn't seem to have the same moral outrage that such a suggestion causes so many. Jesus seemed to think it was just fine. He calls it God's "gracious will."
We are so easily caught up in the idea that God owes us, that we deserve "fair treatment", and that a loving God would never treat us with anything other than the utmost respect. We forget that we are creatures, creations of His whose value is only real as long as He chooses to make it so. We forget and exchange the glory of the immortal God for mortal man (Rom. 1:23).
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