Breaking the Word

"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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'" Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." (Lk 10:13-16)

Woes against Chorazin and Bethsaida seem strange. They are the towns in Galilee and Jesus had come to the lost sheep of Israel first. He has said it and even lived it through. In the story of the Canaanite woman this was the message that Jesus communicated to the disciples. He also advised his disciples to go the lost sheep first before they could turn to the other nations.

Jesus also had visited Tyre and Sidon. He made his ways towards these towns to have break from his continuous ministry. He would have noticed the listening capacity of these people. Their openness to God and truth probably would have received them into the fold of the kingdom. By listening to the word of God they would have converted themselves and repented for their sins.

Listening to the word of God was essential for change of heart. Listening to anyone (disciple) makes the listener listen to Jesus. Attitude of listening is important. If one is inclined to listen then it would be easy for him to repent. Attitude of rejection (negative attitude) will make him even reject God. Cultivating an attitude to listen will make one open to God.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (Jn 1:47-51)

In this passage Jesus presents himself as knowing the disciples even before meeting them. This knowledge makes the disciple to accept him as son of God. It is not the external knowledge alone that is spoken here (I saw you under the fig tree) but also the knowledge of the character of the person ("Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.")

One disciple calls the other to Jesus (Philip calls Nathanael). In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus goes around meeting the people and calling the disciples to follow him. In John’s gospel Andrew brought his brother Peter and now Philip brings Nathanael.

‘You will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’. Jews believed that there was place on earth which was the gate to heaven. And Bethel was considered to be that place because Jacob, in his dream, saw ladder touching the heavens and the angels descending. In this story Jesus says that he is the gate way to heaven.