The Gospels don’t record Jesus reproaching whole cities very often. “Woe to you” is a lament and a serious warning to the people in these places. So why these cities?
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum are Jewish communities in Galilee. They know the Law of Moses and are familiar with Jesus and His miracles and preaching, and should recognize the signs of the Messiah in their midst, but refuse to turn from their sins to accept the gift of salvation Jesus has come to give. Tyre and Sidon, on the other hand, are Gentile cities who would not be expected to understand who and what Jesus is. Yet Jesus says that if they had seen the same mighty deeds, they would have repented of their sins. Clearly, the Jewish cities have greater responsibility.
The apparent anger Jesus is expressing does not come from being offended by the rejection of His teaching for His own sake; it rises from His wounded heart, which so desires each of us to love the One whose love saves us, and without which we cannot be saved. He has come as love to draw us back to love; His reproach is full of mourning, because Jesus knows that rejected love leads only to misery.
God’s plan of salvation since the Original Sin is to re-establish loving trust between humanity and God – the trust that was the foundation of the relationship between the Creator and created beings and which was shattered by the distrust of Adam and Eve. They turned from God because they believed the lie that if they were going to be happy, they would need to do the very thing they were told not to do. They distrusted that the Father was completely for them, that He was arranging things perfectly, so they chose to take what was not theirs to take. The whole of salvation history is a rebuilding of that loving trust, step by step, grace by grace.
The Son of God became the Son of Man to rescue us from our slavery to sin and darkness and death, so that we can live in the glorious freedom of the children of our loving Father. But instead of choosing to trust and accept Jesus and His teaching, many witnesses in these cities are filled with scorn and ingratitude. He came to rescue them from sin and selfishness and they turned away to preserve their own status quo; Jesus knows that eventually, they will crucify Him rather than receive the gift of salvation He has brought them.
And so he is begging them to open their minds and their hearts to receive this awesome offer of rescue from the Heart of Love, so that they (and we) can take up the yoke of true freedom and follow in His footsteps to the life of love and glory with Him forever.
Los Evangelios no registran a Jesús reprochando a ciudades enteras muy a menudo. “Ay de ti” es un lamento y una seria advertencia a la gente de estos lugares. Entonces, ¿por qué estas ciudades?
Corazín, Betsaida y Cafarnaúm son comunidades judías en Galilea. Conocen la Ley de Moisés y están familiarizadas con Jesús y sus milagros y predicación, y deberían reconocer las señales del Mesías en medio de ellas, pero se niegan a apartarse de sus pecados para aceptar el don de la salvación que Jesús ha venido a dar. Tiro y Sidón, por otro lado, son ciudades gentiles y no se esperaría que entendieran quién y qué es Jesús. Sin embargo, Jesús dice que si hubieran visto las mismas obras poderosas, se habrían arrepentido de sus pecados. Claramente, las ciudades judías tienen una mayor responsabilidad.
La aparente ira que Jesús está expresando no proviene de sentirse ofendido por el rechazo de su enseñanza por su propio bien; El amor surge de su corazón herido, que tanto desea que cada uno de nosotros ame a Aquel cuyo amor nos salva, y sin el cual no podemos ser salvados. Ha venido como amor para atraernos de nuevo al amor; su reproche está lleno de duelo, porque Jesús sabe que el amor rechazado conduce sólo a la miseria.
El plan de salvación de Dios desde el Pecado Original es restablecer la confianza amorosa entre la humanidad y Dios, la confianza que fue el fundamento de la relación entre el Creador y los seres creados y que fue destrozada por la desconfianza de Adán y Eva. Se alejaron de Dios porque creyeron la mentira de que si querían ser felices, tendrían que hacer precisamente lo que se les había dicho que no hicieran. Desconfiaron de que el Padre estaba completamente de su lado, de que estaba organizando las cosas perfectamente, así que eligieron tomar lo que no les correspondía. Toda la historia de la salvación es una restauración de esa confianza amorosa, paso a paso, gracia por gracia.
El Hijo de Dios se hizo Hijo del Hombre para rescatarnos de nuestra esclavitud al pecado, a la oscuridad y a la muerte, para que podamos vivir en la gloriosa libertad de los hijos de nuestro Padre amoroso. Pero en lugar de elegir confiar y aceptar a Jesús y su enseñanza, muchos testigos en estas ciudades están llenos de desprecio e ingratitud. Vino a rescatarlos del pecado y del egoísmo y ellos se alejaron para preservar su propio status quo; Jesús sabe que, con el tiempo, lo crucificarán en lugar de recibir el don de la salvación que les ha traído.
Y por eso les ruega que abran sus mentes y sus corazones para recibir esta asombrosa oferta de rescate del Corazón del Amor, para que ellos (y nosotros) podamos tomar el yugo de la verdadera libertad y seguir Sus pasos hacia la vida de amor y gloria con Él para siempre.
Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and eleven grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com
Feature Image Credit: Myriams-Fotos, pixabay.com/photos/jesus-the-good-shepherd-1167493/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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