Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 11:21

"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." — Matthew 11:21 (ASV)

Jesus knew what the doom of certain Jewish towns would be, and He knew what certain Gentile cities would have done if they had been placed in their favorable circumstances.

He spoke infallibly. Great privileges were lost on Chorazin and Bethsaida, but would have been effectual had they been granted to Tyre and Sidon. According to our Lord’s declaration, God gave the opportunity where it was rejected, and it was not given where it would have been accepted. This is true, but how mysterious!

The practical point was the guilt of these favored cities, in that they remained unmoved by a visitation that would have converted the Gentile Sidonians, yes, and would have made them repent quickly long ago and in the most humiliating manner, in sackcloth and ashes. It is a sad fact that our impenitent hearers show contempt for a grace that would have brought cannibals to the Savior’s feet!