Church Fathers Commentary Luke 10:13-16

"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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt be brought down unto Hades. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me." — Luke 10:13-16 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord warns us that those who have refused to follow the Gospel will meet with a heavier punishment than those who have chosen to break the law, saying, Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

The Venerable Bede: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—and Tiberias, which John also mentions—are cities of Galilee situated on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, which the Evangelists call the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias. Our Lord mourns over these cities because, after such great miracles and wonders, they did not repent. They are worse than the Gentiles, who break only the law of nature, since after despising the written law, they also did not fear to despise the Son of God and His glory.

Therefore, it follows, For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. By sackcloth, which is woven from goat hair, he signifies a sharp remembrance of previous sin. By ashes, he hints at the consideration of death, by which we are reduced to dust. And by sitting down, he implies the humility of our conscience.

We have seen in our own day the Savior’s word fulfilled, since Chorazin and Bethsaida did not believe, even though our Lord was present among them. In contrast, Tyre and Sidon were friendly to both David and Solomon and later believed in the disciples of Christ who preached the Gospel there.

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord mourns over these cities for our example, because shedding tears and bitter lamentations over those who are unresponsive to grief is a powerful antidote, serving both for the correction of the unresponsive and for the remedy and consolation of those who mourn them.

He draws them toward what is good not only by lamenting over them but also by alarming them. Therefore, it follows, But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. We ought to listen to this as well, for He has passed sentence not on them alone but on us also if we do not receive the guests who come to us, since He commanded His disciples to shake the very dust from their feet.

Elsewhere, when our Lord had performed many mighty works in Capernaum and had lived there Himself, the city seemed to be exalted above the others, but through unbelief, it fell to destruction. Therefore, it follows, And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. This shows that the judgment is in proportion to the honor received.

The Venerable Bede: This sentence allows for two interpretations. The first is that you will be thrust down into hell because you proudly resisted My preaching, meaning that the city could be understood to have raised itself to heaven by its pride.

The second interpretation is that because you are exalted to heaven by My dwelling in you and by My miracles, you will be beaten with more stripes, since you refused to believe even in these. And so that no one would suppose this interpretation applied only to the cities or people who saw the Lord in the flesh and despised Him, and not also to all who now despise the words of the Gospel, He proceeds to add, He who hears you hears me.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: By this He teaches that whatever is said by the holy Apostles must be received, since he who hears them hears Christ. An inevitable punishment, therefore, hangs over heretics who neglect the words of the Apostles, for it follows, and he who despises you despises me.

The Venerable Bede: This means that everyone who hears or despises the preaching of the Gospel should learn that he is not hearing or despising merely the individual preacher, but our Lord and Savior—and even the Father Himself. For it follows, And he who despises me despises him who sent me. For the Master is heard in His disciple, and the Father is honored in His Son.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But if the word of God also reaches us and appoints us to the Apostles’ place, beware of despising us, lest what you have done to us should reach Him.

The Venerable Bede: It may also be understood as follows: He who despises you, despises me—that is, he who does not show mercy to one of the least of My brothers does not show it to Me either. But he who despises me (by refusing to believe in the Son of God) despises him who sent me. For, I and my Father are one.

Titus of Bostra: At the same time, in this He consoles His disciples, as if He were saying, “Do not ask, ‘Why are we about to suffer reproach?’ Let your speech be moderate. I give you grace; the reproaches meant for you fall upon Me.”