As For You (insert your name here) Will You Be Exalted to Heaven? A Question of Jesus from Matthew 11:23-24
The Quote: Matt 11:23-24 “And as for you, Capernaum: ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ (see Is 14; 13-15) For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
The Question in Context: This is a directive question, which is meant to be negatively answered based upon the actions of the Pharisees and the Jews of the town of Capernaum. Capernaum was a prosperous, comfortable town. Our Lord had worked many miracles there: Curing the fever of St. Peter’s mother-in-law, healing the palsied man and the issue of blood from a woman, raising Jairus’s daughter from the dead, healing the Centurion’s servant, and more.
The implication here with the whole passage in context, is that if these works had been performed in Sodom, as tainted as the people in that city were, they would have repented and the city would not have been destroyed (e.g. see Jonah, Ch 4).
The Answer: So the accusation is that Capernaum will not be exalted to heaven since their hearts are so hard that they could not rejoice at the works of Christ and His presence in their town. They couldn’t even see it. These learned teachers and rabbis who knew the Scriptures were blind to the fulfillment of these prophetic passages in the person of Christ.
Now, to you and me. Let’s take that quote and insert our names, and this question:
And as for you, ___________: ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?’
Am I hard-hearted despite all the wonders Christ has worked in my life?
Indeed, He has saved me from the netherworld. He has saved me from myself. He has exorcised the demons out of my life (they only come back if I invite them). He has brought me Bread from Heaven. He has cured and healed me from the many self-inflicted wounds and spiritual paralysis that have stolen my spirit. Indeed, He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God!