The Pew plans to take some opportunities in the future to look at some biblical cities that have become familiar to those of us who read the Bible. So we start off today with the city of Capernaum, noting that Jesus’s ministry was mainly in the region of Galilee, particularly around the northern and north western shores of the sea of Galilee. Some of the key details geographically reveal that roughly 80% to 90% of Jesus public ministry took place in Galilee, away from the political and religious centers of Jerusalem. Capernaum , a small fishing village on the north western shore of the sea of Galilee served as if we could say, I suppose a primary operational base and “hometown during his ministry.” it is known that Jesus frequently traveled and performed teachings or miracles in nearby towns, such as Nazareth, which we know was his childhood home, Cana, and Bathsidia and Chorazin. We did not want to overlook the fact that while a vast majority of the happenings were in Galilee, His ministry also extended into Judea, which included Jerusalem, where he was crucified, and Samaria, where he had a documented encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Having written all of that, let’s now take a look at Capernaum in the Bible and what is significance was.

We find right off that Capernaum is featured in the New Testament, but we see no mention of it in the old. It was a city located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is significant in scripture because it was chosen by Jesus as his home city after he was driven from Nazareth by religious officials. Another thing that put Capernuam on our watchlist is that it was the home of Peter and Andrew, and it was here that Jesus called them to follow Him. Jesus also found Matthew who was a tax collector in Capernaum and called him to follow Him. There are so many things that make Capernuam stand out in the ministry of our Lord Jesus, and Jesus often referred to it, and he did a lot of his miracles there. He taught in the synagogue, although the people there just refused to believe, and he included it in a critical assessment of several cities. Jesus spoke of Capernuam and a couple of other cities. But of this city he said there were miracles performed in you and if they had been performed elsewhere in Tyree or Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, which was a custom of that time. But it would be, this is Jesus speaking, more bearable for Tyre and sadly for you Capernuam, you will not be lifted to the heavens you will go down to Hades. As we have written, Jesus did many of his miracles there it was in Capernaum that Jesus healed the Centurion son, the nobleman son, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, and the cripple in Capernaum. Jesus cast out  unclean spirit raised Jairs’s daughter to life, and healed the woman with the bleeding issue. It is hard to believe, perhaps on our part that a city, such as Capernaum that had been exposed to the gospel where people enjoy going to church and consider themselves Christians by association and have a familiarity with Jesus and his word that gives them a false sense of assurance that they are right with God, but it is these very people that Jesus will soon say to them “away from me, you evil doers! I’ve never knew you” it is the city where the people heard and saw what Jesus did and said, but they refused to believe. Why would they do that? Some say that believing would cost them too much. Some say that they would worry that it would disrupt their comfortable religious life. It would challenge them to repent of sin and pride, love the unlovely and give up all to follow our Lord. The truth is that Capernaum had a greater opportunity than most other places to hear and to believe in Christ, but to do so those living there would find themselves held to a higher standard of judgment. We are reminded that we also will be judged, according to the light we’ve been given. If God did not spare Capernuam due to their lack of faith, he will not spare those today who have heard the message seen the evidence and rejected his son. There is a statement made in the New Testament at the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry that I’ve always remembered although it’s hard for me to get the right book and verse, it goes as such… “come and see”. The people of Capernaum did come and they did see, but they did not believe.

So I close today with this reminder one more time…

“we will be judged according to the light we’ve been given. If God did not spare Capernuam due to their lack of faith, he will not spare those today who have heard the message, seen the evidence and rejected his son.”

Life is Good 

Jk

This information that I shared with you today is taken from an article from my favorite website gotquestions.org