We need some Woe...

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. (Matthew 11:20-22 ESV) Jesus has just explained the importance of John the Baptist's ministry and how it related to His ministry: they both came to call us to repentance. But many have failed to respond appropriately. In a sense, Jesus now begins to respond to this lack of response; He begins to denounce this spiritual apathy and pronounce "woes" on those cities. Often, we perceive and read these "woes" as if they are angry, vengeful statements, but in reality they are filled with grief, a sense of loss. Jesus is almost crying here. He is in pain and anguish over our lack of belief. He cares; He is the compassionate Christ. We are complacent, unmoved by the greatest act of love ever shown. We need to be woed. We need to grieve over our sinfulness as much as He grieves over our complacency.