This peculiar verse, "wedged in" if it were in the midst of Y‘shua's argument, is very mystical in its meaning. It
suggests that Y‘shua is equating Himself with ―wisdom" and his deeds as ―her children‖.
11:20-24 Then began he to upbraid the cities
―(20) Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they
repented not: (21) Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were
done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
(22) But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
(23) And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty
works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. (24)
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for
thee‖.
Y‘shua's miracles are the Father's testimony that Y‘shua is the Messiah. The people are not condemning
Y‘shua's works. Rather, they reject the authority by which He did them and the witness that His miracles
attest to. The result of all this is that they are guilty of blasphemy against Elohim's Holy Spirit as He later tells
them (in the next chapter.)
The Evangelical Triangle
Y‘shua spent most of his ministry in what has been called "The Evangelical Triangle‖. (With Jesus Through
The Galilee According to the Fifth Gospel, Bargil Pixner, Corazin Publishers, Israel, 1992.) This is a small
geographical area containing the area between the biblical cities of Capernaum, Korazin and Bethsaida.
We know from Scripture that Y‘shua chose to make his home in Capernaum, on the northwest shores of the
Sea of Galilee. He seems to have made this major change in ministry location in order to fulfill Isaiah 9:1,
which says: ―Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he
humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles,
by the way of the sea, along the Jordan –^ The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned‖.
It is amazing how accurately Y‘shua fulfilled this prophecy, although it was written over seven hundred years
before his coming. Of course, Y‘shua was and is that ―great light" that Isaiah speaks of. Also, the roadway
Isaiah mentions called the ―Way of the Sea" actually ran through Capernaum. It was an international highway
in Y‘shua‘s time. In fact, a Roman mile marker designating this route can still be seen today in Capernaum‘s
ruins.
The prophet also mentions two Jewish tribal lands, Zebulun and Naphtali. It is of note that, while Nazareth
was located in the tribal area of Zebulun, the area of Capernaum fell within the ancient tribal boundaries of
Naphtali. Y‘shua exactly fulfilled the prophet‘s words by spending his boyhood in Zebulun and much of his
ministry in Naphtali. It is also clear in Scripture that Y‘shua ministered along the Jordan River, which the
prophet also mentions. He traveled back and forth across the river, often going into the area of Gaulinitis –
the domain of King Herod Philip.
Focus of Y‟shua‟s activityY‘shua spent a very large percentage of his time in the Galilee, mostly around the Sea. In Matt 11:20, we
read: ―Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they
repented not:‖ In the verses immediately following this reference, we learn that the three cities where Y‘shua
did most of his miracle-working were Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.
It was in these three cities that Y‘shua apparently concentrated his ministry. The Nelson‘s Illustrated Bible
Dictionary estimates that eighteen of the thirty-three recorded miracles of Y‘shua were performed in the small
area around the Sea. It also estimates that twenty-five of thirty-three were performed in the general Galilee
area.
It is also an important fact that most of his disciples were from the area. Nelson states that all of the twelve
(with the exception of Judas) came from the area. However, one ancient document alluded to by early writers
as the Gospel of the Ebionites, even states that Judas was from the Galilee. This seems to verify what the
New Covenant says in Acts 1:11 and 2:7, where the disciples were addressed as "men of Galilee" and
"Galileans‖.