If you grew up as a Christian, you are probably aware of how Jesus is a man of compassion and how he taught people to forgive others. In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive his brothers and sisters who wronged him up to seven times. Jesus told Peter to forgive not only seven times, but seventy-seven times seven. This is just one of the many passages in the Bible that talks about forgiveness and moving on. In this passage is a reflection on how Jesus is promoting forgiveness to his disciples. It is therefore surprising to find out that Jesus, the poster-boy for forgiveness and compassion, got angry enough to curse three Galilean cities to ruins.
The Evangelical Triangle. Jesus spent most of his time, about eighty percent, in the towns of Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Chorazin. These were the places that Jesus would often go to preach to his disciples and to people who would listen. Because Jesus would often preach within these three towns, the towns were collectively called the Evangelical Triangle by today’s scholars. It was in this evangelical triangle that Jesus performed most of his miracles and laid the foundation of his ministry.
Miracles Within the Evangelical Triangle. One instance, Jesus was preaching inside a home in Capernaum when the roof of the home was removed to lower down a paralyzed man for Jesus to see. According to the scriptures, Jesus was able to heal the man in front of onlookers. Another episode from the scriptures narrated of a centurion who lived within the Evangelical Triangle who approached Jesus to heal a child who was in the Roman commander’s house. Since Jesus was not permitted to enter the homes of Romans, Jesus told the commander to go home to see the boy healed. It is also within the evangelical triangle that Jesus met Simon-Peter and Andrew, fishermen brothers who became Jesus’s first disciples. Some of the other disciples were from within the Evangelical Triangle as well.
Chorazin was destroyed in the middle of the 4th Century by an earthquake which was believed to be related with Jesus’s curse.
Chorazin. Chorazin was one of the cities that was cursed by Jesus according to the scriptures. Chorazin is located about 3 kilometers north of the Sea of Galilea located off up a beaten uphill path. The buildings in Chorazin were made from black basalt stones which were common in the area. The construction of the homes in Chorazin were well-preserved and would show what Jesus’s home in Capernaum might have looked like. The area of Chorazin was very dry and water was an essential component for the town.
Earning the Ire of Jesus. Matthew 11:20-24 and Luke 10:13-15 narrated on how Jesus cursed the Chorazin along with the other towns of the Evangelical Triangle. Jesus has done so because the three towns did not repent their ways even if they were the towns that have seen first hand the miracles of Jesus and heard him preach. The scriptures also mentioned that had Jesus performed his miracles in the town of Tyre and Sidon, these two towns would have repented their ways.
