“Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, because if the miracles that were done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
Jesus rebukes Chorazin and Bethsaida, the cities in which he had performed many miracles, yet the inhabitants remained unbelieving. Sackcloth and ashes were symbols of repentance in those times, showing deep sorrow of heart and readiness for transformation. Jesus emphasizes that if Tyre and Sidon, which were known as unbelieving and sinful cities, had seen the same miracles that were done in Chorazin and Bethsaida, they would have repented long ago. By this, Jesus shows that failing to respond to God’s presence when it is evident is a graver sin than being unbelieving without those miracles.