But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.
All Commentaries on Matthew 11:24 Go To Matthew 11
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
De Dom. Pers. 9: It is not then true that His Gospel was not preached in those times and places, in which He foreknew that all would be such, as were many in His actual presence, who would not even believe on Him when He raised men from the dead. For the Lord Himself bears witness that they of Tyre and Sidon would have done penitence in great humility, had the wonders of the Divine power been done in them. Moreover, if the dead are judged according to those deeds which they would have done had they lived, then because these would have believed had the Gospel been preached to them with so great miracles, surely they should not be punished at all, and yet in the day of judgment they shall be punished; for it follows, “But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you.” Those then shall be punished with more, these with less severity.
De Don. Pers. 10: A certain Catholic disputant of some note expounded this place of the Gospel in the following way; That the Lord foreknew that they of Tyre and Simon would fall from the faith after they had believed the miracles done among them; and that therefore in mercy He did not His miracles there, because they would have incurred the heavier penalty had they lapsed from the faith after having held it, than if they had never held it at all. Or otherwise; The Lord surely foreknew His mercies with which He deigns to deliver us. And this is the predestination of the saints, namely, the foreknowledge and making ready the mercies of God, by which they are most certainly saved, whosoever are saved. The rest are left to the just judgment of God in the general body of the condemned, where they of Tyre and Sidon are left, who might have believed had they seen Christ’s many miracles; but since it was not given them that they should believe, therefore that through which. they might have believed was also withheld. From which it appears, that there are certain who have in their dispositions by nature a divine gift of understandingby which they would be moved to faith, if they should either hear words or see signs adapted to their minds. But if they be not by the high sentence of Godset apart from the mass of perdition through the predestination of grace, then neither words nor works are set before them by God, which yet, could they have seen or heard them, would have stirred them to believe. In this general mass of perdition are the Jews also left, who could not believe so great and manifest wonders wrought before their eyes. And the cause wherefore they could not believe, the Gospelhath not hidden, speaking thus; “Though he did so great miracles before them, yet could they not believe, as Esaias said, I have blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart.” .
De Cons. Ev., ii, 32: Luke also gives this as spoken in continuation of some other of the Lord’s discourses; from which it appears that he has rather followed the actual order of events; Matthew to have followed his recollection. Or the words of Matthew, “Then began he to upbraid the towns,” must be taken, as some think, as expressing some particular time by the word, “then,” but not referring generally to that time in which the many other things here told were done and said. Whoever, therefore, thinks thus must suppose that this was spoken twice. And when we find in the same Evangelist some things spoken by the Lord at two different times—like that in Luke concerning the not taking a scrip for their journey,-- what wonder is it if any thing else, which was twice spoken, is found once severally in two several Gospels in the actual connexion in which it was spoken, which connexion is different, because they are two different occasions on which it is related to have been spoken?
