Israel, for the most part, rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They were invested in the laws, rules, and regulations they had been given. That was what their hearts and minds were attuned to. They thought if they obeyed enough, depended upon their own works enough, they would win God’s favor. They were after all His chosen people.
They needed to repent of the old system and believe in the new person of Jesus. He just didn’t fit their image of a Messiah—neither his reign nor his rule. They were looking for a conquering King, not a kind, loving, and forgiving King.
Jesus then denounced three major Jewish cities—Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—where he had done his mighty works. They had seen his miraculous acts, but they weren’t buying them. They weren’t having a change of heart, and they certainly weren’t repenting and turning from their ways.
They heard and knew of the prophecies about this Messiah and they heard and saw the miracles that he performed, yet they were not convinced. For the Israelites to be part of the Kingdom, they had to accept the Messiah.