Christmas Apathy
When Herod… had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ Matthew 2:1-3
Understanding and responding are two separate things. In the Gospel of Matthew we are told of the long journey of the wise men in search of Jesus who come to Herod to ask for more specifics of the birth place. We are told “all Jerusalem” was troubled, which gives a good basis to assume that the chief priests and scribes were aware of the wise men’s witness of the star when they were called by Herod. When Herod gathered these “experts” to ask them the whereabouts of the Messiah as prophesied in scripture. With amazing insight into scripture, they join the strand of past prophecy to present reality, and reply that He is to be born in Bethlehem. And then, they simply dissappear from the rest of the story. It is generally not a good idea to assume things from their absence in scripture, but in this case I think their absence is telling!
The shepherds saw a vision, had no insight, but knew the location, and went to worship Jesus. The wise men saw a star, had some insight, but did not know the location, and made travel plans to find Jesus. The scribes and chief priests heard, had insight and knew of the location, simply expounded on it, and then went back, perhaps, to their temple potlucks and weekly fellowship meetings! What happened to chief priests and scribes? Were they not a least bit curious that they would want to see the Messiah they had been preaching about? Of all the people they would be the first ones we would expect to go to Bethlehem to see this “Desire of all Nations,” the Immanuel, God in flesh! This absence simply highlights the fact that the amount of knowledge in the head does not always translate to the ardor of the heart. There is a wide gulf between penetrating insight into the things of God, and passionate worship of God, and it is filled with apathy. In the four hundred years of silence that preceedes the coming of Christ, they had succesfully imprinted the coming Messiah in the national consceince, but had obscured Him from their individual conscience. He had become an object of study instead of the subject of worship. And, I fear we in this century stand close to the same danger today.
It was interesting to read the religion page last week in a major newspaper. It was a testament to our acceptance of apathy as the normal posture for all things religious. There was a advertisment, apparently a combined effort from the local churches, and the title in big letters said, “Welcome Back” and then followed below by “In this season of Incarnation”. I suppose the ad meant that the religious clergy is expecting Christmas to perhaps revive some interest in Christ in the otherwise apathetic hearts. What happens after the season is over? Wait till the season of the Resurrection in April?
I wonder if we have heard the Christmas story so much that it fails to fill us with awe anymore. I wonder if the hymns of Christmas remind us of only the shopping we have left to do, the story of the angelic visions, hurrying shepherds and the gift-bearing wise men only conjure up images of exotic costumes of the innumerable Christmas plays we have seen, and the birth of a baby in a manger of whom it was said that “He came to save them from their sins” is simply old news. I wonder if betwwen the head and the heart is a chasm filled with apathy.
The only antidote to apathy is anticipation. In contrast to the chief priests and scribes, Luke gives us a view of a godly man named Simeon who waited eagerly for the “Conosolation of Israel”, and was promised that he would not die until He saw the Messiah. Dr. Joe Stowell tells a story about visiting the Shepherds Home and School for children with Down's syndrome. He remarks that the founder of the school told him, "Joe, we always share the Gospel with these kids. We tell them that Jesus Christ died on the cross for them, and that Christ will forgive their sins, and not only that, but the day is coming when Christ will come back and take them to heaven." This educator went on to explain the school’s biggest maintenance problem: dirty windows. The windows of the school stayed dirty, he said, "Because our kids spend time every day at the windows, hands pressed, faces and noses pressed to the window, looking up to see if this might not be the day that Jesus, the One who loves them, comes to get them and take them to heaven.
Perhaps that is why the primary occupation that Jesus left us with was to watch. ”Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:35-36
Danesh Manik
Understanding and responding are two separate things. In the Gospel of Matthew we are told of the long journey of the wise men in search of Jesus who come to Herod to ask for more specifics of the birth place. We are told “all Jerusalem” was troubled, which gives a good basis to assume that the chief priests and scribes were aware of the wise men’s witness of the star when they were called by Herod. When Herod gathered these “experts” to ask them the whereabouts of the Messiah as prophesied in scripture. With amazing insight into scripture, they join the strand of past prophecy to present reality, and reply that He is to be born in Bethlehem. And then, they simply dissappear from the rest of the story. It is generally not a good idea to assume things from their absence in scripture, but in this case I think their absence is telling!
The shepherds saw a vision, had no insight, but knew the location, and went to worship Jesus. The wise men saw a star, had some insight, but did not know the location, and made travel plans to find Jesus. The scribes and chief priests heard, had insight and knew of the location, simply expounded on it, and then went back, perhaps, to their temple potlucks and weekly fellowship meetings! What happened to chief priests and scribes? Were they not a least bit curious that they would want to see the Messiah they had been preaching about? Of all the people they would be the first ones we would expect to go to Bethlehem to see this “Desire of all Nations,” the Immanuel, God in flesh! This absence simply highlights the fact that the amount of knowledge in the head does not always translate to the ardor of the heart. There is a wide gulf between penetrating insight into the things of God, and passionate worship of God, and it is filled with apathy. In the four hundred years of silence that preceedes the coming of Christ, they had succesfully imprinted the coming Messiah in the national consceince, but had obscured Him from their individual conscience. He had become an object of study instead of the subject of worship. And, I fear we in this century stand close to the same danger today.
It was interesting to read the religion page last week in a major newspaper. It was a testament to our acceptance of apathy as the normal posture for all things religious. There was a advertisment, apparently a combined effort from the local churches, and the title in big letters said, “Welcome Back” and then followed below by “In this season of Incarnation”. I suppose the ad meant that the religious clergy is expecting Christmas to perhaps revive some interest in Christ in the otherwise apathetic hearts. What happens after the season is over? Wait till the season of the Resurrection in April?
I wonder if we have heard the Christmas story so much that it fails to fill us with awe anymore. I wonder if the hymns of Christmas remind us of only the shopping we have left to do, the story of the angelic visions, hurrying shepherds and the gift-bearing wise men only conjure up images of exotic costumes of the innumerable Christmas plays we have seen, and the birth of a baby in a manger of whom it was said that “He came to save them from their sins” is simply old news. I wonder if betwwen the head and the heart is a chasm filled with apathy.
The only antidote to apathy is anticipation. In contrast to the chief priests and scribes, Luke gives us a view of a godly man named Simeon who waited eagerly for the “Conosolation of Israel”, and was promised that he would not die until He saw the Messiah. Dr. Joe Stowell tells a story about visiting the Shepherds Home and School for children with Down's syndrome. He remarks that the founder of the school told him, "Joe, we always share the Gospel with these kids. We tell them that Jesus Christ died on the cross for them, and that Christ will forgive their sins, and not only that, but the day is coming when Christ will come back and take them to heaven." This educator went on to explain the school’s biggest maintenance problem: dirty windows. The windows of the school stayed dirty, he said, "Because our kids spend time every day at the windows, hands pressed, faces and noses pressed to the window, looking up to see if this might not be the day that Jesus, the One who loves them, comes to get them and take them to heaven.
Perhaps that is why the primary occupation that Jesus left us with was to watch. ”Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:35-36
Danesh Manik
posted by Danesh Manik | 2:53 PM
2 Comments:
beautiful! simply BEAUTIFUL!
we have a child with down syndrome and sometimes i wish i could see the world as he does--oh how he must make God happy!
moe :)
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