Indifference, the Refined Art of Exile

This past Sunday I preached a sermon on the hurtful nature of indifference. This particular sermon was a difficult one to preach, because not only did several folks in the congregation find it challenging, but so did the preacher! The question as well as the challenge is - as Christian's how can we remain indifferent to people who genuinely suffer? How can we turn our backs on people whose pain is only magnified by society's blatant abandonment? The political prisoner, the homeless refugee, starving families, the sick, destitute and abandoned; by ignoring their existence and looking the other way we exile them from our consciousness. The Jewish Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel states it best when he says, "By denying their humanity, we betray our own."

Remaining indifferent to those who truly suffer in this world is nothing new to our time. Indifference is a cruel form of social marginalization. A Darwinian theorist might even justify that marginalization of those who are sick, needy or in desperate trouble is the "natural order of things." But for those who claim Christ as our Lord, we are called to usurp the "natural order of things."

First century Palestine was no different than any other age when it came to the outcast, socially marginalized and loathed. Actually it was probably worse since the Jewish law gave credibility to the exile and expulsion of those considered unclean. Leprosy most assuredly was one such death sentence to a life of normal social acceptance. It was an ancient curse that guaranteed a person of a life stripped of dignity, hope and any kind of value. This terrible disease caused grotesque disfigurement of the body. It was considered highly contagious, and those who contracted it were condemned to a life of exile, desperation and poverty. Lepers were cast out of society, avoided and treated as despicable objects. The lepers of Jesus day lived a life of deep humiliation, and were treated with an attitude of indifference. In Wiesel's words, they were reduced to a mere "abstraction."

Can you imagine every time encountering a "clean" person having to yell, "Unclean! Unclean!" so that they might avoid contact with you? That was exactly what the Jewish law required. Can you imagine the humiliation of being bound in filthy rags from head to toe in order to distinguish yourself as a disease infected leper? Can you imagine having to live near the city dump so that you could out run your fellow lepers for scraps of food? Well, that was exactly the hopeless existence the lepers of Jesus' day were forced to live. They were treated as rude and unwanted interruptions, reduced to mere abstractions.

Yet the leper in Mark's Gospel ran to Jesus. He broke the law and asked Jesus to please make him clean; and Jesus did exactly that - he touched him and made him clean; made him whole and restored his dignity. One might argue at this point that Jesus is God and he knows the heart of all people. True; that is a correct thought and understanding of the nature of God, and we know (at least most of know!) that we're not God. But still, as Christians we are given a few direct marching orders from Jesus to take care of the poor, the destitute, the widows and orphans, as well as the oppressed and alien (legal or illegal).

A few days ago I gave a man ten dollars so that he could buy gas in order to get to a job interview near Petersburg. I found out within the hour that he took that ten dollars straight to the liquor store. At first, I was frustrated and disappointed because the gentleman lied to me; I felt deceived and used. No wonder people (myself included) often walk right by or step over those who claim to be in desperate need. But is that what Jesus is telling us to do - make judgments regarding those who ask us for help? For those of us who have experienced the abuse of trust and the deceptive ploys of the needy and homeless, Jesus' direct commandment to us to take care of the sick and poor is most difficult.

The last I checked, God doesn't ask us to determine who is worthy of our assistance and who is not (at least I haven't been charged with that daunting responsibility). God simply asks us to be faithful conduits of his love and mercy to all those in trouble, sorrow, sickness or adversity. God also didn't tell us to be door mats for those we know abuse the system either! There is a fine line of accountability and enablement that we need to recognize, yet this is learned through our willingness to love unconditionally and give of ourselves as Christ has taught us. Our directive is to serve Christ as his humble servants and become icons of love, hope and light to all people; even the ones who abuse the system. (You never know what transforming action or word might invite the Spirit into their lives).

In conclusion, Jesus treats all people as just that - people. Everyone from the most desperate leper to the most pious Pharisee, Jesus refuses to treat them as a rude intrusion or mere abstraction. He treats all of God's children the same - with love (some time's rather testily - but nevertheless love) compassion and dignity. This is the model that we as Christians are called to live and inwardly digest. While this lifestyle is not easy, it is the food that nourishes our spirits and the life line that connects us and God to the community. When we become willing to step outside of ourselves and become vulnerable (even to the abuse of society) we suffer with those who suffer; we suffer with Christ as he continues to tirelessly unite his Body as one in Him. So I encourage all of us to be a conduit of God's love and mercy and not a gatekeeper or judge.