Part 9: Apathy

"So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." Revelation 3.16

The word apathy does not occur in the Bible. It didn't show up in the English language until the 1600's. But it is an attitude that is seen here in the New Testament with the Church of Laodicea, as well as with a well known prophet in the Old Testament.

The word for lukewarm is chliaros, and it is found only here in the Bible. It is used metaphorically for the church in Laodicea, which is located in present day Turkey. Six miles to the North of Laodicea are the ruins of the city of Hierapolis, a place still famous today for it's natural hot springs. The mineral water has medicinal use. The cliff faces, that are visible from Laodicea, are covered with white calcium deposits. I have a small bottle of water from hot springs that is now lukewarm as it would have been when it got to Laodicea.

Eleven miles to the south is the city of Colosse, a place with many springs that provided cold, refreshing, pure drinking water. But by the time it got to Laodicea and mixed with the calcium rich mineral water from Hierapolis, it too was lukewarm and useless. It was no longer refreshing and because of the calcium would make you want to vomit.

Lukewarm water is no good. The attitude of the Laodiceans toward the Gospel was lukewarm, it was indifferent. They had no interest in spreading the Gospel or living by it's standards. They were a wealthy city, famous for wool which made inexpensive textiles, and eye salve that was shipped around the world. But because of their indifference Jesus calls them poor, blind, and naked in Revelation 3.17. Indifference in a synonym for apathy.

In English apathy is defined, "absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement; lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting." It is indifference, neutrality, and it has no function in the use of Christ. People have taken the hot or cold from verse 16 to mean spiritually on fire or spiritually dead, but that isn't the case. Hot and cold water both have their functions and their uses. One is good for healing, the other for refreshing, both are good, but lukewarm water is useless. Jesus uses us in different ways based on our calling and giftedness.

Apathy hurts us, it causes God to find someone else to do the task we have been called for, but it also hurts others and puts them in danger.

This morning I was reading an article from Rabbi Melanie Aron on apathy in the Bible. She said that the best example of apathy in the Bible is Jonah as he boards the ship headed to Tarshish. As the ship leaves port and heads out to sea, Jonah goes below deck and falls asleep. As he sleeps God sends a storm. The sailors are terrified. They begin to pray to their gods and to throw the cargo overboard in an attempt to save themselves. The captain finds Jonah and wakes him up telling him to pray, Jonah knows that he is the cause of this, he knows he can stop this storm, but remains silent.

Jonah 1.7-10, "Each man said to his mate, 'Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.' So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, 'Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?' He said to them, 'I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.' Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, 'How could you do this?' For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them."

Jonah was a prophet, his job was to proclaim the word of God to the people. God told him to go to Nineveh, and Jonah refuses. He doesn't care about them being saved, he is indifferent about the mission God has given him to do, and his apathy not only gets him thrown into the sea and eaten by a giant fish, but it puts the lives of others in danger.

Apathy is a strong foothold of the devil. With apathy we have no desire to do anything, we approach situations with the attitude of someone else will do it. "I don't need to pray for them, someone else will." "I don't need to do that, someone else will take care of it." Apathy is a firm foothold for Satan because it pushes off responsibility, it takes no action, and leaves a task to someone else. Apathy has no place in the life of the Christ follower.

Jesus told us in Matthew 28.19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The command is to be active, to go, to make, to baptize, to teach. It is not to sit around waiting for heaven letting everyone else get their hands dirty for Jesus. We are all called to get off the bench and into the game, out of the barracks and into the war.

Refuse to useless to the Kingdom, take away the foothold of apathy, and join the battle.

Peace be with you