These thoughts are inspired by a Lenten meditation at my church last night.
In the 80's Phil Collins sang a song called "I Don't Care Anymore". The lyrics depict a person who has reached a point in a relationship or situation where he has decided the best way to cope is to not care. This is the picture of apathy. I don't care anymore. The dangerous business of apathy is that is circular. You don't care about something anymore. You stop focusing on it. You lose vision or purpose. You become less productive. And this loss of vision and productivity leads to . . . more apathy. I don't care anymore. And before you know it your whole life can be swallowed up in an endless sea of apathy, just drifiting along hollow and empty. I don't care anymore.
In Matthew 26, Jesus casts this battle with apathy as a battle between spirit and flesh. The new man, renewed by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit seeks to do good things - great things even. He seeks to live in such a manner as to bring God glory, to spread the gospel, to live the life worthy of the calling given him. But the flesh - that's another matter. The old man - the sinful nature we carry from birth - it gets tired. It worries about many things. It loses focus and willingness. It is quite notable that in Matthew 26:41, at the time of Jesus' greatest trials and anxiety over his coming death that he tells his disciples to pray - not for him - but for themselves. Because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Apathy occurs when the spirit finally gives in to the overwhelming desire of the flesh to just give up. Apathy is when the spirit is overtaken and finally agrees with the flesh and says, "I don't care anymore." One of the most dangerous places for apathy to show up is in the church, among Christians. And yet so frequently it does. At times we become so familiar and content with the message of the gospel that we lose sight of how radical and transformational it really is. Our familiarity with it actually breeds contempt, if I may be so bold. Our hearts become calloused and our spirits become weak and we forget where we came from and how much mercy, grace and love has been shown to us. And we fail to show mercy, love, and forgiveness to others. Or worse yet, we just show up and go through the motions and we don't really care anymore.
The only cure for apathy is the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God. Focused prayer that cries out the words of Psalm 51, "Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me." In the face of difficulties and troubles that face each of us, may be find ourselves in focused prayer before God that our spirit may ever remain willing even though our flesh is weak. For by the power of God alone can we return to him once again and throw off the apathy that so easily entangles us - the apathy that was already paid for at the cross of Calvary by our precious savior. God grant this focus and willng spirit to us all. Amen.