Faith in Action
for All of Life

End Indifference

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Elie Wiesel

Indifference comes easy. It takes no effort. Remaining indifferent is easy. Coming out of indifference is where it gets difficult.

Overcoming indifference can begin in the simplest terms of food, a cold drink, a simple welcome or a visit with someone.

Yeshua (aka Jesus) spoke to this in the simplest terms of hunger, thirst, loneliness, sickness, being imprisoned or naked. He responds to the indifferent as those who take no action.

“For I was . . .naked and you did not clothe me. . .then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you. . .naked and did not minister to you?'”

Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say you you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Matthew 25:42-45 (edited)

What comes to your mind when you read this.

Do you picture homeless person in tattered clothes? Someone in a third world country in a ragged t-shirt and looking scrawny?

The first image that must come to our minds is the hundreds of thousands of unclothed naked in our own country who perish in their nakedness.

Job recognized that he was once among this people group when he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb.” (ESV)

One of the first acts of compassion towards a newborn baby is to wrap them in order to keep them warm, and to clothe them. Parents, neighbors, relatives, grandparents, siblings, friends and others purchase all manner of soft and warm clothing to wrap them and protect them from life outside of the womb. When handed to their mother, one of her first reactions is to snuggle in with her baby, keeping them warm by covering them with herself.

In America though, at an alarming rate, the naked perish every day. Every naked baby in its mother’s womb who dies through abortion is never given the chance to be snuggled and have their naked body clothed. They perish in their naked state.

Over 3,000 babies each day will never feel the softness of a warm blanket, the touch of their mother’s hand, or the protection of those around them. That is 125 per hour, or one every thirty seconds.

The Book of Proverbs does speak directly to indifference. Consider what it says:

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” (Prov 24:11-12 ESV

Now that you and I know, the choice is ours. Remain indifferent and let things continue as they are. Or work to have the naked clothed by protecting them through love and law and to be clothed so that some day we can hear Yeshua say,

“Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. . .for I was. . .naked and you clothed me.”