Educated Apathy

Those who are religious but indifferent have experienced no change from Christ in their lives.   ~~~   Outright rebellion is one way to respond to King Jesus. That is what we saw in King Herod the other day. But we see a second, more subtle way to respond, and we find this response in the chief priests and scribes—Educated Apathy. Listen to Matthew 2:3 “When Herod the king heard this (the news of the newborn king)…he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.” They religiously educated were gathered up by Herod, and quickly and accurately gave Herod an answer to his question. They knew a Messiah was coming. They were anticipating Him. They knew he was to be born in Bethlehem just 5 miles south of Jerusalem. They directed Herod to the passage in the OT, Micah, so that he could be assured of this. But did they respond to the Magi’s search? Were they at all concerned or anxious about the birth of the King of the Jews, the long-awaited Messiah? It didn’t seem so. What they know of God, they disregard. Educated Apathy. Jesus confronts the kingdom of their knowledge, their intellect, but they are too blind by their own self-righteousness to see the Savior of the World. It is enough to them that they have knowledge. Jesus would say about his very group later on, “You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” In other words, you think that since you know the word of God, then that earns you a special pass, and yet you pass over the central message of the word. I can’t help but wonder if this is where many people are these days. They are content with their own self-righteousness; they are content with serving the Jesus they have created and fabricated in their minds; with treating Jesus as a buffet line that they pick and choose which parts of him you want, completely indifferent to the reality of Jesus as King and Lord. These men were content to study the scripture, go to church at the prescribed times, say daily prayers, but have none of it impact their souls. They were indifferent. Jesus made no real identifiable difference in their life. And what we see is that educated apathy, when it doesn’t respond to the call of Christ, leads to calls for execution. By the end of Matthew, chief priests and scribes are the ones mocking the King of the Jews, and stirring people up, shouting “Crucify Him!” You see, Christmas time is another reminder, not that a baby was born, but that a King was sent to the earth, and his kingdom confronts and challenges every other kingdom.