The cocoon or the cross

“We cultivate indifference as a cocoon.” 

These words from James K.A. Smiths’ book “On the Road with St Augustine” leapt off the page and landed so viscerally that I let out a gasp, closing both the book and my eyes under the piercing accuracy of this one weighty sentence. Regardless of the rest of Smith’s book, this sentence had my attention. My pastor often says that “the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.” I wholeheartedly agree. I see this insidiousness go undetected within myself, and I see it applauded in the world around me, masquerading synonymously as the secular virtue of tolerance. 

Lot’s flawed example

Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was quite possibly the most tolerant and indifferent person in Scripture, and the narrative of Genesis 19 does not portray him in a positive light. He was indifferent to the wickedness of his neighbors, ignoring iniquity, making a life of monetary and social prosperity for himself in their midst rather than challenging the cultural narrative, and speaking words of love to push these image bearers toward repentance and eternal life. He did not love them in any way other than to gain their approval and build his own kingdom. He cultivated his indifference into a cushy cocoon, and consequently was saved from God’s righteous judgment only by an aggressive act of divine mercy upon him and his family. 

“But [Lot] lingered. So the [angels] seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” – Genesis 19:16

Lot was so disillusioned with the prospect of losing the life of comfort he had built in Sodom that he was indifferent in the face of God’s impending wrath. He lingered! Lot was indifferent not only to the sin of his neighbors and to the status of his own salvation, but even to the holiness of God. In light of the consequences noted just a few verses later, this is disturbing to read - and yet I see the same mindset solidly flourishing in my neighborhood and subtly infiltrating the Church. The siren calls of secularism and individualism distract from the soul satisfying potency of the Gospel. We so quickly forget who God really is. 

Christ’s perfect example

The attitude behind pure tolerance is one of self-protective pride. It is an indifferent willingness to co-exist without being affected. If the opposite of love is indifference, then love in its truest form is a commitment to selfless authenticity, to genuinely paying attention, to truly caring, and caring enough to step in at the risk of getting hurt. Tolerance and love are not neighbors on a spectrum (as the world says) but are diametrically opposed. Tolerance pretends blindness, but love lends clarity and tenacity to our vision.

Christ, the head of the Church specifically calls His followers to a life of humility, self-sacrifice, and putting the needs of others ahead of their own. Christ lived a life that was deeply affected by the brokenness of humanity. Christ Himself was wounded by our intolerance of His purity, our demonization of His holiness, and our disinterest in His Kingdom that was so drastically beyond our limited human imagination. He did not linger in His drive to save but acted definitively with a bold mercy towards a people blind to their mess. 

“When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” – John 13:1

Following Christ’s example

May the church of Jesus Christ not be indifferent to the coming Kingdom of God or linger on the edges of the kingdom of the world. Rather, may we be agents of spiritual power, pressing back the boundaries of the darkness with light. May the Church not be indifferent to the reality of God’s righteous wrath, but love our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family enough to offer an eternal perspective. May the members of the Church not be indifferent to growth in holiness, but discipline ourselves to follow Christ with mind, soul, body. And may we not be indifferent to the holiness of God – the God who so graciously showed such a patient and generous love by moving towards sinners like us, like Lot. Jesus extends his risky but rewarding invitation to us saying, “take up your cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). May we daily respond with awe, courage, and tenacious love as we set our eyes on Him. 

Rebecca Faulks is a nurse, seminary student, and member at Mosaic Boston church in Boston, MA.