1 SLOTH vs DELIGENCE; Seven Deadly Sins, The Seven Godly Virtues; Part 4 Matthew 25:31-46; February 28, 2016 F.O. Walsh gave this tongue-in-cheek description of laziness: While other men paint, or water, or weed, I m curled upon a chair, with a good book to read. While other men shop, or shovel, or mow, I m having a drink while watching some show. I offer to help but my wife says, Forget it, if you lend a hand, I know I ll regret it. And therein s my secret, I m very adept at only one thing, and that s being inept. In modern language the deadly sin of sloth is defined as laziness. Really? While few of us would claim laziness is a virtue, isn t it going a bit overboard to say that it is a serious sin? A human foible? Yes. A character defect? Perhaps. But a sin and one of the seven deadliest of sins? Oh come, come now preacher, you are going too far this time! Loosen up a bit. The Bible, however, seems to take laziness very seriously. The book of Proverbs is especially tough on lazy folks, sparing no images in describing their behavior and expressing in colorful metaphors the potential for disaster. We quote Proverbs 6:6-11 in the meditation. Here s another one, Proverbs 24:30-34: I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. In Ephesians 4:28 Paul says it is God s will that all physically ablebodied believers are to work and be productive as part of our life together and as both a witness to the world and a means of providing things we can share with others. I Thessalonians 4:11, 12 says: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. But sloth is more than just physical laziness and a refusal to work. How the Bible speaks of laziness takes us to a deeper understanding that laziness is at its heart a lack of caring, an aimless indifference to one s responsibilities to God and to others, and along with it a sadness and sorrow. This is why sloth is considered a serious sin. Jacob s Well a Medieval morality tract puts it this way: When the devil finds a slothful person, empty and void of
2 good works, he sends the other deadly sins to dwell within him. M. Scott Peck, the Christian psychiatrist who has written some of the most helpful books on psychology, says that laziness is a major cause of evil and a primary source of psychological illness if it prevents us from loving. Peck goes on to say we Americans are prone to overwork in our vocations but we then tend to ignore human relationships. Even at the most surface level, it takes effort to enter into and maintain human relationships. So if laziness prevents us from loving, then laziness is certainly a serious sin. One way laziness prevents us from loving is that it poisons the will. Consider the following quotes: * When the death of Calvin Coolidge, perhaps our least accomplished president in the 20 th century, was made public, someone quipped, But how can they tell? * George Bernard Shaw once said that the epitaph for many people should read, Died at 30; buried at 60. * You re dead when the suffering of another causes you no pain. * You re dead when your blood does not run hot in the face of injustice. * You re dead when you evade truth that hurts and try to live by easy lies. It was Adolph Hitler who said, It is good fortune for rulers that most men refuse to think. * You re dead when you are not willing to put forth the energy necessary to save a dying relationship. Often laziness is what leads people into alcoholism and drug addiction. When you work hard, face problems head on, take responsibility and succeed, you feel good, you are elated and there is a sense of satisfaction and harmony in your life. But you can get the same feelings from a bottle or a snort. Addicts are simply wanting to take a short cut. They want the positive feelings without the work, the sacrifice, the effort. Essentially, addiction often originates from sloth. Perhaps as we American work more and more hours at our jobs, and along with that suffer higher and higher levels of stress, we try to compensate by cutting back on their commitments to others outside our jobs. We see this in the church as well. According to research more and more people who claim to be religious are opting out of commitment to a particular church or temple, referring to themselves with the curious title: spiritual but not religious. Do-ityourself spirituality is pain-free; you are not accountable to any one else, no one is going to ask you for money
3 or to volunteer. You don t have to learn how to put up with people you may not prefer to be around. It is lazy spirituality. The real danger is that the god of this spirituality will more and more bear an uncanny resemblance to you, with all your own likes and dislikes, your prejudices and fears. The Bible refers to this kind of god as an idol. So sloth is not so much inactivity as it is an attitude. Goodness knows in this hectic uncertain world of ours we probably don t rest enough. Some studies show most people don t allow themselves enough time for sleep and leisure pursuits. But sloth has more to do with the attitude, I don t care, or, I want to take a shortcut. Sloth is apathy. Now diligence, expressed in love, and careful to honor the commitments it has made, is the crown jewel of Christian character and is the positive virtue we set alongside to contrast with sloth. Jesus summed up the whole law of God by saying, You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, and soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself. We assume that hate is the opposite of love. But the spiritual masters across the centuries say that the opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. With hate there is emotion and feeling an active response to another. Hate at least affirms the presence of the other. With apathy there is no emotion, no feeling for the other. It does not account for the other s existence. Apathy disconnects us from the human family. It causes family members to neglect or cut themselves off from each other. Apathy rules when friends ignore each other or when the crying needs of people we could help are ignored. This attitude can fester and infect until it becomes the destructive sin of indifference. Apathy is the very antithesis of love. One sad expression of this is a story that came out of Detroit several years ago. A woman had a fender-bender with another car on a crowded bridge. Two men jumped out of the other car, one with a tire iron, dragged the woman out of her car and proceeded to beat her as hard as they could. The terrified woman managed to pull away and run across the lanes of traffic with the men in pursuit. Finally they smashed her head open with the tire iron and threw her body into the river. Of all the dozens of people sitting in traffic witnessing this event, not one person made a peep of protest, or even made an effort to call 911. Some even cheered as her broken body plunged into the river. The men who did this were never caught because no one could even be bothered with writing down their license number. We pastors know that one of the biggest factors in marriage breakups
4 is laziness. Marriage is hard work. Sometimes one or both partners in the marriage become too lazy or distracted to love, too lazy to make the commitment and spend the energy required in loving. People will say, There s just no love anymore the feelings are gone we are going separate directions. The prescription most of we pastors give, if there are no other major issues like abuse or adultery going on, is simple and promises an excellent chance of saving the marriage if both partners take it and that is to make a decision to love as an act of the will. Do the things that would express love as if you were in love and almost miraculously the feelings return. Two weeks ago Michelle and I got a great Sunday night deal on a downtown Chicago hotel on Valentine s weekend. That Monday we strolled around town and visited the Art Institute, a museum we have both long loved. In my marriages I discovered it takes regular focused attention and time apart where the husband and wife concentrate exclusively on their relationship. That is the secret for maintaining a relationship that continues to keep its sizzle and pop year after year. In June the two of us will bicycle to the Madison area, 100 miles each way, to attend Annual Conference for much the same reasons. So the cure for sloth is not just activity. Rather, it is diligence coming out of intentional love. Most of us are extremely busy people. But what we have to ask ourselves is: are we loving people? Jesus told us how it would be at the final judgment with people who lived as if it doesn t matter the slothful. Recall in our reading of Matthew 25 the basis of judgment that will lead to either eternal life or eternal damnation is based on whether or not we practiced love when opportunities presented themselves in the form of people with needs. Lord, Lord when did we see you Truly I say to you when you served the needs of the least of my brothers you served me. Of course we all fail to be loving in many ways. The grace of God will cover us if we have the right intention even if we do the wrong thing. But at the very least, when we are sensitive to when we are loving and when we are not loving that is a good thing. It means we are going in the right direction. EXAMPLES OF DILIGENCE The Proverbs 31 Woman In the last chapter of Proverbs, King Lemuel describ whose life is characterized by diligence and love wh virtues and fine qualities. She gives her husband only good, not harm or disgr never giving him a reason to doubt her godly comm She gets up while it is still dark (15)
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. (17) She watches over the affairs of her household The and Apostle does not Paul eat urges the bread us to of change idleness. (27). our perspective about our everyday work and obligations. We do not She is of noble character and brings integrity simply and respect work into for an her earthly marriage employer. and family, causing her husband and children to arise In whatever and call we her do, blessed we actually (10, 28). labor for the Lord Jesus Christ. He will Epaphras make a thorough inspection of all that There are many other people in Scripture who we exhibit do and diligence. reward us One for diligence, such not person is Epaphras. Epaphras is mentioned only two in this times life in but Scripture. throughout He all of probably started the church in Colossae. At the eternity. end of This Paul s realization letter to the motivates us Colossians, Paul writes this about him: Epaphras, to diligence who is and one eventually of you and to a love. servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of There God, is mature an old and Jewish fully parable assured. about I vouch for him that he is working hard for you two and brothers for those who at worked Laodicea together and on Hierapolis (4:12-13). a farm they had inherited from their father. One was unmarried and the In these two brief sentences the diligence of Epaphras, other married including with children. his diligence They in prayer, was spoken of twice. He did not just shared pray, but what he they always grew wrestled equally in as prayer. Few things require more work, focus stipulated and energy in their than father s prayer. will. Paul But also testified that Epaphras was working hard for one the day believers the single at the brother young said to churches. Epaphras diligence was making an himself, eternal You difference know, in it s the not lives right of that believers in that time! we should share the profits equally. After all, I m all alone, and my brother has a wife and children to take care of. So in the middle of the night he took a sack of grain from his bin, crept over the field between their houses and dumped it into his brother s bin. True diligence requires an expenditure of energy contrary to our human nature. We naturally tend to make soft choices and let others do the hard work. Whenever we are asked to carry out a difficult task, we usually ask ourselves two questions: What will I gain if I do it? or What will I lose if I do not do it? God provides answers to these questions in the following passage of Scripture. Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not for men; Knowing that it is from the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23). Meanwhile, unknown to him, his brother had the same thought. He said to himself: It is not right that we should share the profits equally. After all, I am married and have a good wife who looks after me and our children who will care for me in my old age. But my brother has no one, and no one to take care of him when 5
6 he is old. So he too, in the middle of the night, began taking sacks of grain from his bin and sneaking across the field to deposit it in his brother s bin. And both were puzzled for years as to why their supply of grain remained equal. One night it just so happened that they both set out for each other s houses at the same time. In the dark they bumped into each other carrying their sacks. Each was startled and confused but then it dawned on them what had been happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another. Then a gentle voice came from heaven saying, Here at last is the place where I will build my Temple which will be a house of prayer for all nations. For where brothers meet in love, there my presence shall dwell.