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Morning Meditation
July 14, 2026
Reading: Matthew 11:20-24
Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
No, you will be brought down to Hades.
For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
The Perils of Indifference is the title of a speech that Elie Wiesel delivered at the White House on April 12, 1999. He made the following remarks:
Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person’s pain and despair. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.
Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment.
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.
The places to which Jesus has traveled in this passage – Chorazin and Bethsaida - serve as sites where consequential things took place during Jesus’ ministry, yet there is little information about them. There is no record in the Gospels of the work that Jesus did.
What Jesus does say - his words and what we can detect of his tone of voice - commands our close attention. His use of the word “woe” to these two places expresses both anger and pity, tinged by sorrow. This does not arise from a temper because of an affront to self-esteem, nor is it an expression of blazing anger. It is an expression of heartfelt sorrow, as if one had offered the most precious thing, only to have its offering met with disregard. Jesus' expression is truly one of holy anger arising from a broken heart.
What Jesus has found in the cities of Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chorazin is the sin of the people who have forgotten the responsibilities that arise from privilege. Their people have had the advantage of Jesus’ teachings and, therefore, have the responsibility to order their affairs in accordance with that teaching. For example, we cannot hold a man who never had the opportunity to know better, nor hold a child’s behavior, to the same standard of adult behavior. The greater the privileges of life one has, the more obligations attend to one’s behavior.
What arouses Christ’s ire is the indifference to Jesus that the residents expressed, The indifference means no one will notice, that what is pointed out is met with indifference. For indifference will kill and more importantly, indifference gives rise to no action to ameliorate a situation. The sin of these cities is the sin to do nothing.
Prayer for the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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