Indifference
The poem was written by Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy. He was an English Anglican priest who served as an army chaplain during the harrowing years of the First World War. There is a melancholy air to these lines, which form themselves into a lament for our apathy in the face of human suffering. It puts us in mind of the prophecy from the Book of Revelation: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev 3:16) The poem is a poignant reminder that indifference plagues every age of mankind and, in fact, may be our default position. Ultimately, it is a call to rouse ourselves from apathy to commitment to the God who loves us.
The poem was written by Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy. He was an English Anglican priest who served as an army chaplain during the harrowing years of the First World War. There is a melancholy air to these lines, which form themselves into a lament for our apathy in the face of human suffering. It puts us in mind of the prophecy from the Book of Revelation: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev 3:16) The poem is a poignant reminder that indifference plagues every age of mankind and, in fact, may be our default position. Ultimately, it is a call to rouse ourselves from apathy to commitment to the God who loves us.
Indifference
By G.A. Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929)
When Jesus came to Golgotha they hanged Him on a tree,
They drave great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham they simply passed Him by,
They never hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street, and left Him in the rain.
Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do,”
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall and cried for Calvary.