So, in 1964, Kitty Genovese was returning home from work around 2:30 a.m in Queens when she was set upon and brutally killed. What propelled this murder into the nation's imagination was not the crime itself or the investigation, but the reporting around it.
The New York Times ran an in-depth article stating that there had been 34 witnesses to the crime, but nothing was done at first because everyone who heard the screams or saw the killing assumed that someone else had surely already called the police and they didn't want to get involved. Psychologists subsequently called this phenomenon the “by-stander effect,” where witnesses are less likely to help someone if there are other witnesses.
This is not to say that those witnesses were BAD people. They just, for some reason or another, didn't have it in them at that moment to stand up to the circumstances and do the right thing. It reminds me of William Butler Yeat's poem, “The Second Coming,” where he writes:
“the best lack all conviction,
while the worst are full
of passionate intensity.”
It's easy to fall prey to various forms of the 'by-stander' effect. And it doesn't have to be only associated with traumatic actions. I can't begin to count the number of meetings that I sit through and hold my tongue because I don't want to say something contrary to the group, mainly because I figure it doesn't really involve me directly so why bother? I think we all do this.
I was at Tallman's in Oriskany Falls a couple Fridays ago for breakfast, and this guy was going on – Loudly! – about his political opinions. Talking to nobody in particular. It was like when someone pulls up next to you with the radio blaring so loud you can see his car vibrate. And you want to say something, but you figure this could go south so quickly, so better not to get involved. And finally the waitress said, “Bill, if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to hit you!” And he shut up, and you could hear the whole diner breathe a sigh of relief.
I thought about these events when I read the Gospel reading today. Jesus is back home on a visit, and he has a plan, a plan we've seen played out before. Go in, gather people around him, say a word or two to get them thinking, then start in on the healing. But this time, Jesus doesn't get past the preaching part when the villagers start in on him. How dare he! We knew him when he was growing up, just a kid who didn't know anything. He goes away, and now he's come back, all high and mighty! Just who does he think he is?”
It's at this point that a preacher will start talking about not recognizing Jesus when he's standing right there in front of you, and how you'd better listen to him and recognize the divinity in him. All that stuff. But this time I got to thinking about the disciples.
Here they are, following Jesus all over the place. They have seen him at work up close and personal. They know what he can do. In just Mark's gospel alone, the gospel we've been reading since Advent, the shortest gospel with the least detail, Jesus has:
healed a man with an unclean spirit
cured Simon's mom
cleansed a leper
healed a paralytic
fixed a man's withered hand
restored a girl to life
healed a woman who touched his garment
kicked out dozens of demons, and on and on.
They know what he can do, and yet...
And yet, here they are in this place, Jesus getting set upon. And they do nothing. They don't stand up for Jesus, they don't defend Jesus. They stay silent when the villagers turn on him and drive him away.
Lately, it seems that this is par for the course with churches that claim to believe that the love of God and loving our neighbor is crucial to who we are. So often we see injustice all around us and we remain silent, not wanting to get involved. While other folks who claim the Christian mantle yell and shout and threaten and revel in the pain caused to those who aren't like them.
“...the best lack all conviction
while the worst are full
of passionate intensity.'
Look, I know that Paul said we are not of this world, but he went on to add that we are IN it. And it is our job to pave the way for God's kingdom, and not wait for someone else to do the paving. And if we don't do it now, we may just lose our chance very soon.
I'm not saying we should jump into the middle of out-of-control arguments we might see in the Walmart or in some bar or whatever. But we do have voices, and we can speak up at village meetings. We have computers and pens, and we can write to those who make decisions. And we can vote. We can always do that.
But most of all we can pray and listen for God and follow where Jesus goes. To the poor. To the oppressed. To the infirm. To the suffering. To those who need us. Not someone else...US. It's not the least we can do...it is WHAT we do. Standing up for what is right, and advocating for what it right! Standing in the breach... “standing athwart history and yelling, 'Stop.'” It can change the world. It can change our lives.
Getting involved.
Y'all, after years went by, reporters followed up on the whole Kitty Genovese story. Come to find out, that whole idea that dozens of people witnessed the event and didn't do anything? Come to find out, that didn't happen. The police received dozens of calls that night about the event. People tried to chase the killer down. And because of the involvement of the residents of the apartment and the neighborhood, the crime was solved within a week.
And those disciples that didn't speak up? The continued to follow Jesus, and by the end of our lesson today, they were taking charge of the situation, not waiting for Jesus to step up, but stepping up themselves.
“...they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
And as for us? Well, Yeats is a wonderful poet, but he's not the last word. Christ is. And through his spirit, we will have conviction to do what he commands and our passion will grow intense. And we will live, involved in the world. And we will love.
Amen.