The Dis-ease of Ease

Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion…(Amos 6:1)

We live in a world that idolizes ease. The ads, the technologies and the home appliances…everything these days seems to be moulded for convenience. This insatiable pursuit of convenience even slips into our everyday language so much that we often talk about “convenience stores” or about going to the “convenience”. It is human nature to desire comfort instead of hardship or difficulty. It is part of our Adamic nature to opt for the easiest way out and avoid any sort of unpleasantness. While all of these are not inherently immoral, and while having things easy in life (or having an easy life) is not necessarily unchristian, we must be careful not to make an idol out of our hunger for ease.

Man’s desire for ease may become a problem in his life; in fact, a man’s reach for ease can metamorphose into a spiritual disease. This is why prophet Amos declares woe unto the Israelites “who are at ease in Zion”. At this time in history, the Israelites as a nation experienced economic growth. They had so much confidence in their nation’s financial prosperity and, as a result, revelled in a vainglorious self-confidence. Many of them also prided in their luxuries and the ease with which they navigated life. Hence, as Amos points out, Israel’s uncritical embrace of ease dulled their spirits and sensualized their souls as they became indifferent about the things of God. In other words, Israel’s security in its wealth was a fleshly security — its ease was a carnal one. Again, the problem is not that ease is a bad thing; after all, Jesus promises to give rest ­– which is one kind of ease – to those who come to Him (Matt.11:28). The problem, in the case of the Israelites, is the source of, and the lust for, that ease. In essence, Amos shows, through the example of the Israelites, that the indulgent lust for comfort is sinful and that abundance can become a curse if we build our sense of security in it.

Jesus’ parable of the rich man who built bigger barns (also known as the parable of the Rich Fool) is instructive in the way it points to the banality of wealth accumulation. The rich man Jesus’ parable idolized the ease that his wealth brought him; he said to himself “soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your EASE, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19). Again, the worship of ease is destructive. The love of convenience dulls our senses. When we overfeed our soul with revelry (rather than the things that edify), we become spiritually apathetic toward God and our neighbours. Part of the reasons why Amos declared woe unto them that were at ease in Zion was also because they neglected their neighbours who were in need. They became selfish in the way they avoided any sort of discomfort or any encounter with unpleasantness. When we prioritize our own ease over everything else, we become blind to the needs of the ones around us.  

The point is not that we become averse to material wealth but to materiality itself. When all we earnestly prayed for come to fruition, we must be careful not to relapse in our pursuit of God. No matter what our status is, we must strive not to lose our awe of God. We must check ourselves whenever we feel like we are becoming too comfortable with our spiritual standing with God (1 Cor 10:12). We must always be on the lookout for when our spiritual antennas start to blur especially when we experience a change in our socio-economic status. After all, Jesus said: “woe unto you who are rich for you have already received your comfort” (Luke 6:24).