I Am a Man!

Jerusalem was a tinderbox the day that Jesus rode into it on a donkey. It was always tense on Passover during the Roman occupation. Thousands of people were pouring into the city to celebrate the feast of their liberation from slavery. Naturally their thoughts turned to their current bondage under the Romans. Their hope in the God of Israel, the God of liberation, was at a fever pitch. The Romans were aware of this, and always sent an extra garrison of soldiers to keep order during Passover.

Jesus lived in a period of time when peasants' economic condition, which was marginal to begin with, was declining. They had to pay exorbitant taxes and many fell into debt and lost their land. They had to work as sharecroppers and day laborers.

The taxes went to the Temple in Jerusalem-partly to the local aristocracy, both the chief priests and the lay leaders, and partly to the Romans. The temple authorities served as agents of the Romans, collecting taxes for them, paying tribute and helping to maintain order in exchange for being allowed to keep their power and wealth.

Jesus told the truth about this situation throughout his ministry. He preached about the hypocrisy and corruption of the temple elite, and their ruthless exploitation of the poor. He proclaimed the kingdom of God-a kingdom of freedom and justice, where all people are treated with dignity. He did not back down from speaking the truth even when it was clear that it would cost him his life.

It is quite possible that Jesus and Pontius Pilate entered the city on the same day. Pilate would have come to Jerusalem from Caesaria Philippi on the coast, where he spent most of his time. He would have ridden into town on a war horse, at the head of his garrison of soldiers-weapons flashing, banners waving, all pomp and glory and violence.

Jesus came in riding on a donkey, surrounded by the poor and ragged peasants, the women and the outcasts who had followed him from the beginning. He would have known of the prophet Zechariah's prophecy that Israel's new king would come into Jerusalem, "humble and riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey." This king, according to Zechariah, would end war forever, and bring peace to the nations. Jesus and all the people with him, as well as the onlookers, knew the significance of Jesus riding in on a donkey. It was a direct challenge to Roman imperial rule--the reign of God versus the reign of Caesar; the reign of justice and peace versus the reign of violence and exploitation

And if the temple elite had any doubt that Jesus was challenging them too, his next act made it clear. He went to the temple and drove out those who were selling things there, and preached about the wickedness of the temple elite and the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the temple itself.

Jesus told the truth unflinchingly, even when his life was at stake. I know from my own experience that it is very hard to tell the truth when it makes people mad at you or even hate you. How much harder it must be when your life is threatened. Most of us would be tempted to fall silent or cover up the truth in order to stay safe.

Part of Jesus' beauty is that he never backed down from the truth. But another part of his beauty is that he never backed down from love either. He wept over Jerusalem even as he prophesied its destruction. He prayed for those who sought to destroy him, and forgave those who crucified him, from the cross. He never gave up on anyone.

Last year, Richard Witt came and spoke to us about the working conditions of migrant farm workers in our area. He is the Executive Director of Rural and Migrant Ministry, which advocates for farm workers in New York State. He told us about workers on a duck farm who work five hours on and five hours off for two months, meaning they never get a full night's sleep or a day off. He talked about workers who are arrested by the INS and sent to prisons across the state, sometimes for months. Their families have no idea where they were, they have no access to a phone or a lawyer, or anything. He spoke of substandard housing conditions and landowners who have to be sued before making any improvements. He also talked about Rural and Migrant Ministry's work-their youth leadership institutes, their summer camps, and their efforts to get legislation passed that would give farm workers the same rights as other workers. He talked about the opposition he faces, which sometimes includes hate mail and threats. Finally, someone asked him whether he believed in trying to work with farmers to try to change their hearts. He said, if I didn't believe that, I might as well turn my back on the gospel. Jesus would have liked that answer, because it means that he refuses to give up on anyone. He is able to speak the truth about injustice, but still see the people involved as children of God. Wouldn't our political system be transformed if we could all do that? And we would be transformed as well-we would be liberated.

Jesus was completely free because he lived in truth and love. He had nothing to hide, and feared no one. That is what makes him fully divine, but it is also the path to becoming fully human. The more we live in the truth, and in love, the more like him we are and the more truly human and free we become.

Every so often, we come across people who have traveled pretty far down Jesus' path of truth and love. I think of Martin Luther King, and how he too entered a city that was a tinderbox-the city of Memphis in 1968. In those days, that city was also dominated by the wealthy elite, while the majority of people, especially black people, lived in poverty. The civil rights movement had raised people's hopes of being treated with dignity.

And so, in spite of the local police with their guns and their nightsticks and their mace, in spite of the National Guard with their tanks and their bayonets and their curfews, the sanitation workers in that city went on strike for better working conditions and pay. People all over the city supported them with largely peaceful protests and vigils and sit-ins, even after the police had arrested hundreds, injured many and killed a sixteen year old boy. Dr. King and other leaders came to support them and encourage them to keep speaking the truth, but without violence and without hatred.

At the heart of their protest was a simple, yet profound truth, expressed by the signs carried by the striking sanitation workers: "I am a man." One of the essential truths of Christianity is the dignity of every human being-the right of each person to be treated as a child of God.

As Dr. King said in his "I have been to the mountaintop" speech on April 3rd of that year, the day before he was killed,

"that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live."

Martin knew, as Jesus knew, that standing in the truth could cost him his life. He had already been stabbed by then and nearly died. He had been threatened with death many times. His final flight from Atlanta to Memphis was delayed so they could check and double check for security threats.

But he was not afraid, because he was living the life that God called him to live. He was calling for justice, but he was doing it non-violently. He was free because he was walking in truth and love, following Christ. His speech ends with these words,

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

The glory of the coming of the Lord is that he showed us how to be truly human. He showed us how to love-how to treat every person with dignity. He showed us how to speak the truth about injustice without ever giving up on anyone. As we walk with Jesus through Holy Week and Easter, we will experience once again the power of truth and love to overcome sin and death. We need not worry about anything, we need not fear anyone. God has set us free, so we can help others to be free. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

RESOURCES: The entire text of MLK's "Mountaintop" speech is available at http://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

and you can listen to the actual speech, as delivered by King, at

http://www.bomb-mp3.com/index.php?search=martin+luther+king+mountain+top