Irony Becomes Her

The Day Off

I've never used Martin Luther King Jr. Day for reflection on the man himself. He was an amazing orator, a poet, a figurehead, a prophet. We recognize this in giving him a holiday, but I am not the only one who looked forward to the day off as one in which I could catch up on work and errands I hadn't been able to do on my normal work schedule.

But on Monday I heard King's "When Silence is Betrayal" speech. Many saw him as a traitor after this speech, in which he outlined his support for the termination of American involvement in Vietnam. In fact, he was killed exactly one year later as a seeming tribute to his undesirability as a public figure. He said things people didn't want to hear.

I really wonder if it wasn't the same spirit that drove the "crucify him" crowd. Jesus said many things people didn't want to hear. How dare he upset healthy commerce in the temple courtyard? Who did he think he was to be cooperating with the oppressive Roman rule? Didn't he understand nationalism, patriotism, justice?

Almost everyone I hear on the subject these days equates Iraq to Vietnam and decries the president's decisions in no uncertain terms. I cannot sit in judgment upon him; his is the most difficult job in the world, and I pray he will be guided by wisdom higher than any of ours. But I can't put my stock in his decisions or anyone else's. I have to believe what Jesus said when he warned that those who can kill the body ain't got nothin'. Watch out for your souls, he said (Matt. 10:28).

Every one of us must watch over queemy own soul. Martin Luther King Jr., I am convinced, did so. I think the president is trying to do so too. Paul encouraged folks to mind their own "business" (1 Thess. 4:11) but look to the "interests" of others (Philippians 2:4). We've got our own responsibilities, and one of them is to keep an eye out for those who need our compassion.

posted by Lynn @ 6:11 AM