Taking Shalom to the Streets

For many of us, there is a very long distance between our brains and our hearts. Those twelve inches can stretch into miles. I know I struggle with this. What I believe sometimes doesn’t make much difference in how I act.

Jesus knew this and that’s why he constantly reminded his disciples to listen to what he said and then to do it! The Apostle James repeated this message: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

My recent posts have discussed what Jesus taught about shalom, about being a peacemaker, and how his disciples interpreted this message and put it into practice in their own lives, after Jesus’ ascension to heaven.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

One remarkable example of how Jesus’ teachings were put into action comes from the civil rights movement under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. If you wanted to be a volunteer and serve as part of his team, you had to sign a pledge agreeing to the following:

•  Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
•  Pray daily to be used by God in order that men might be free.
•  Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
•  Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
•  Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
•  Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
•  Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue and heart.
•  Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
•  Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain of the demonstration.

Martin Luther King, Jr., whose statue and memorial are now located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., claimed that his civil rights efforts were grounded in the Sermon on the Mount, combined with Mahatma Gandhi’s method of nonviolent resistance. He said “It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred the Negroes to protest with the creative weapon of love.”

Birmingham police with dogs
confront peaceful demonstrators

King took Jesus’ teachings to the streets where he lead peaceful demonstrations against the discrimination that Blacks faced in America. Like many other peacemakers, he sacrificed his life to do what he was called to do.

So What?

• Reading about King’s life and his role in the civil rights movement has been inspiring to me. While other black radicals called for violence and riots, he remained committed to the way of peace. Can you think of other people who lived out Jesus’ teachings on peacemaking and who took their beliefs to the streets?

• Do you agree that the pledge that King’s volunteers were asked to sign is not only applicable to the civil rights movement, but it is good practical advice for how we ought to live every day as followers of Jesus? What would you add to this list?

• I was really struck by the pledge to “refrain from the violence of fist, tongue and heart.” How do you understand “violence of the heart”?