I AM A MAN

Fear mingled with tears, and a statement made without a word; this was the state of things in 1968 when a 42 year old Robert Kennedy was shot. His death followed that of his brother, JFK, and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as thousands of unnamed martyrs in the quest for civil human rights.
As Robert Kennedy was being rushed away, grown men who had seen their share of pain and disappointment in life, sat on the floor and wept. They wept because any innocence that was left had just been driven away in an ambulance.
The 60’s was a decade during which young people stood up for their civil rights and for the civil rights of the masses that had been ignored for so long. College students held countless sit-ins and refused to go unheard. They were beaten, arrested, and killed all in the hopes of freedom.
It was during this time that a group of African American garbage men went on strike. They were extremely overworked, utterly underpaid, and lived life feeling as though they were less than human.
Their method was not to shout, yell, or force signs in the faces of passerby’s. Instead, they walked silently in a straight line wearing signs that stated, “I AM A MAN”. This statement spoke volumes! Far more important than money or hours was the need for someone to acknowledge that they mattered just as much as anyone else.
In the book of Luke, we become acquainted with the woman who had led a sinful life. She too sought civil rights. She too felt as though she was treated as less than human. When she took action, her statement also spoke louder than she could ever have imagined.
Fear mingled with tears as she knelt as Jesus’ feet and began to wash them with her love. With all eyes on her, she was saying, “I am a human being, just like you!” Behind her, men whispered their disapproval, but in front of her, the only man that mattered encouraged her to do what she had gone there for.
I wonder how many times we, or our congregation, have watched less-than-perfect people come into our services and said, along with the Pharisees of the Bible and the racists of the 60’s, “Who do they think they are? They don’t belong here!” Such judgment does not belong in the Church.
Everyone who reads this wants to think that they are not judgmental, but we have to be honest with ourselves or we will not change. There was a question in a study that I recently participated in that asked, “Do you think that you are more like the judgmental Pharisee or the Broken Woman?” I had to be honest and say that there were times when I felt like both. I have been on the floor, broken and unable to speak, but I have also, unfortunately, been the one to judge.
When we follow the example of Jesus Christ, we are reminded again and again that when we initially think that someone doesn’t belong; they are the ones that need Him the most. We see fear mingled with tears on a daily basis. This combination calls for a change, and we are called to be the catalysts for that transformation, not the roadblocks. It is our responsibility to live by example so that our people will learn and understand that human rights is still an issue, that it is our issue, and we can change the world.
Jesus Christ came and started a revolution. The 60’s brought along another revolution worldwide as people realized that the world was not as it should be. Now we have the opportunity to have a revolution of our own! We recognize the need for change and turn our backs on it. The woman washing Jesus’ feet went out of her comfort zone in order to make a statement. “You say you want a revolution?” Well it won’t be easy, but here’s your chance!