Dr Martin Luther King Jr spoke with conviction of the beliefs he held of a future he would not see. In John’s Gospel, Jesus commends the belief of those who have not physically seen his raised body but believe in the reality of his resurrection.

 

Context

Despite not feeling well, on 3 April 1968, Dr Martin Luther King Jr attended a rally at Mason Temple in Memphis Tennessee. He was there, along with other black leaders, to support striking sanitation workers who were protesting about deeply unfair working practices. At the rally he delivered a powerful 43-minute sermon. But what stands out are the deeply prophetic words he uttered at the end:

‘Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really 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 so 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 next day, 4 April 1968, Martin Luther King walked onto the balcony of room 306 the Lorraine Motel in Tennessee and was shot by a single bullet. He was pronounced dead an hour later at a local hospital.

As well as foreshadowing his own death, the power of this final speech is found in the absolute conviction King expresses in the fight for equality and his certainty of something better for his nation. He demonstrates belief in a future he cannot see but firmly believes to be possible.

 

Reflection

The final pages of John’s Gospel draw together several accounts of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances. Each encounter with the risen Christ shapes and transforms those involved. Mary Magdalene’s grief is turned to joy, the fearful disciples are overjoyed when Jesus appears among them and a disappointing fishing trip changes to a bounteous catch when Jesus appears on the shore and offers an extraordinary moment of restoration for Peter. However, perhaps it is Jesus’ words to Thomas that resonate the most loudly for us, and in the week marking 50 years since the death of Martin Luther King, cause us to reflect on the idea of belief.

Famously, Thomas is missing when Jesus appears to the frightened disciples; he is not one of the witnesses to this event. On hearing about it, Thomas refuses to believe what they are telling him about the reality of the resurrection; he wants to see before he believes (John 20.25).

But Jesus commends those who do not physically see him but still believe in his death and resurrection. It is belief in this event that will shape and transform even if we don’t see it for ourselves. Martin Luther King expressed a profound belief in equality. This belief shaped and directed him. It wasn’t based on a vain hope but rooted in his understanding of humanity, equality and God’s will for the world.

Through belief in the resurrection we, like the first disciples, encounter the risen Christ and his power to transform us and, like King, can speak with certainty of something we cannot see. Confidence in the resurrection is firmly rooted in God’s will for the world and will shape and change all who believe in It.

 

Prayer

Provide everyone with a piece of A5 paper and a pen. Invite everyone to draw around their own hand. On each finger write a different word – I, BELIEVE, IN, THE, RESURRECTION.

Play some quiet background music, and ask everyone to examine the hand they have just drawn. In the quiet, invite people to reflect prayerfully on the words they have just written and what those words mean to them. After a couple of minutes draw everything together with the following:

Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Allow a moment of silence at the end for people to think and reflect on these words.

 

Questions

• What are your core beliefs?
• Why do you believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus?
• How does belief in the resurrection shape you?

 

All-age activity

Using a permanent marker, write each word of the second half of John 20.29 (‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe’) on a separate balloon – 13 balloons in total. Now blow up the 13 balloons and an additional dozen or so. Release the balloons into the worship space, inviting people to bat them around, keeping them in the air. After a few minutes, encourage people to catch the balloons and put them into the correct order so the verse can be read by everyone.

 

Young people

Tell the young people the story of Charles Blondin and his tightrope crossing of the Niagara Falls with a man on his back (easily found through an internet search). Build up the tension until you reveal that the man who climbs on his back was actually his manager, Harry Colcord, and had complete belief in Blondin. Draw or mark with tape a ‘tightrope’ line on the floor, and invite the young people to act out the story. You could invite the group to film their efforts on a mobile phone.

Once the drama is complete, explore the idea that you need to believe in something in order to trust and act. Examine what it means to believe in something. Consider together the importance of believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Fiona Dorman is a freelance writer, workshop facilitator, educator and mediator, living in Bristol.

 
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