Scripture: Mark 9:14-19
When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so." He answered them, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me."
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever been in a situation that suddenly became worse? Perhaps it was related to a medical crises or maybe it was a conflict inflamed by an insensitive comment. How did it feel to be caught up in the whirlwind of disease and malignancy? How did you respond? Where did you turn for relief and shelter midst it all?
Five-minute Story:
It was the end of April 1992. I was a student at Rutgers University on the Newark campus. My girlfriend and I were in the library when we heard the news of the acquittal of the police officers who had brutally beaten an African American man by the name of Rodney King. Someone caught the situation on video for all the world to see. Within hours of the verdict, riots began in the city of Los Angeles. These riots lasted six days and had a death toll of 53 with an additional 2,373 injured.
Within the city of Newark, New Jersey, there is a longstanding history of racial and social issues. Back in 1967 riots broke out following another beating of a black taxi-cab driver by white police officers. The violence that followed was infamous. Newark went up in flames. And it burned an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of everyone in the vicinity. Emerging from generations of social inequities and racial intolerance, it contributed to a legacy of deep-seated fears and prejudices.
Twenty-five years later, racial tension remained in the city just below the surface. Reports made it to the library that a large crowd was gathering on Market Street. It was angry and demanding justice. So intense were the emotions that I remember thinking that it would not take much for the city to burst into violence again. One rock. One shot. Boom, the powderkeg would explode.
After hearing the reports of escalating tension, fear motivated me to take my girlfriend home early that day. She lived in Newark in a neighborhood on the other side of the street where the crowd was gathering. It meant that I would need to leave the city and go a long way around through the neighboring towns. The bypass took two hours, but eventually, I got her home safely and never saw any trouble.
In fact, there weren't any riots in Newark that day. It was a peaceful protest. Whenever I hear a story about racial tensions or injustice, I think about that day. I think about my fear and what it felt like to flee. Even though I was never in any real danger, my fear had put me in a scenario where I imagined the entire city was on fire. Fear is not rational. Fear builds on prejudices and biased stories. Fear pushes buttons that can quickly escalate.
I know now that I have no idea what it means to live under constant suspicion because of the color of my skin. I don’t have to fear the police unless I commit a crime. From African American friends, I have heard of the injustices that are ever present. There is a genuine fear of being pulled over for no reason other than ‘Driving while Black.’ From White friends, family members, and parishioners, I continue to hear racist fears, platitudes, and a general insensitivity to the struggle.
I lack the wisdom to say what it will take for things to change. But change it must. Our great national sin of racism continues to haunt our freedom. We need to move in the direction of repentance, resolution, and renewal. We need to have the courage to get beyond fleeing and fear otherwise we will just repeat the divisions, mistakes, and violence of the past.