Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just, And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. You serpents, generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell?
--Jesus (Matthew 23:29-33)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a spiritually animated individual who frequently referred to the Scriptures in his speeches, and on this day on which we remember him by means of a national holiday, your humble servant is reminded of the above passage which seems particularly fitting. For here we have a holiday and a memorial to remember Dr. King by, and many persons of importance will stand up to praise him and claim to cherish his legacy.
It is Martin Luther King Day, and we will be building his sepulcher, and adorning his monument, and we will say that if we had been the generation in power in 1968 we would not have been partakers in shedding his blood. In doing so we will testify against ourselves that we are the children of those who killed him.
Dr. King spoke against poverty in this land of abundance. There is still poverty here, in the midst of vast wealth. He spoke against economic injustice. The wealth disparity in this nation is widening, and has the support of our politicians. He spoke against our nation’s expensive military adventurism in contrast to the pittance spent on elevating the circumstances of the poor. Today our military adventures in the Middle East have drained our treasury, threatening even Medicare and Social Security, and our Nation’s War on Poverty has been rendered an idealistic dream. What’s more, as a Baptist preacher Dr. King found his inspiration in God whose justice he was confident he was furthering. Today God’s name is blasphemed by cynical politicians who infiltrate religions and try to annex them to their quest for power.
But we have a holiday to honor Dr. King. We say we would have been on his side in his struggles. We would have immediately seen the justice of his cause. We might have even marched with him. We build his sepulcher. We adorn his monument.
Happy Martin Luther King Day!
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