Playinng Between the Notes

A letter to Miss Hailey, my English Teacher at Lakeland Senior High School

 Fall, 1995

 I hope that this letter finds you healthy and full of energy. Please do not assume that, just because I’m in college, I punctuate every sentences correctly, and that all my sentences have direction.  Give me a few more years of college to become an eloquent writer.

 UF is fabulous!  I’m learning so much in so little time.  This past summer I was a camp counselor at the Methodist camp in Leesburg and since then, I have done a lot of soul-searching.  College is a wonderful place to get to know yourself better.  It has been a time for me, to set up my own personal schedule.  I have found that I work constantly.  I wake up an hour and a half before my first class to practice.  Then I practice between classes.  I eat only two meals a day and I sleep seven hours a night.  I work on book homework late into the night and then relax for about an hour in front of the TV before I go to sleep.  My body has become extremely efficient because I love all that I am doing.  

 I’m taking English 1101 here at Gainesville.  I was blessed again with a wonderful teacher.  I love a lot of the things about his teaching, but one thing in particular is that he does not limit our expression of words.  For example, if we feel inclined to emphasize a point, we are told to use any word necessary to prove that point, whether it be a cuss word or whatever.  He is a fiction writer, and he has interesting, legitimate opinions on things.  We just finished reading Slaugtherhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, and I loved it.  The aspect of time did not play a role in the book at all.  Everything was relatively told in little sections, so that by the end, the reader would see the whole picture in its entirety.  The structure of the novel was different, and it was interesting to find the repeated words throughout the novel.  At the beginning of the semester, we were asked to write a journal entry and mine was mainly about my soul searching this past summer.  This soul-searching was not particularly linked to religion, politics, or even self.  It was directly linked to my music-making.  At this summer camp, I was unable to practice much, but every night I would play hymn music in chapel for prayer time.  This prayer time for the congregation quickly turned into a devotion time for me.  I had memorized all the hymns that I was playing and put them all in C major so that it would be easy to go from one hymn to the other.  Having them memorized, appeared, oddly enough, like I was playing music inspired by God or something.  This really hit home with me because I felt like this is how all the music that I played should be like.  All the traditional Bach suites, concertos, sonatas, etc., I felt should feel the same way.  

 Let me insert part of my journal entry here because I think I explained it pretty well. I promise not to write much more.

 “…. Here, at camp, I found a sort of peace with my cello playing that I had never experienced before.  When I played in chapel, it was about my own personal prayer and bible devotion.  I felt the spiritual side of music and when I returned to my classical music practice time, I saw the music so much more differently.  I think I finally saw the music apart from the notes.  This is hard for me to explain, but I knew something was totally different.  When I discovered this other side, I quickly picked up my cello and began to play Bach’s 2nd cello suite, something that I had played over and over again, but this time it sounded a little different.  Yes, it sounded a little differently than all the other times that I had played it before, but then suddenly as I was playing it I felt something.  Not something from the outside but something from the inside.  I felt something inside of me that I had never felt before.  As I was playing these notes that I had studied many times, I felt an understanding of not just the notes one by one, but the musical line or lines as a whole.  As I was playing I began to make these lines come together and intertwine with each other to produce something as a one whole unit.  When I finished the prelude, I sat back and let the distant sounds echo in my mind.  As I was experiencing this feeling of completeness, I remembered how it felt to be playing the phrases and experiencing the notes not from diligent practice but from my own interpretation of the music.  I quickly started the Allemande, the next movement, and I experienced the feeling once again.  After playing the whole second suite, I realized that music was not the notes.  Music is the stuff in which is in between the notes.  I was just blown away by this sense of understanding that I immediately wanted to share my discovery with someone else. …”

November 30th, I fly with my mother to Indiana for my audition into the school of music at Indiana University.  I am practicing a lot for my audition because I really need to transfer to Indiana University.  I cannot see myself here at the University of Florida for four years.  

 I am glad that I feel that I can write you and I’ll be sure to come to school to see you some time. 

 Love, 

Corry A. Rankin

“We are Finally “Free!”

I woke up early as usual on January 1, 1959, got dressed and went out the side door into the driveway and across the small field and street to my friend’s house.  The house was the humble “bohío” with a thatched roof.  Nobody was up.  I crouched under the open window and listened to the morning radio show, “Radio Reloj.”  Two reporters take turns reporting the news, while a loud ticking comes through marking each minute.  At the top of the minute, the time is announced, and the news continues.  

 As I listened, the news was interrupted by martial music,“The Stars and Stripes Forever.” How ironic that at the birth of the Cuban revolution, American marching music was played.  This went on for several minutes, then an excited voice came on the air with a bulletin: “Fulgencio Batista has left the island!! The 26 of July Rebels are victorious!! Cuba is free from tyranny!! Long Live the 26 of July movement!!  The bulletin was followed by the rebel hymn of the 26 of July.  

 I was overwhelmed.  What so many of us had been waiting for, had finally happened.  Now Cuba could experience real democracy under the democratic leadership of the Movement and guided by Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro.  

 I ran home to tell my family what had just happened.  Little did know then that the jubilation of the moment would to ashes ten months later.1959 Two days later, I followed with my brother and his friends downtown to find out more about the rebel victory. I remember watching men taking out gaming tables and roulette wheels out on the street, pouring gasoline on them and burning them. They were expressing their hatred for Batista’s corruption.  Other men with baseball bats were smashing parking meters to shake loose the cash, also part of the corruption.

“Visit to Urabá, Colombia Chapter 1”

I was travelling as a promoter for Alfalit Latino Americano to San Pedro de Urabá, close to the Panamanian border on the Caribbean side of Colombia.  I arrived at Monteía which is the starting point for travelers entering the Darién Gap, a region in the jungles in northern Colombia. Thousands of desperate immigrants were trying to get through Panamá to the US border. Darién is a dangerous place filled with violent criminals and animals. Rushing streams have been swept down rivers.

 I waited in the parking area, as my truck filled with passengers.  The driver would leave when his truck was full.  The roof of the truck was covered with a thick canvas from the sun.Three wide benches were set one in front of each other behind the driver. The sides were open. The air was sticky with humidity. There was no breeze. Standing still my shirt was soaked with sweat.

 I sat in the back bench with my back at the opening of the canvas.  At least I could get a breeze.  Yet, dust came in while we were moving on the road. We left at around 10:00 PM.  I found out later that we would arrive at San Pedro at around 5:00 PM. Time is indefinite and flexible under these circumstances.  

 The average speed on the muddy rutted path (it wasn’t a road) was about 20 MPH.  No need to fret when we would arrive to San Pedro. My José Navaja, Alalit promoter, knew that and would find out I had arrived when he heard the roar of the big, diesel engine.

 During the middle of the journey, I arrived at a small thatch-roof road stand.  It offered some sodas and deep fried empanadas (chicken or beef).  I passed. Long ago I learned to avoid anything that was boiled or cooked and prepared with boiled water. I had a few crackers and water on me.  But I had to go to the bathroom.  There were many choices out in jungle. I got out of the truck and went into the bush.  Once I was finished, the truck was filled with the passengers and I was the last to get on.  The truck had a spare tire bolted on the back.  I was tired of swallowing dust, so I decided to stand on the tire, while grasping the metal frame of the roof.  It was much better, as the breeze passed through my face.  It had rained and the air was cooler.

 Eventually I got back in, into the back, and began to visit with the passengers.  Everyone was friendly with me.  Of course, they knew I was a gringo.  How can a blond blue eyed, 6 – 1 man wearing Levi Strauss bluejeans hide his identity surrounded by black and brown skin, short people. 

 I spoke to a friendly young man riding with me in the truck. I would be greeted with a big surprise later due to this “chance” encounter.

 José Navajaia is a lay pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Columbia.  He preaches at the small church nearby, and conducts literacy classes for the students in San Pedro. That evening oriented me with the challenges he faces with his literacy work. 

 The province of Uraba is lightly populated, mostly farmers with a few scattered villages. Most of the people eke out living from subsistence farming is the primary economy. They live on the margins without the bare necessities: few clinics, food insecurity, lack of schools, has been the way of life for centuries. 

Jorge told me that the National Army of Liberation (ELN) is active in the area, fighting the Colombian Army and attacking police stations in the villages. The ELN sabotages the electric lines and the recently a paved road, being constructed by the government. Perhaps the central government is making its presence known to win the hearts and minds of the local population.

 Then it dawned on me that this was the first time that I was in the middle of a war zone - an area where the Colombian army engages the ELN in counter-insurgency warfare. A bit anxious, I wondered how the ELN would respond if they knew that was a “gringo,” in there in their midst. Would they take kindly of me if they found out? I represented the country engaged in the over 40 years “containing communism,” often supporting violent regimes, with little regard to human rights, engaging a “scorched earth policy” with high “collateral damage." 

 In my second trip to Uraba, I would realize how true this was, but that belongs in chapter 2.    

 The next day we walked through the magnificent, primordial bush. There were several layers of in canopies forest, verdant, untouched and pristine. I wonder what remains after 34 years.

 I heard a loud squawking and chattering.  Looking across a clearing to the trees, I an amazing and rare sight.  A pair of replendesant macaws, male and female, flying side by side, along edge of the jungle. Their red, blue, green, and yellow feathers stood out against the green background of the forest.  Their tails streamed behind them. I am certain that I will never see macaws in the wild again – a cherished memory seared in m.y brain

 We arrived at a clearing where a humble a homestead stood. We were welcomed by a young woman who looked to be in her 40’s, but looked like she was in her 60's. A couple of children were played on the dirt floor.  A sleeping infant lay on a small hammock, as its mother rocked the child, while cooking on an open, wood stove, as  smoke exited through on palm frond roof.  The mother was one of Jose’s literacy students.. There are more illiterate women than men in the marginal areas of Colombia, and the of Latin America.

The next morning, we set out walking and arrived at a settlement.  There were two saddled horses waiting.  José said, “the next stop is a bit longer, so the farmer has leant us his horses.” I saw mine, and my first thought was that there was no way this scrawny nag would carry me through the jungle.  I’m 6’1” weighing 180 pounds.  Settled in the saddle, my feet nearly touched the ground.  What a site.  Jorge was lean and much shorter than me.  He laughed watching me on this small horse.  But off we went, slowly – surrounded by this wild forest interrupted by clear cut areas..  

 After we left another homestead, I noticed the thunder clouds gathering.  The rain, more like a monsoon.  The area was clear cut ill by poachers selling the irreplaceable, rare hardwood at high prices for export.  We came to a small hill.  I urged the horse up, but its small hooves sank into the mud. It pitched back as I slid off his back. as the horse kept coming over me. Next thing I knew, I was beside it, unscathed.   The soil had no anchor to stop the erosion. I could see large patches of top soil slide down the hill as water streaming underneath.  I witnessed what the environmentalists have been warning for years, when hills are clear cut- rapid erosion.

 We walked the rest of the way in pitched darkness, with the brilliant stars above until we arrived at our destination. We hardly could see our feet in front of us.  The darkness was almost total with the brilliant star filling skies, guiding us on our way. 

The accommodations  were primitive but adequate.  The frame of the bed that Jorge slept on had a rope mesh to hold a mattress filled with straw.  I slept in a hammock, like a baby. There is a way to sleep in a hammock.  Bend one leg to open it. Touch a fixed object nearby, like a wall or a table, and move the hammock slowly.  You will be dreaming in five minutes.

 We returned to San Pedro at the end of the second day. We missed all the excitement, because while we were away, there was a gun battle between the ELN when they attacked the San Pedro police station, casualties unknown – a typical day in the neighborhood.

 The following evening Jorge and I attended a worship service at the Presbyterian chapel. As I entered, I recognized the young man I greeted while travelling on the SUV three days earlier.  When he saw me, he started to laugh.  As we talked, he told me that he is World Vision International, a community  development community, doing relief work in the area. Then he told me what happened after I left the SUV at the refreshment stand to go to the bathroom in the bushes.

 The passengers began to ask each other, “Who is this gringo? What is he doing here? They found my bag where I left it on the seat and searched it.  Not finding anything suspicious, they left the bag where it was. When I returned, no one said anything.

 The World Vision guy then said, “You’d better be careful as a North American traveling alone around here.  There are two kinds of North Americans here. Either they are missionaries or they are part of the the drug cartel.  Some of them don’t get to go home,” He said.

 Young literacy and Alfalit community organizers like others are on the front lines all over Latin America. They risk their lives to bring transformation and liberation with the peace of Jesus Christ.

Visit to Urabá, Colombia, Chapter 2

The following year, I returned to San Pedro de Urabá. I travelled the same route riding on the large Soviet SUV.  A pastor of the local Presbyterian church met me.  I rode on this motorcycle for a few kilometers to his home.   

 While on the way, he told me some things, not to be overheard by the guerrillas. He turned aside his face and told me that the ELN guerrillas knew that I was coming. I was dumbfounded. “How could they know?” “He said. "They know who is coming and going in their territory. "

 The pastor explained.  “A couple of nights ago, a young man came to may house in the middle of the night and informed me that they knew a North American was coming to San Pedro. ‘Why is he coming and what is here doing here?" he asked.

 I told him that he was invited by my church and Alfalit Colombiano to lead a workshop about community development. Alfalit was known to them as a humanitarian organization that helped the people. The ELN was familiar with Alfalit’s activities, teaching adults literacy and community development. That is why they didn't interfere with Alfalit and the Presbyterian church.  

 Then the young man said, “We will be at the workshop. You won’t know who we are, but we will pay close attention to what he says.”  

 As the pastor shared this with me, I wondered about the last part about “close attention,” was it a threat and if they didn’t like what I said, what would happen to me? 

 The next day, I led the seminar with no incidents. I never asked the pastor if he saw an unfamiliar face in the group.  We will never know anyway, because I am here to tell the tale. 

My Dad, the Rotarian

I arrived in Cuba in 1951 with my missionary parents at the tender age of two. We lived in Camagüey in the middle of the island for 10 years until the Castro regime forced us to leave. My Dad, Victor Rankin, was the pastor of the local Methodist church. My mother, Katherine Rankin, was the high school English teacher at the Methodist school, next door.

It didn’t take long before my dad became acquainted with the community beyond the church, among them business men, bankers, lawyers, and doctors. A number were Rotarians at the local Camagüey club. 

Dad was sponsored and became a member. About all the members were Catholics. Dad was the only Protestant and a minister. At that time, Protestants and Catholics didn’t mix. 

Soon Dad’s fellow members recognized Dad’s openness and his genuine acceptance and his desire to be in relationship with them. He was elected as the club’s chaplain. His invocations were ecumenical, non-sectarian, and inclusive. 

Rotary members represented the Cuban middle class, the largest in Latin America at that time. They were the backbone of the Cuban economy. But the communist regime changed all that. All businesses were expropriated. Business owners fled Cuba with their families with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many settled in Florida and became successful business men and women and professionals. 

Rotary clubs as well as all private institutions in Cuba were banned. Camagüey’s club was no more. 

We were forced to leave too. We were only allowed each a suitcase. We were lucky. We had tickets and passports. We were going back home. Tucked away in my Dad’s suitcase, was this Rotary club banner from the Camagüey club. 

This banner has been with me for 66 years. Now it is time to give it a new home- the Lakeland Rotary club. 

This banner symbolizes the Rotary clubs and its members who today around the world are threatened by oppressive regimes like in Ukraine, Sudan, and South Sudan. “Service Above Self” brings hope over despair where ever needed. Rotary lives on.

Change Reflecting 250 Independence

 As we near our 250th year of independence, we all have the opportunity to reflect on what makes our country exceptional over other nations in the world. Being exceptional doesn’t mean that we are better than other countries. Being exceptional shouldn’t be misunderstood as being dominant over countries. We have the ability to expand our democracy, as “we become a more perfect union.”

“We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal… that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

However, this was not the case on July 4, 1776 for the 500,000 enslaved people at that time; nor for landless men, nor for women. The right to vote was limited to only wealthy landowner white males.

However, our founders intentionally included this radical statement in our Declaration as a means for change so that liberty eventually could be expanded to include all Americans.  

The Constitution was designed by the founders to change with amendments, responding to excluded persons demanding justice and inclusion so that they too could be accepted as full citizens.

The first 10 amendments protect us from tyranny. The 14th amendment granted all persons born or naturalized the right to citizenship. The 15th amendment gave the right to vote to all citizens. The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. Eventually all American citizens were given the right to vote.

This willingness to change and strengthen our democracy is why the US Constitution has been revered and adopted by more nations in the world than any other document. 

This is why we Americans are exceptional and the envy of the world. Happy 250th Birthday United States of  America.

Mi Buenos Aires Querido, Cuando te Volveré a Ver?

 My Dear Buenos Aires, when will I See You again? Carlos Gardel

My parents were assigned to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  David was heading to Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. I got caught up in the excitement of adventure with some anticipation.  In late 1963, the family split up again, and this time I was going with my parents.  We flew to Montevideo, to a South America missionary gathering at the exotic camp grounds in Punta Arenas.  I met with other “misskids” while our parents discussed issues relating to the region and mission opportunities.  Dad was appointed to an English speaking congregation which met at the historic Primera Iglesia Evangelica Metodista of Buenos Aires.  At the time it provided services for the “expat” English speaking communities, including British and American.  The sanctuary had been built in the mid-19th century in a neo-gothic style.  It was the home of Argentine Methodism, brought by a Methodist layman, English captain.  The Catholic church permitted foreign Protestants to meet and preach in their language.  Once the ban was lifted, Methodism grew out towards the Argentine people.  

Dad later told me that this Argentine sojourn of seven years was the highlight of his ministry.  The church members, were intelligent, self-motivated.  They were highly skilled executives appointed to represent their international companies in Argentina.  Argentina had a healthy heavy industry, including American and European assembly plants that churned out Fords, Chevys, Renaults, and Peugeots.  They even made the people’s car the two cylinder Citroen that bobbed up and down on the cobblestone streets.  

We arrived  at our new home on 640 Güiraldes Street in the Acassuso in the San Isidro District of Buenos Aires, outside of the Gen La Paz beltway.  The house was a roomy duplex, with a long backyard, and a built in brick grill.  

Argentina is famous for its cheap, range fed beef steaks and $0.50 a bottle red wines.  I was assigned to cook the steaks at least three times a week. Life was good.

I started the second semester at the American Community “Lincoln” School on the shore of the Río de la Plata in La Lucila.  I took the city train several stops south from the Acassuso station to La Lucila and walked to school.  

I soon realized that I wasn’t the only new kid at school.  I made friends quickly.  Some of those friendships continue to this day, thanks to Facebook.  I was in the later half of ninth grade.  There were three influential teachers.  I remember with great appreciation my teachers who guided and inspired me for the rest of my life.  Donato “Profe” Laurita, the athletic director.  Herminia Granito, girls athletic director, Joseph Czarnick, mathematics, Donald Hannon, political science and history, Walter Leibling, music and ensembles director, and Naum Mittelman, physics and chemistry.

I discovered that I had entered a wonderful, global world.  The students, mostly Americans were savvy in global ways, having already lived in a number of places around the world before they arrived in Buenos Aires—quite a sophisticated group.  I was most impressed and stimulated by hanging out with these folks. 

 

 

The Deeper Meaning of "Aloha"

While visiting the Big Island in Hawaii, I learned that “Aloha” means a lot more than a greeting. Curby Rule gives us “For those who follow the path of Huna, or are fortunate enough to live in Hawai'i, it is common for us to use the word Aloha. We use it in greetings and farewells and in expressing love. But the word means even more, it is a way of life. 

Besides these common meanings, the word Aloha holds within itself all one needs to know to interact rightfully in the natural world. These insights describe an attitude or way of life sometimes called "The Aloha Spirit" or "The Way of Aloha."

The spirit of Aloha was an important lesson taught to the children of the past because it was about the world of which they were a part. One early teaching goes like this: 

Aloha is being a part of all, and all being a part of me. When there is pain - it is my pain. When there is joy - it is also mine. I respect all that is as part of the Creator and part of me. I will not willfully harm anyone or anything. When food is needed I will take only my need and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are mine to care for, to cherish and to protect. 

 This is Hawaiian - this is “Aloha!”

 

A Sermon: Jesus the Provoker Mark 1:14-15

Mark 1:14-15

Introduction

In order to understand the life and ministry of Jesus we must know the context in which he lived in. It was a time when powerful political and religious forces abused the people of Israel, especially the poor and defenseless. Jesus came to free them from their oppression by announcing the presence of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. His Kingdom was for all humanity, not just a few chosen ones. 

His Kingdom was a direct challenge to the Roman Empire and the Temple authorities because the Kingdom of God would vanquish their kingdoms. 

Jesus’ message was liberating, but its practice was risky. 

 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Mark 1:14-15 

His Kingdom offered eternal and earthly salvation to all who received it. You could suffer and be killed for following it.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

“If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

Jesus’ message was such a threat to the powerful that eventually he was executed on a Roman cross. He gave his life to vanquish the powers and save humanity. Death was not the victor. He chose to die and live again with all humanity.

I remember in Sunday school, the teacher held a poster with the image of a white European man carrying a rescued lamb. That image gave the impression that Jesus was sweet, mild, and impotent. He only came to save us from our personal sins. 

More than likely, Jesus' image was that of a thirty year old man with brown skin, black hair, dark eyes, and an Arabic nose. True, Jesus' demeanor was that of a loving compassionate man, but was stern, even angry with those who would take advantage of the marginalized. He was courageous, provoking his adversaries, knowing that his presence and actions would take him to the Cross. 

Jesus had a plan action to provoke the powerful, while defending the  poor the marginalized, the ignored, and the invisible. His provoking wasn't political but intentional. But his adversaries interpreted his words and acts as political and subversive. 

Jesus Confronted Four Adversaries

The Political Authorities 

The Roman Empire 

The Roman Empire was the most powerful and ruthless military and political system in the ancient world.  There was no democracy, no civil rights, and no courts. Dissent was crushed. 90% of the population was the labor force and did all the work by enriching the wealthy 10%. Many were slaves for life. Others were indentured servants and tenant farmers. 90% paid exorbitant taxes while the 10%  paid none. To get ahead, corrupt officials bought titles and paid bribes for status and power. 

The Herodians

The Herodians were a Jewish political faction who supported the Herodian dynasty, favoring collaboration with Rome for political stability and power. They opposed Jesus, viewing him as a threat to their interests, and twice conspired with the Pharisees to kill him. They followed the legacy of Herod the Great who tried to kill Jesus in Bethlehem but instead slaughtered the innocents. Herod Antipas, whom Jesus called him the "Fox, " was Herod Great's son. He beheaded John the Baptist, and he handed Jesus over to Pilate to be executed. 

The religious authorities

Pharisees

The Pharisees were an influential Jewish religious sect during the time of Jesus known for their strict adherence to the Torah, (the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures) and its many moral and pious restrictions. They separated themselves from other Jews for spiritual purity. The Pharisees expected the people to fulfill 704 laws. When they failed, they were sinners, never to be accepted by God. To win God’s favor, they had to atone for their sins at the Temple by purchasing sacrificial animals at high prices, in order to get right with God. The Pharisees ran the animal markets and managed the funds, which the often stole from.

Jesus said: "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:4 

Instead, Jesus reduced the 614 laws of Pharisees into two laws.

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

And to answer those who accused him for abolishing the laws,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."

"One Sabbath he was going through the grain fields, and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”…Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath, so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 3:23-27 

Jesus’ claim that he was Lord of the Sabbath made it clear that he was to overthrow the powers and usher in his Kingdom.. 

Sadducees

The Sadducees were an aristocratic priestly sect who controlled the Temple in Jerusalem. They also skimmed the money collected from the purchases of sacrificial animals. They were politically influential with the Romans.

The political and religious authorities maintained their status quo for power. 

Jesus’ very existence was a threat to the powerful.

It was they who made Jesus into a political figure, because this was the only way that they understood his teachings, miracles, and healings. 

Mary, proclaimed that her son would turn the world up ide down for justice and righteousness.

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,… He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty..  Luke 1:46-53

Jesus was born, grew up, and lived under the oppression of the Roman empire and corrupt kings. His life was always in danger if he challenged them.

For example, Josepth and Mary were forced to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to pay exorbitant taxes by the order Caesar Augustus.

King Herod the Great feared this child would steal his throne. When Herod didn’t find Jesus, he slaughtered the innocents. 

The Holy family, fled for their lives and became a political,  undocumented and impoverished refugees, living with uncertainty.

King Herod Antipas beheaded John the Baptist and sent Jesus to the Roman governor to be condemned and crucified. 

Jesus was on a Dangerous Mission

The Kingdom of God’s aim was to offer the people to turn around (Gk metanoia) and believe the Good News. God's Reign was more powerful than the kingdoms of this world. That is why  Jesus was such a threat to them.

To the religious authorities

“Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They were watching him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” Mark 3:1-4,6

Jesus is tested for his loyalty to the empire

Some Pharisees and Herodians tried to trick him to commit treason against the empire.

"Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him. Mark 12:14-17

Jesus did say that all the coins of the empire, including this one belonged to Ceasar.  What he didn't say openly was that God owned all empires, including Ceasar's. Those present who knew the psalms remembered Psalm 24:1, "The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it,

On the way to Jerusalem he said to his disciples 

“that the Son of Man must under go great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."Mark 8:31-33

But the disciples didn’t get it until Jesus was resurrected. Peter implored  him not to go. Angrily, Jesus rebukes Peter for blocking him like Satan, to complete his mission on earth. l

His death sentence

Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves... “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers. “and when the chief priests and the scribes…kept looking for a way to kill him, for they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. Mark 11:15-18

Jesus is captured, tried, and sentenced to death

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified. Mark 15:15

He Arose

The greatest motivation for the early Christians to risk their lives and follow Jesus and face death was because of Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection is available for all. Christian discipleship has its price. “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and  take up their cross and follow me" Mark 8:34

Two young men knew what was at stake when they decided to follow Jesus. They were Sermon  on the Mount Christians, who lived by it. They paid the ultimate price for challenging the powers.                  

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and pastor lost his life for conspiring to kill Hitler. He said, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him to die.” Discipleship

Martin Luther King preached on that night before he was slain: 

“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." 

There are many ways that we can die as martyrs (witnesses) with Jesus while not paying the ultimate price. We can die to personal sin. We can speak truth to power. We can do the works of justice with those in the margins of society. 

Provoke the kingdoms of this world! Stir up the pot! Muddy the waters! Make good trouble! (John Lewis) Get angry! Speak truth to power! Be risky!, Walk the walk!, Stand up, don’t sit down! March! Take risks! Live the Sermon on the Mount, not just give it lip service to it! 

Join Jesus and transform  the world!