Martin Luther King

The night before he was killed, Martin Luther King gave his last speech at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. He was there to march for the right of sanitation workers to fair pay and improved working conditions.

In the speech, he references several biblical stories and parables. He mentions the New Jerusalem from the book of Revelation, he discusses the importance of helping our neighbor like the Good Samaritan, and he refers to himself as Moses leading his people from slavery in Egypt to a better life in the Promised Land, a better America fulfilling its promise of opportunity and justice for all people:

3 April 1968

"Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.

One day, a man came to Jesus, and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters of life. Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air.

He talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They did not stop to help him. Finally, a man of another race came by.

He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But he got down with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to be concerned about his brother [...]

I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that those men were afraid. You see, the Jericho Road is a dangerous road.

And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around.

Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure.

And so the first question that the priest asked, the first question the Levite asked was, 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?'

But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?' [...]

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. 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".

Martin Luther King with with Loretta Scott and daughter

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