Montgomery Improvement Association flyer advocating for bus desegregation. (Photo courtesy New York Public Library)
I heard the late Dean of Black preachers, Rev. Dr. Gardner Calvin Taylor, say, “evil does not know when to quit.” He was preaching from Exodus, where Pharaoh pursued the Hebrews to the bank of the Red Sea and ultimately, as the Negro spiritual says, “Pharaoh’s army got drowned.” Why did the Egyptian army drown? It was because, as Dr. Taylor surmised, “evil does not know when enough is enough.”
According to Attorney Fred Gray in his book “Bus Ride to Justice,” when the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) submitted its resolution to city officials in Montgomery, Alabama, the demands were intentionally kept very small. The resolution called for:
(1) all drivers display more courtesy toward “colored” riders;
(2) the seating be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis; and
(3) the company hire “colored” bus drivers on buses running into areas heavily populated by “colored” people.
Attorney Gray writes that the “actions requested in the resolution were not designed to integrate the buses; rather, they were intended as reasonable reforms. The city could have given in, but refused… They refused to offer to concede or compromise on any point. We had no choice but to continue the protest.”
The city’s rejection of the simple demands unified the people because Attorney Gray is illustrating the point of Dr. Taylor’s assessment that “evil does not know when to quit.” As a result, the Montgomery Bus Boycott shifted from a one-day protest into a 381-day movement, and the city not only relinquished much more than the small request of that first day, but that moment transformed into a powerful wave of liberation that swept across the nation. All because evil does not know when enough is enough.
When the puppet King Herod slaughtered thousands of baby boys looking for the baby born to be King of the Jews, it shows that evil always goes too far. When the Jewish religious aristocracy class of Jerusalem hounded and harassed that carpenter from Capernaum, it showed once again that evil does not know when to quit. When they chose—voted for—Barabbas over Jesus, the spirit of evil went too far. When the Romans crucified Jesus on the cross of Calvary, evil did not know when enough is enough.
Now, because evil does not know when to quit, the religion of Jesus has gone from a small group of African Jews in biblical Palestine to just about every corner of the globe—because evil does not know when to quit.
As we see evil trampling the Constitution, padding the pockets of billionaires, while robbing the tax dollars of the working poor, remember that the Advent season is upon us. Therefore, let the symbol of that season be steel in our backs, because when evil does not know when to quit, it is also a sign that the people have the power invested in them by the Creator God to unify and step in to help forge a “beloved community” that does not value people based on geography, but cherishes people just because they are human regardless of race, ethnicity, class, economic status, gender, sexuality, or ability status.
Beloved, evil always goes too far, and when that happens it signals a Kairos moment for justice work to be done. Let the building begin, because evil does not know when to quit.
Be focused, be authentic, and stay woke! Uhuru Sassa!!!
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church ofChrist-Gary. (Photo provided)
The Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.” Contact the church by email at [email protected] or by phone at 219-944-0500.
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.”
When Enough Is Enough
I heard the late Dean of Black preachers, Rev. Dr. Gardner Calvin Taylor, say, “evil does not know when to quit.” He was preaching from Exodus, where Pharaoh pursued the Hebrews to the bank of the Red Sea and ultimately, as the Negro spiritual says, “Pharaoh’s army got drowned.” Why did the Egyptian army drown? It was because, as Dr. Taylor surmised, “evil does not know when enough is enough.”
According to Attorney Fred Gray in his book “Bus Ride to Justice,” when the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) submitted its resolution to city officials in Montgomery, Alabama, the demands were intentionally kept very small. The resolution called for:
(1) all drivers display more courtesy toward “colored” riders;
(2) the seating be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis; and
(3) the company hire “colored” bus drivers on buses running into areas heavily populated by “colored” people.
Attorney Gray writes that the “actions requested in the resolution were not designed to integrate the buses; rather, they were intended as reasonable reforms. The city could have given in, but refused… They refused to offer to concede or compromise on any point. We had no choice but to continue the protest.”
The city’s rejection of the simple demands unified the people because Attorney Gray is illustrating the point of Dr. Taylor’s assessment that “evil does not know when to quit.” As a result, the Montgomery Bus Boycott shifted from a one-day protest into a 381-day movement, and the city not only relinquished much more than the small request of that first day, but that moment transformed into a powerful wave of liberation that swept across the nation. All because evil does not know when enough is enough.
When the puppet King Herod slaughtered thousands of baby boys looking for the baby born to be King of the Jews, it shows that evil always goes too far. When the Jewish religious aristocracy class of Jerusalem hounded and harassed that carpenter from Capernaum, it showed once again that evil does not know when to quit. When they chose—voted for—Barabbas over Jesus, the spirit of evil went too far. When the Romans crucified Jesus on the cross of Calvary, evil did not know when enough is enough.
Now, because evil does not know when to quit, the religion of Jesus has gone from a small group of African Jews in biblical Palestine to just about every corner of the globe—because evil does not know when to quit.
As we see evil trampling the Constitution, padding the pockets of billionaires, while robbing the tax dollars of the working poor, remember that the Advent season is upon us. Therefore, let the symbol of that season be steel in our backs, because when evil does not know when to quit, it is also a sign that the people have the power invested in them by the Creator God to unify and step in to help forge a “beloved community” that does not value people based on geography, but cherishes people just because they are human regardless of race, ethnicity, class, economic status, gender, sexuality, or ability status.
Beloved, evil always goes too far, and when that happens it signals a Kairos moment for justice work to be done. Let the building begin, because evil does not know when to quit.
Be focused, be authentic, and stay woke! Uhuru Sassa!!!
The Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.” Contact the church by email at [email protected] or by phone at 219-944-0500.
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.”