Dr. Garth Pauley of Calvin’s Communication Department has written about efforts for civil rights in the United States, including Congressman Lewis’s ongoing contributions and his dedication to that struggle. He offered the following thoughts at his passing:
Four years ago, I had the privilege of preaching on Matthew 10:34-39, a biblical passage in which Jesus tells his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one's own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
The first person who came to mind when meditating on this passage was John Lewis. Few, if any, figures in American politics have responded to Jesus’ call to discipleship more boldly than Lewis. During his formative years, Lewis came to understand the problem of racial discrimination through the lens of Christianity and dedicated the rest of his life to pursuing the kingdom of heaven—to making our world a place that reflected God’s passion for justice. As a result, his life was characterized by the trials Jesus described. For instance, his discipleship created strife within his family, as his parents believed that "'decent' black folks stayed out of trouble," while Lewis got into what he called “good trouble” for the cause of racial justice. Moreover, he put himself at risk of dying a “shameful” death through his involvement in the sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and Selma voting rights campaign.
When I had the good fortune to meet Lewis twenty years ago, I found him to be unassuming and unpretentious. It was easy to imagine him shocking fellow civil rights workers—as he did, after being harassed and assaulted—by baldly saying, “Is this all they can do to us?” But Lewis didn’t say things like this because he was cavalier or arrogant. Rather, his words and actions flowed from his Christian character as a proud disciple of Jesus Christ who was emancipated and empowered by his dogged pursuit of God’s justice.
After reflection on Matthew 10:34-39 and the lives of those who have heeded its message, I have come to see the following as the core meaning of this biblical text: Jesus calls his disciples (both then and now) to lives of unsettling discipleship—to become disciples who are willing to disrupt the status quo for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. John Lewis modeled this type of discipleship. In memoriam to Lewis, I hope Christians will look for him in the “great cloud of witnesses” and be inspired by his example.