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Benigno Aquino’s family and friends begged him not to return to Manila.
As the exiled leader of the opposition movement to Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, he had already been imprisoned for over seven years.
Marcos had granted him permission to seek medical care in the United States. Now Aquino, widely known as Ninoy, was determined to set foot once again in his homeland.
Everyone knew he was a threat to the government, and therefore a marked man. But Aquino was determined to help lead a revolution. “If it’s my fate to die by an assassin’s bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction, or fear of assassination, and therefore stay [on the sidelines]…”
On August 21, 1983, he flew towards Manila. The picture above was taken during that flight. He was bringing nothing – no weapons, no army, and no demands. This was not going to be an ordinary revolution.
During his time away, Ninoy had experienced a spiritual awakening while reading a book by Chuck Colson, the convicted Watergate conspirator. He became convinced that God was calling him to return to Manila to suffer alongside his people, to personally appeal to Marcos to share leadership, and to help bring about a secure and effective transition of power.
As soon as he stepped onto the tarmac of Manila International Airport, Benigno Aquino was shot dead in full view of the nation.
So, of what value were all of his dreams? What was accomplished by Aquino’s going back, undefended, into the center of the storm?
What was accomplished – within six months – was a bloodless revolution that transformed the nation of the Philippines and reintroduced democratic rule. Marcos’ soldiers, having witnessed Aquino’s reliance on nothing more than truth and love, refused to fight for their commander-in-chief.
Today, if you fly into Manila, your jet will land in Ninoy Aquino International Airport. In the Philippines, August 21 has been designated a national holiday.
Jesus also was the leader of a non-ordinary revolution. He also refused to deploy an army.
It must have seemed odd that armed troops were dispatched to arrest an unarmed man who had just spent the last hour in prayer. As they approached him in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked, “Do you actually think I’m organizing some kind of military coup, requiring you to show up with swords and clubs?” (Mark 14:48).
But that’s the only kind of revolution the ruling authorities understood.
For much of the twentieth century, the dominant Sunday School view of the Son of God was “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild.” Yes, Jesus was non-violent. But that’s not to say he was passive.
He openly called out the hypocrisies of the religious power brokers. He toppled the tables of the money changers in the Temple courts, indicting their corrupt practices. Warned that King Herod Antipas was gunning for him, he deliberately shifted his ministry towards Herod’s jurisdiction. On Palm Sunday, he rode into Jerusalem with nothing but truth, love, and a magnificent defiance against those who claimed to speak for God.
He knew it would cost him his life.
Whenever God’s rule breaks out into this world, earthly kingdoms push back. It can definitely be intimidating.
But Good Friday was followed by Easter Sunday – proof that God’s reign and God’s revolution is not going to fail.
What about you? Who is playing the role of Herod Antipas in your life – threatening you with trouble unless you choose to be submissive and compliant?
You may well have walked away from a situation in which you feared crucifixion – the end of your job, your security, or a key relationship. But with God’s help, we can calmly stand. Are you willing to re-enter that ethically compromised situation armed only with the truth and say, “We need to do what’s right”?
Will you go back into the chaos of deep personal hurts and proclaim, “I will not spend the rest of my life being pushed around by bitterness and shame”? Will you look again at the hardest situation you’re facing right now, and by God’s grace resolve to go back as a disciple of Jesus – armed only with the conviction that nothing is stronger than his love, and that God’s reign cannot fail?
You may not get an airport named after you.
But you will definitely find out what it’s really like to walk where Jesus walked.