The Cross and the Bullet
How Jesus, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Were Executed for the Same Reason
The Execution of Revolutionaries
Centuries later, a different execution took place, this time not on a hill but on a stage in Harlem. The sharp crack of gunfire silenced the voice of Malcolm X before he could finish his thought. His body jerked, bullets tearing through his chest as he fell backward. The stage where he once spoke words of self-determination was now stained with his blood. His assassins didn’t come from a Roman battalion but from a system that saw his message as a threat to order.
And then, there was the hotel balcony in Memphis. The sun dipped below the horizon as Martin Luther King Jr. leaned against the railing, reflecting on the battle ahead. Then—a rifle’s roar. His body collapsed, a river of red spilling onto the concrete, his last breath escaping before his dream could fully materialize.
Different weapons, different times, but the same execution. The same system that crucified Jesus ensured that Malcolm, Martin, and Medgar Evers never lived long enough to see their people truly free.
Why Was Jesus Really Crucified?
The traditional narrative tells us that Jesus was crucified to "die for the sins of mankind." But what if that’s not the real reason? What if, like the Black revolutionaries of the 20th century, Jesus was executed because he was waking people up?
Rome didn’t crucify people over spiritual matters. Crucifixion was a political execution. The Romans reserved it for those who posed a threat to their empire—insurrectionists, rebels, and anyone who could inspire the people to resist. Jesus didn’t just preach love; he preached liberation.
He called out the hypocrisy of the religious elite (Matthew 23).
He flipped over the moneychangers’ tables in the temple, disrupting the economic power structure (John 2:13-16).
He told people the kingdom of God was within them—not in Rome, not in the temple, but inside them (Luke 17:21).
This was dangerous. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious leaders who worked alongside the Roman rulers, saw Jesus as a threat to their control. The empire did what empires always do when someone threatens their system—they silenced him.
If Jesus had simply preached about love and kindness, he wouldn’t have been a problem. But he spoke against the empire. That’s why he had to die.
The American Empire and Its Crucifixions
Fast forward two thousand years. The tools of execution have changed, but the principle remains the same. Every Black leader who tried to free the minds of their people met the same fate as Jesus.
Malcolm X preached self-determination, told Black people to see beyond the illusions of white supremacy, and rejected the idea of waiting for salvation.
Martin Luther King Jr. started as a preacher of peace but soon turned against the economic injustices that kept Black people enslaved. He died not for his dream, but because he started attacking capitalism and the Vietnam War.
Medgar Evers fought for voting rights, an act that threatened the entire foundation of white supremacy. They put a bullet in his back before he could do more.
All of them were labeled dangerous. All of them were accused of being radicals, extremists, or enemies of order. And all of them were assassinated because they were waking people up.
COINTELPRO, the FBI’s counterintelligence program, was designed to do the same thing the Pharisees and Romans did to Jesus—disrupt, discredit, and destroy Black leaders before they could empower the masses. Just as Jesus was betrayed by Judas, many of these leaders were betrayed from within, with infiltrators and informants paving the way for their execution.
What the System Fears Most
What did Jesus, Malcolm, and Martin all have in common? They told the oppressed that they didn’t have to live like this.
The system thrives on submission. It relies on people believing they are powerless, dependent, and in need of rulers to guide them. The moment someone comes along and shows people that the power is in their own hands, they become an enemy of the state.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you.
Malcolm said Black people don’t need white validation.
Martin said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
That is what gets a man killed. Not just rebellion, but empowering people to rebel.
The authorities don’t fear violence—they fear consciousness. They don’t care if people riot; they care if people wake up.
Are We Still Watching Crucifixions?
The pattern is clear. Every time a leader rises to awaken the oppressed, the empire finds a way to crucify them.
Today, the crucifixions look different. They don’t always use wood and nails. Sometimes, they use bullets, imprisonment, character assassination, and media smears.
They won’t put someone on a cross, but they’ll put them in prison for life.
They won’t use a crown of thorns, but they’ll paint them as a criminal or terrorist.
They won’t let the people mourn, but they’ll rewrite history to make them less threatening.
They killed Jesus and later turned him into a symbol of obedience.
They killed Malcolm and later put his face on t-shirts.
They killed Martin and later gave him a holiday.
This is how the empire works.
The Final Question: When Will We Learn?
Jesus’ followers didn’t stop the empire from killing him. Neither did the followers of Malcolm or Martin. But the real tragedy isn’t that these men died—it’s that we keep letting it happen.
How many more must die before we recognize the pattern?
How many more times will we stand in the crowd, watching another Black leader fall, before we realize the cross and the bullet are the same?
The system doesn’t need new ways to kill our messiahs.
It just needs people to keep believing the lies.
If Jesus were here today, speaking truth the way he did then—
Would he be crucified again?
Or would we finally listen?
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