Ezekiel was in the first wave of those taken into exile. Those who remained behind in Jerusalem resented their tributary status in the Babylonian Empire and kept trying to get Egypt (the other great superpower of the time) to intervene on their behalf. Jeremiah in Jerusalem kept telling the people what a terrible idea that was. Ezekiel from exile used a powerful image of shouldering his luggage and sneaking out of town to warn to those in Jerusalem. I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; as captives they shall go into exile. Images speak loudly. Currently, the image of “taking a knee” remind us of the call that liberty and justice be for all.
