Back in the day, tax collectors had fallen into their own category of contempt — set apart, it seems from the rest of the sinners. They were loathed as corrupt, treacherous . . . criminal. Yet Jesus went to them, spent time with them, shared a friendly meal with them. He did not overlook what they had done or what they had become. But in the moral “sickness” of their sin, He offered them the healing of His forgiveness, His salvation, and even His friendship.
One of those loathed tax collectors was Zacchaeus, a corrupt man who had grown rich by cheating others. When he climbed a tree to see what this Jesus was all about, the Lord invited Himself to dinner with Zacchaeus — again, to the irritation of the more “righteous” people in the crowd. But that loving invitation brought this corrupt tax collector to repentance and transformation — ready to make amends for his crimes. And then Jesus made an announcement to the crowd. “This man, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9). This man that the others had considered an outcast was to be restored as a brother.
If Jesus were on earth today, would we find Him in the prisons, talking and dining with the most loathed criminals and outcasts? Of course we would. He would be there “to seek and to save the lost” and to restore them to sonship, just as He did with Zacchaeus.
And because the Church is now His representative on earth, prison is where we should be as well — calling the sick to the healing touch of our Lord and Savior; still recognizing in them the dignity of God’s creation, no matter how far they have fallen; trusting that no one — NO ONE —is beyond Christ’s love and power to redeem.
Jesus identifies strongly with the weak, the helpless, and the outcast. He considers the way we treat them to be the way we treat Him. He wants us to identify with them as well, putting ourselves in their shoes and caring for them.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my father; take your inheritance . . . For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ ” Matthew 25:34-40
“Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13:1-3
God seeks to set prisoners free—not always from their physical prison, but certainly from their imprisonment by sin, ignorance, rebellion, and foolish choices. Jesus identified Himself as the source of this freedom. As this is an important part of God’s work, it is an important part of the Church’s work as well.
“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
Isaiah 42:6-7
Please pray for all who are incarcerated - that they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, confess their sins, repent and ask forgiveness from their sinful past.
A person’s past does not have to dictate his future. Even a former criminal, if he has learned from his mistakes and renounced his sins, can become a great leader in God’s hands.
Consider Moses, who was a murderer and a fugitive from justice when God called him to lead His people out of slavery. In the heat of passion, he had killed an Egyptian, hidden him in the desert sand, and fled the country because the head of the government was out to execute him (Exodus 2:11-15). Yet this is the man God called to lead His people to the Promised Land, to receive the Ten Commandments — to be a pivotal figure in salvation history.
Or consider the apostle Paul, a former religious zealot who had burned in his hatred for Christians and conspired in putting them to death for their faith. Yet Jesus called Paul to Himself, directed him to write most of the New Testament, and turned him into the early Church’s greatest missionary to the Gentiles.
{Excerpt from Judge Challeen's book Winning at Losing}
WE WANT THEM TO HAVE SELF-WORTH
So we destroy their self-worth.
WE WANT THEM TO BE RESPONSIBLE.
So we take away all responsibilities.
WE WANT THEM TO BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
So we isolate them from our community.
WE WANT THEM TO BE KIND AND LOVING PEOPLE.
So we subject them to hate and cruelty.
WE WANT THEM TO QUIT BEING THE TOUGH GUY.
So we put them where the tough guy is respected.
WE WANT THEM TO QUIT HANGING OUT WITH LOSERS.
So we put all the losers in the state under one roof.
WE WANT THEM TO BE POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE.
So we degrade them and make them useless.
WE WANT THEM TO BE TRUSTWORTHY.
So we put them where there is no trust.
WE WANT THEM TO BE NONVIOLENT.
So we put them where they exploit each other.
WE WANT THEM TO THINK LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE.
So we put them where their fellow inmates think as they do . . . reinforcing each other's beliefs and life style.
WE WANT THEM TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES, OWN THEIR PROBLEMS, AND QUIT BEING PARASITES.
So we make them totally dependent on us.