There are many passages in the Bible that reveal God’s heart for the prisoner. The reading Jesus chose when he launched his public ministry in the synagogue was taken from Isaiah 61. Verse 1 includes: He has sent me to comfort the broken hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. Jesus came to set the captives free: it isn’t prison ministry; it’s freedom ministry. Isn’t this what we want to get involved in – working alongside Jesus releasing captives and setting prisoners free, especially when so many of our prisons are internal?
Paul wrote, “I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong……who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:21,24)
There are times when the outworking of our faith in public cannot be separated from what we learn about ourselves in private. When we read the passage above and honestly apply it to ourselves it is unreasonable to say we should be excused judgement whilst others should be left to rot in gaol with no expectation of change. Jesus’ standards seem impossibly high (Matt. 5:21-30), no one could live up to them, all deserve judgement. Even if, like Paul, we desire to do what is right, we find it impossible to fulfil that desire, we are all enslaved by sin and death. There is no escape from the nature within that dominates and leads us astray. Most of us don’t physically kill another person but in Jesus’ eyes, the thought is as bad as the actual deed. The Kingdom of heaven is concerned with motive, the interior essence of a person which reveals their standing with God; not outward piety or the ability to control murderous impulses.
Temptation comes from our own desires which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15)
Is it insulting to think that those in prison aren’t that different from you in God’s eyes? Sin is sin. We all fall short of God’s standards in thought, word and deed, but somehow deed seems much more serious to us.
There is no doubt that God allows us to face the consequences of our actions. He can mitigate the circumstances according to what is best for us but he doesn’t remove the consequences all together. He is perfectly aware of what we need to allow us to grow into the person he knows we can be. He also knows what we want in order to make life easier for ourselves. A lot of the time our wants and needs are not the same but we don’t always make a distinction. However, God’s desire is to set the captive free, even if it’s the captive’s own fault that he’s imprisoned. He breaks down prison gates, physical, emotional or spiritual and if that’s his desire shouldn’t we work with him?
Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
imprisoned
in iron chains of misery.
They rebelled against the words of God,
scorning
the counsel of the Most High.
That is why he broke them with hard labour;
they
fell, and no one was there to help them.
“Lord, help!”
they cried in their trouble,
and
he saved them from their distress.
He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
he
snapped their chains.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and
for the wonderful things he has done for them.
For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
he
cut apart their bars of iron. (Psalm 107:10-16)
Sometimes incarceration is necessary. Many of the men I’ve met behind bars have admitted that they knew God was trying to speak to them, they knew what they were doing wasn’t right, but they did it anyway. It was only after they had been sentenced that they had the time and space to think about God. In the human scheme of things incarceration is always bad but God sees beyond our vision. He’s far more concerned with the person than the position. If incarceration is what it takes to get a man to listen then that’s what’s going to happen. Jaun Truter discovered this when he asked God to help him get his life in order. Within minutes his car had broken down, policemen appeared and he was arrested for thirteen cases open against him[1]. Probably not what he’d been expecting but his time in prison led to a real encounter with Jesus and true freedom.
Paul was blind for three days as Jesus turned his life around (Acts 9). We must not despise people because God knows that prison is the place they need to be in order to meet him. Rather we should be thankful that he’s given us the grace to listen to him without having to be incarcerated first. Consider how the lost in prison will learn Jesus if his people are unwilling to be his hands and feet, mouth and ears in the places where he wants them.
Pointing anyone to Jesus and the forgiveness he freely offers does not mean we think that crime doesn’t matter. Crime hurts. Sin destroys. Some scars never truly fade. However, for the sake of obeying Jesus’ commands and the forgiveness he’s shown to us, we cannot condemn anyone as beyond his reach. God used Moses, a murderer, David an adulterous murderer, Paul a fanatically religious murderer. There are thieves, rapists and liars a plenty in the Bible but there is hope for all who turn to God in repentance and faith. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, whether the crime is committed against ourselves or other members of the community; obedience belongs to believers.
What does Jesus say about ministering to those in prison? Matthew 25:35-36 says: I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me.
At the most fundamental level, this passage equates visiting those in prison with feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Sometimes all we have to do to show Jesus’ love is to turn up. People in prison can feel forgotten. Teaching about the Christian family can ring hollow when Sunday is the only day that anybody is concerned about. They’ve already discovered that the friends who encouraged them in criminal activities aren’t interested in making the effort to visit. Sometimes even family members stay away – too hurt, too poor, too busy to make the demeaning trek out to prison-visiting. Prisoners soon learn who really cares about them.
Faithfully turning up boosts morale and shows that a person does care but is that enough? Are we fulfilling Jesus’ mandate if we merely visit yet do nothing to shine light into the inmate’s darkened world view? Christians are called to be salt and light in the world (Matt. 5:13-16). Salt and light have discernible effects – salt added to a meal lifts and enhances its flavour; light in a dark place calms our fears and allows us to continue with the task before us. Ministry in prison should be salt and light to both inmates and officials but how do we go about it?
It’s not all about preaching. Study Jesus’ life. Most of the time he was getting involved with people, not conducting formal preaching sessions. He walked with them, went to their houses, ate with them, wept with them and in the process of sharing everyday life he showed them what God is like. There is a time for teaching and preaching but listening to others, loving them and naturally bringing God into life is often what breaks down barriers, builds trust and points the way to Jesus. Obviously it’s not possible to invite inmates for a day trip to your house to share a meal but remembering that they are people, listening to them and showing the respect towards them which is due to every creature made in the image of God can have a huge effect. Many of them have done horrendous things but underneath it all most are broken and hurting people who want to know the way to make amends and build a better life, a life of hope in the future and freedom from the chains of the past.
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