I’ve
never been in jail. I never want to be in jail. I have claustrophobia and dread
being confined in a jail or handcuffs – simply being confined. That is why I
have always tried to walk the straight and narrow. When I was in college and
theology back in the 1960s the country was in an uproar. My peers out in the
world walked picket lines, burnt draft cards, took part in sit-ins and were
carted off to jail. Even if I was out there among them, I would not have taken part
in the demonstrations. It was not that I disagreed with them. It was that I was
terrified of being put into jail.
Back
then when the protesters were incarcerated, the majority of the country had no
sympathy. They would have preferred that they just rot there. Others like me
who sympathized with them were selfishly thankful that they had the guts to do
what they did and, in their own way, speak for us. People have been imprisoned
over the centuries for countless reasons. Many have been justifiably put there because
they committed a crime and others have been the victims of those in power who
used incarceration and its threat to silence those who opposed them.
Whether
one is in prison for justifiable reasons or because of forces beyond their
control is not the issue at hand at present. When Jesus told us that one of the
responsibilities we have as a follower is to visit those in prison, we may
cringe. Our initial gut reaction is to judge that they deserve what they are
getting and where they are. They must have committed[O1]
a crime that caused there imprisonment. Maybe so. Probably so. But Jesus never
gave us at out. He never made a distinction between those who were in prison
because of their crimes and those who were there because they were political
prisoners. He simply said, “Visit them”.
The
question arises: “Why?” especially why visit those who deserve their
punishment. Why? Because those in prison are still human beings, children of
God just like you and me. They still need to know that someone cares about them
even by someone who does not know who they are or what they have done. Yes, maybe
they are there because they committed a crime, have been caught and now are
paying the penalty. In Christian-speak they sinned and are now paying for it.
The
truth remains, however, is that we all sin. And while our sins may not
constitute criminal activity, there is only a difference in degree between
their sins and ours. It’s a good thing society doesn’t imprison us for our sins
or we would all be in jail. My suspicion is that is the reason why Jesus demands
that we visit those whose sins may be greater than ours. Moreover, that does
not give us a pass to ignore them.
Full
disclosure: I have only visited a prisoner once and I rarely even think about
those in jail. My sin and my failure. Maybe I write this as only a personal
reminder that I need to do more if only to pray every day for them. God loves
them as much as God loves me.
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