Outreach Behind Bars

Matthew 25:34-36

⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ 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, ³⁶ 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.” (33 mins)

Such are the words of the Lord to those who have shown mercy to Him. A visiting pastor at my home church brought to mind this passage. The message he preached was on ways the church can reach the unchurched and how our church had already been striving for outreach. When Jesus walked this earth, His work was centered on reaching the unreached and untouchable. At times, Christians seem to narrow the “untouchables” down to the poor that areq innocently unfortunate. Those that are out of jobs and in the streets or those that are victims of abandonment by their authority figures. Putting a cloak on an older man or serving lunch to a starving child is the epitome vision of church outreach.

These acts are wonderful and relay a beautiful message of redemption, however, they surely should not narrow our vision of outreach. Some Christians may be inclined to think those that are behind bars deserve to be so. The punishment they are given is something brought upon themselves, therefore, they should suffer. What we as fallen humans often forget is the compassion that comes with understanding. That understanding of another must come with the classic phrase “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.”

When we put those shoes on we may discover that these people are not monsters in cages. They are not too far depraved. That they are in just as much need of love and compassion as the orphaned child. These people are left to sit in rooms filled with their own fear, anxiety, and depression. They are left in confinement, most tortured by the wrong they have done. I believe the person they need to meet the most is someone who can stay in that room with them at all times. Someone who can ease their mental suffering and forgive them of their past. There is no one better than our Lord Jesus Christ.

So then let us go and make disciples in all prisons, and baptize them all in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May both He and us fill their lives with joy when we visit with them in brotherly fellowship, rejoicing that they will be with us on the other side, dressed in white as they stand next to us.