![]() ![]() If Jesus were on earth today, would we find Him in the prisons? Of course we would. This man that the others had considered an outcast was to be restored as a brother. "This man, too, is a son of Abraham" (Luke 19:9). And then Jesus made an announcement to the crowd. But that loving invitation brought this corrupt tax collector to repentance and transformation-ready to make amends for his crimes. 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. One of those hated tax collectors was Zacchaeus, a corrupt man who had grown rich by cheating others. But in the moral "sickness" of their sin, He offered them the healing of His forgiveness, His salvation, and even His friendship. He did not overlook what they had done or what they had become. Yet Jesus went to them, spent time with them, shared a friendly meal with them. They were considered corrupt, treacherous. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).īack in the day, tax collectors had fallen into their own category of contempt-set apart, it seems from the rest of the sinners. When Jesus was berated for eating with tax collectors and sinners, he answered that "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. We hope you will be encouraged to follow Jesus into the prisons as well as into your community to minister to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. The Scripture passages in this article give us insight into God's heart for prison ministry. He would be there "to seek and to save the lost!" If Jesus were on earth today, would we find Him in the prisons, talking and dining with criminals and outcasts? Of course we would. I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." I was in prison and you came to visit me. ![]() Read about God's heart for prisoners and His call to remember them. ![]()
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January 2023
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