My Birthday Wish

In a little over 2 weeks I will be celebrating my 35^th birthday. I’ve never been one to make a big deal out of birthdays or birthday wishes so I’m going to do something a bit taboo by sharing my birthday wish with ya’ll. But first, a bit of birthday history.

My birthday is December 7^th and for you history buffs the first thing you’ll think of is the bombing of Pearl Harbor when 2,386 Americans were killed. But did you know that on this day in history the first prisoner was put to death by lethal injection in 1982? My wife’s birthday is August 6th and on her day we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and tried out the electric chair for the first time. And so, twice a year, when our birthdays come around I am reminded about the thousands who died in WWII and of the ways in which we hand out justice to the worst of the worst. Over the past couple years my thoughts have been drawn toward the latter group of people time and time again and this week while reading a devotional/liturgical type book I read a quote related to the death penalty. With thoughts on the death penalty once again rattling around in my head I figure I might as well organize my thoughts a bit and express them here. Here we go:

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.—Hebrews 13:3

The Forgotten

As the saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind." Prisoners are, for the most part, a forgotten population of people. Aside from particular occupations or having a loved one in prison, the vast majority of us have no experience or contact with prisoners. Those unfortunate enough to be in prison experience little or no interaction with people on the outside. Kept separate by high walls and fences. Kept separate by bars and bulletproof glass. The separation between them and us is established and increased until ultimately they are forgotten. And for those that do get released the transition to the ‘real world’ is a difficult and uphill battle. Prisons are primarily designed to detain, not rehabilitate, and so many come out in no better situation than when they went in. There are many dehumanizing aspects to prison life which complicate social aspects of life on the outside and so many end up returning.

The author of Hebrews wants us to remember those who are too easily forgotten. We are to identify with them as if we ourselves were in their position by moving from sympathy to empathy. Sympathy essentially implies a feeling of recognition of another’s suffering while empathy is actually sharing another's suffering. I am reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan when the Samaritan is moved with compassion and took pity on the nearly dead man. The verb used in that verse implies being deeply moved, in the gut. The Samaritan is deeply moved on the inside and, in turn, is moved toward the man on the outside. I’m sure the other two passers by felt sorry, or sympathetic, for the guy’s situation but only the Samaritan was empathetic. We are to remember prisoners and identify with them in a way that moves us to them.

"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? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’—Matthew 25:37-40

The Least of the Least of These

Not only do we have a tendency to forget the people we don’t see but I think many of us forget that prisoners are a part of ‘the least of these’ group. Most times when I hear people reference this passage it is in the context of caring for the needy. We remember to feed the hungry and clothe the homeless but when is the last time we’ve been reminded to visit prisoners? Before reading this blog post? What does it say about our approach toward prisoners when they are at the end of the line of the least of these? I wonder how many prison ministries there are in relation to food pantries in churches today. In Acts 6 we see a problem being addressed by the disciples. Widows were being overlooked in the distribution of food and so people were assigned to make sure this didn’t continue. As a church that is called to meet the very real needs of the least of these, we need to be careful not to overlook the easily forgotten.

Another aspect of this passage deserves our full attention. What we do to prisoners we do to Jesus! The fact that Jesus connects himself not only to the hungry and homeless but also to prisoners is a huge deal. To be clear, in neither of the passages I have brought up does there seem to be the implication that these prisoners are innocent or falsely accused and imprisoned. Jesus isn’t connecting himself to some righteous group of individuals that are suffering for His name and saying we need to visit them only. We don’t make those kinds of distinctions, or at least shouldn’t, in terms of helping the poor and so we shouldn’t make those sorts of distinctions when visiting and caring for those in prison. If remembering and visiting prisoners is a way of remembering and visiting Jesus than what are we doing when we kill prisoners? Or at least condone of our justice system killing them?  Forgive me for saying it like this but it reminds of the Jews handing Jesus off to Pilate to crucify him. Sure, the Romans killed Jesus on their method of execution but Peter was very clear in Acts about who was guilty.  Jesus’ connection to prisoners in this passage has me looking seriously at how I, myself, view and treat prisoners. I feel neglectful. I am neglectful.

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.
—Matthew 27:38

Jesus on Death Row

Early this week I started a new book with daily readings for the entire year. In the middle of my first day was this quote:

"Isn't it odd that Christendom- that huge body of humankind that claims spiritual descent from the Jewish carpenter of Nazareth- claims to pray to and adore a being who was a prisoner of Roman power, an inmate of the empire's death row? That the one it considers the personification of the Creator of the Universe was tortured, humiliated, beaten, and crucified on a barren scrap of land on the imperial periphery, at Golgotha, the place of the skull? That the majority of its adherents strenuously support the state's execution of thousands of imprisoned citizens? That the overwhelming majority of its judges, prosecutors, and lawyers- those who condemn, prosecute, and sell out the condemned- claim to be followers of the fettered, spat-upon, naked God?"-- Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Jesus didn’t just connect himself with prisoners by what he said. He connected with them in an even greater way by what he did as a recipient of the death penalty. He prayed that his Father would forgive those who did such a thing to him. He even offered forgiveness to his criminal neighbor while they died together. The overpowering message of forgiveness in the context of prisoners and the death penalty is undeniable. Far too often when the death penalty is discussed, forgiveness is pushed to the background while justice and getting what you deserve is center stage. What we see at the cross makes a mockery of our idea of justice and questions our ability to forgive.

My Birthday Wish

My wish is simply that we would remember those in prison. If we remember them, maybe we will go to them. And if we go to them, maybe we will forgive them. And through it all maybe we get to see Jesus.