HD Homilies- Free

There have been a couple of high-profile prison breaks in the US recently.  In one instance, ten inmates escaped from a jail in New Orleans, using electric hair-trimmers to cut through a wall.  (Witnesses say they were cutting it pretty close!)  In another case, a former police chief in Arkansas strolled out of the jail wearing a makeshift officer uniform.  (I’m pretty sure that was Episode 1 of the Netflix show “White Collar!”)

Apparently, prison breaks happen more than we hear about.  Only the most dramatic escapes get national attention.  Several years ago, ENan and I visited Alcatraz Prison located in the San Francisco Bay.  Alcatraz was called “inescapable” by prison authorities due to the extreme security measures, freezing water, strong currents, and sea creatures that could eat you. Still, several attempted the escape, and some apparently succeeded.

The Book of Acts has a prison escape story in reverse.  Paul and Silas cast a demon out from a woman who could predict the future.  When her “owners” realized they had lost their meal ticket, they had Paul and Silas thrown in jail.  That night, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns - not your typical inmate behavior.  Suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison doors open, and the prisoners’ chains fell to the ground.  The jailer was prepared to kill himself, fearing that all the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself.  We are all here!”

The jailer brought them out of their cell and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.’” (Acts 16:30)  The jailer took Paul and Silas home so they could share the good news with his family.  Everyone accepted Christ and were baptized.  Then they went back to the jail to face the charges against them.

Paul Harvey used to tell “the rest of the story” in his radio broadcasts.  The rest of this story is that Paul and Silas were set free by the Roman authorities, along with an apology for their unfair treatment.  The real story of the day, however, is that the jailer and his family were set free from sin, from death, and from a life cut off from God.

It is possible to live your life locked in a room with open doors.  With Christ, it is possible to live a life of freedom even from behind bars.

-Dr. Jim Baldwin