Letters From Prison

I am in prison.

Well, not actually locked up in a jail cell with bars on the windows and a cell mate with a tattoo on one arm saying, “Mother” and a tattoo on the other arm of a skull and crossbones. I’m at home, my wife is with me, my cat follows me around, and I have food, drink, the internet, and plenty of books and games. Not only that, but I’m basically an introvert, so being at home almost all the time is not that hard on me. Not yet, anyway.

Other than to make pastoral calls on a few men who were in local jails, I’ve never actually been “in prison.” However, now that I am under “house arrest” by order of the Governor of California and other, more local officials due to the coronavirus pandemic, I consider that I am now “in prison.”

But prison, even one more punitive and spartan than mine, is not the end of the world. Some of the most famous and impactful writings are those that are known as “Letters from Prison,” because they were, well, written while their authors were in jail or prison.

Among such writings are, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. about confronting racism non-violently; “Letters and Papers from Prison” by the Lutheran pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who was executed in a Nazi prison); “The Prison Letters” by Nelson Mandela against apartheid; and Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (no, scratch that last one – he and his writings were more infamous than famous. To borrow a phrase from Franklin Roosevelt, Hitler and his book “will live in infamy!”)

A better example would be our old friend, Martin Luther, who during a ten month span under protective custody in the Wartburg Castle, translated the New Testament into German and corresponded with friends and fellow reformers back in Wittenberg, including Philipp Melanchthon. He wrote letters of encouragement for those carrying on in his absence, and spoke on matters affecting the churches. He complained of himself being idle and “drunk with leisure,” yet at the same time he told of what he was doing, such as reading Scripture in Greek and Hebrew, and writing sermons and commentaries. He said, “I am both very idle and very busy here; I am studying Hebrew and Greek, and am writing without interruption.” So much for sitting around idly!

An even better example is the Apostle Paul, whose Prison Epistles are part of the inspired Holy Scriptures. Paul was held in various jails when arrested by local authorities for disturbing the peace by stirring up opposition to his preaching. One was in Ephesus, when the local silversmiths rose up against him for ruining their business of selling silver idols. Another was in the Greek city of Philippi, where Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and imprisoned for disturbing the peace and promoting non-Roman customs (Acts 16:20-21). But those confinements were short term; his long-term, final imprisonment began when he was falsely accused of taking a Gentile into the Jerusalem Temple (Acts 21). He was arrested and held in jail the rest of his life, first in Caesarea in Judea (Acts 24-25) and then in Rome (Acts 28). It was during his lengthy imprisonment in Rome that Paul wrote some of his “letters from prison,” specifically Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The first three were written to churches which Paul had founded or visited, laying out important doctrines to help those believers counter false teachers who were contradicting the true Gospel which he had taught them. The final one was to a friend, Philemon, asking him to take back a slave, Onesimus, who had run away, and accept him as a brother in Christ. Included in these Prison Epistles are some of the most beloved and important passages of Scripture, such as:

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 6:12-13 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (followed by the description of the whole armor)

Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 2:5-10 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Colossians 3:18 “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” (This passage continues with instructions to the husbands, but I think I’ll stop here to keep this blog short . . .)

Yes, indeed, Paul made good use of his time in jail, not to mention that he converted some of his jailers and guards to the faith, too!

As for me, while sitting eating bonbons and watching TV and cat videos for several hours yesterday, I thought about making good use of this enforced leisure by writing my own, soon-to-be-famous, “Letters from Prison.” So let me share a few thoughts with you, most of whom are “fellow prisoners,” about this current situation we all are in, thanks to the coronavirus.

But, because this blog is long enough, I’m going to present my “Letters from Prison” in Part 2 of this blog (cliffhanger!). So, until next time,

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Acts 16; Philippians 4; Ephesians 6

P.S. Teaser for Part 2: What about church gatherings vs stay-at-home orders?