Our Brothers And Sisters In Prison

“When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Matthew 25:39-40

In the last few years I have had the opportunity to visit women in prison. When I first began going into our state’s maximum-security women’s prison, I was very aware that I wasn’t just “taking Jesus to the prison” but that he was already there, working actively in the hearts and minds of the inmates. When they come to Christ, as many do through the Bible studies and spiritual activities, they become our sisters in Christ. Not just criminals, aliens, or strangers, but part of God’s family, with Christ at the head.

I wrote a course to teach mothers to reach out to their children from behind bars. Through our nonprofit ministry, Redeeming the Family, we began the Oklahoma Messages Project, which videotapes parents reading a book to their children and sharing a loving, positive message with them. We send the children the DVD Message from Mom or Message from Dad and a copy of the book read on the video. The children can watch these videos over and over and be reminded they are not forgotten and are deeply missed—and this makes a world of difference in the kids’ lives. The prisoners who get to do a DVD message are motivated to become better citizens and parents. Through this project they also sense God’s love for them and their children.

Jesus’ promise in today’s verses is that when we visit those in prison, whatever we do, we are doing it to and for him. What an honor and privilege to minister to those behind bars in Christ’s name!

Jesus, thank you for showing us what really matters: caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, and feeding people who are hungry, and doing these things in your name.

Feed on Christ, and then go and live your life, and it is Christ in you that lives your life, that helps the poor, that tells the truth, that fights the battle, and that wins the crown.

Phillips Brooks(1835–1893), American minister and author