Doing Time

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Cor 5:21

On December 24, 2003 Governor Jeb Bush dedicated the nation’s first faith-based prison in Lawtey, Florida. If it turns out like a noted prison in Brazil, skeptics will be speechless.

In the 1980's, the Brazilian government gave two Christians a prison near Sao Jose dos Campos. These two believers were convinced the prison could be transformed through the implementation of Christian principles. They were right! The inmates do all of the work, and they are each adopted by families outside of the prison who work with them during and after their sentence.

When Chuck Colson visited Humaita, he was deeply impacted by what he saw. The walls were decorated with Scripture from Psalms and Proverbs, and the prisoners were smiling, peaceful, well-kept, and industrious. He was particularly intrigued by the countenance of the murderer who unlocked the gates and let him in.

On his tour of the prison, Colon’s guide led him to the solitary confinement cell that had once been used for notorious brutality and torture. While walking down the long concrete corridor, the guide told Colson there was only one inmate in there now. As he put the key in the lock of that single cell, he asked, “Are you sure you want to go in?” Colson rather impatiently replied, “Of course. I’ve been in isolation cells all over the world.”

Even though the leader of Prison Fellowship had seen all types of prison dynamics, he was caught off guard by what he saw in the cell. Behind the massive door was a beautiful crucifix that had been carved by the inmates. As they both looked at the depiction of Christ’s sacrificial death, the guide softly said, “He’s doing time for the rest of us.”

That is the simple yet profound message of redemption.