John 13:1-7

Judas was initially a trusted member of Jesus’ disciples.  He was given responsibility for keeping the funds and paying the bills.  Later, it was discovered that he embezzled some of the funds.  Jesus also knew that Judas would ultimately betray him to the authorities.  Yet, in this scene just prior to Jesus’ arrest, Jesus washes Judas’ feet!  Jesus recognized that Judas was not “clean”, but it did not stop Jesus from serving him.  How do you think Judas felt about having Jesus wash his feet?

Jesus told his disciples that he was giving them an example and that they should do what Jesus had done for them.  Do you think people that are not “clean” are to be included when we “wash people’s feet”?  What makes that especially challenging for you?  Which criminals would you have the most difficulty including in your “foot washing” activities?  Murderers?  Sex offenders?  Why?  

Isaiah 55:6-9

Isaiah invites ‘the wicked’ and ‘the unrighteous’ to turn to the Lord who will have mercy and abundantly pardon.  The Hebrew word translated pardon means “to forgive or release”.   We use the word ‘pardon’ to release an offender from the legal consequences of his/her action.

We are familiar with the concept with Presidential Pardons—an executive order that forgives a crime and cancels any penalty.  In the 20^th Century, over 20,000 pardons have been granted with 3,687 granted by Franklin D. Roosevelt alone.  Most famously, President Gerald Ford gave a full and unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon just before he was to be indicted for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.  His pardon of Nixon was criticized by those who wanted to see Nixon brought to justice and it remains controversial today.

As we begin the final week of Lent, we are reminded of God’s extravagant and abundant grace and forgiveness, and whose thoughts and ways are higher than our ways.  What words come to your mind as you consider God granting pardons?  How have you experienced God’s pardon?  Is there anyone that has turned to you for pardon?  If so, what did you do?  If not, what do you think you would do?

There is no devotional for Sunday, April 13, 2014.  Devotionals will resume on Monday, April 14

Today’s Chicago Tribune featured an article on the Ford Heights Four, four men who were wrongly convicted of rape and murder and sent to death row for years.  Later, they were exonerated due to DNA evidence, but they are still dealing with the effects of incarceration.  Read the entire article HERE.

Luke 18:9-14

Which person are you more like—the law-abiding citizen without a record or the person who has made questionable life choices and broken some laws? 

If you are more like the law-abiding citizen, have you ever regarded another person with contempt?  Who is most likely to be on the receiving end of that contempt—thieves, rogues, adulterers, ______?  How can you guard against contempt toward those who aren’t as upstanding as you?  Does Jesus’ story offer you any hope?

If you identify with the guy with some skeletons in his closet, how does Jesus’ story impact you?  How would you want the law-abiding citizen to treat you?

Leviticus 13:45-46; Mark 1:40-45

The Law stipulated that those with a leprous disease (a description of any skin rash or disorder) had to live in a separate place—isolated from family and friends.  While they were free to roam around, they always had to announce their condition so as not in endanger others. Once again we see Jesus refusing to shun those who have a mark, but instead offers treatment and reintegration into the community. 

Today’s laws stipulate that people with certain criminal records be restricted as to where they can live, who they can be with, and what activities they can participate in.  They must register with the police any time they move so the community can be notified as to their whereabouts.  Beneath the policy is an unwritten belief that these people are beyond redemption or change.

Do you think our isolation laws ensure public safety or do they perpetuate anti-social behavior?  What does Jesus’ action teach us? 

Wrongly convicted.  Released after 25 years.  Exonerated.  Thank God.  

http://news.yahoo.com/man-cleared-nyc-murder-25-years-prison-182841043.html

Mark 10:13-16

Jesus took children in his arms, laid his hands on them and blessed them.  However, before he could, he had to chastise his disciples for trying to prevent it.  Why do you think the disciples tried to limit the children’s access to Jesus?  What might their underlying attitude be toward children?  How do you think the children (and parents) would have felt if Jesus rejected them?

Today, we have seen a growing number of adults “laying their hands” on children—not to bless them but to punish them.  Due to zero tolerance policies, children are being suspended and expelled from school at growing rates.  Expulsion is even becoming common in preschools.  What message do you think expulsion gives to young children? 

Many groups have begun to call suspension and expulsion the first step in the “school to prison pipeline.”  Children who are expelled are much more likely to repeat the behavior and end up incarcerated in juvenile detention facilities and later in adult prisons as they grow up understanding themselves as “bad”.  What, if anything, might Jesus have to say to us about our treatment of children.  Link HERE to learn more about the “school to prison pipeline” and pray that teachers and administrators will move to divert children away from the pipeline.

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and the disciples are confronted with a man who is not in his right mind.  How has the community dealt with this man?  How does Jesus deal with him?  

In this case, the community has criminalized the man while Jesus addresses his illness and treats him.   In the book, “Prisons of the Mind”, prison abolitionist Amanda Pustlinik observes that prisons are used as a “default asylum” for many individuals with mental illness.  She asks, “”why do governmental units choose to spend billions of dollars a year to concentrate people with serious illnesses in a system designed to punish intentional law-breaking, when doing so matches neither the putative purposes of that system nor most effectively addresses the issues posed by that population?”

Consistent with her assessment, almost 50% of the inmates at Cook County Jail have some kind of mental illness.  Why do you think we have chosen incarceration over treatment for these people?  Why do you think Jesus acts differently from the community?  What do you think Jesus would say about our current treatment of people with mental illness? 

In 2002, the US Supreme Court declared that the execution of the mentally ill or those with cognitive disabilities was unconstitutional.  However, there are still people at risk.  It all depends on how “mental retardation” (the jargon still used in the judicial system) is defined.  Warren Hill was scheduled for execution July 15, 2013, in Georgia.  Despite having an IQ of 70, Mr. Hill’s lawyers were unable to meet Georgia’s high threshold to prove his cognitive disability “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  He was not executed as planned after his lawyers challenged it on other grounds and he was given a reprieve.   As of February 17, 2014, his case was still being reviewed by the Georgia Supreme Court.

Acts 16:16-33

As you read the story of Paul and Silas being punished and jailed for helping an exploited servant girl, what do you think makes them capable of singing in the midst of their incarceration?  Also, what do you think makes them capable of serving the jailor—the representative of an unjust judicial system? 

How do you view prison personnel?  They need our prayers too.  Today, pray for prison guards that they will not become hardened to those around them or use their position of power to abuse prisoners.  And remember that guards are often imprisoned people that God wants to release as well.

Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 22:22-23

A full 70% of the people held in Cook County (IL) jail are there simply because they cannot afford to post bond.  They are not dangerous.  They are charged with a violent crime.  They are held—sometimes for months while they await their hearing or trial—because they are poor.  According to Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board, we have turned Cook County jail into the new debtor’s prison.  In addition, many inmates have some form of mental illness or are addicted to drugs or alcohol. The bottom line: Our jails are filled with the poor and needy. 

What opinion do you think God might have about locking up the poor and needy?  What alternative might God want us to pursue? 

Crime statistics and poverty statistics overlap.  The poor are more likely to be victims of crime and they are more likely to engage in criminal behavior—often because they have not other means of surviving.  Many people have attributed this to some flaw in the personal character of people in poverty.  What do you think?

There is no devotional for Sunday, April 6, 2014.  Devotionals will resume on Monday, April 7