Breaking In

Jesus voluntarily gave up His freedoms in order to win forgiveness and life for sinners. He was ‘imprisoned’ to the Will of God through a willing obedience. At the end of His life He was captured by Roman soldiers, mocked, beaten and crucified. After He breathed His last on the Friday afternoon, His body was incarcerated in a sealed and guarded tomb until the Sunday morning. Then He broke free of the chains of death and rose back to life. Demonstrating a power that could even escape the grave, Jesus resurrection life is now marked by an unrestrained freedom to go and do as He chooses.

That first Sunday evening Jesus’ friends had gathered in a room and locked all the doors for fear that they could be treated as the master had been. But a locked door was no hindrance to Jesus. He appeared in the room - a real physical presence - showed them His wounds and brought them a message of peace. A similar thing happened in another locked room a week later.

On the day of Pentecost the fledgling church were again gathered in a closed room. But that couldn’t keep out the Holy Spirit who Jesus sent to saturate their lives.

A man named Saul had locked his heart shut to Jesus. He was on a journey to capture and kill Christians when Jesus broke into his life and transformed it completely.

Some years later, the Apostle John was locked in prison on the lonely Mediterranean island of Patmos. The cell could keep John in but it couldn’t keep Jesus out. He appeared in a vision and said

“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and 

behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

In the next part of John’s vision he saw Jesus moving freely about the different churches unhindered by their difficult circumstances. He was there with them even when they were not conscious of Him.

In history the Lord has sometimes drawn particularly near to His people during periods of forced isolation. John Bunyan recalled times of communion with God, while imprisoned for his faith in Bedford gaol, when he experienced what Scriptures describes as “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). The love of Christ became so real to Samuel Rutherford whilst alone in a prison cell that he wrote:

“My prison is a palace to me, and Christ's banqueting house.”

Jesus is absolutely free. He is not under obligation to meet people in a special building like a church or cathedral. His Spirit is at complete liberty to ‘visit’ us in our homes and dwell in our hearts. The current lockdown restrictions limit us but they do not limit Him! Internet services are far from ideal and I hope we can resume meeting together soon - but there can be that sense of Jesus drawing near as we read the Bible and pray, even in these temporary substitutes for gathering for worship.