A Man Did Time For Me

Doing time! Prison life has always fascinated me. It’s another world inside those walls behind the fence. I’ve watched numerous prison movies and documentaries. The whole concept of survival in a place like that is interesting to me. The way that one has to adapt to a life of survival is hard to imagine. I know that prison will certainly change people, some for the better but mostly for the worse.

I once had a friend who spent eighteen years of his life behind bars. His stories intrigued me as I listened to the things that went on behind the barbed wire. When he got out, his biggest struggle was freedom. He didn’t know what to do with his freedom and his ability to have choices.

As much as I am interested in prison life, I do not want to go to prison! Just the thought of it brings on a sickening feeling. I have no desire to learn from experience!

Doing Time For Someone Else

I was watching a movie recently about the life of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G. In the movie, Christopher was running from the police and he was carrying a weapon. As he was running he ditched the gun in a trash can. He was eventually caught and the police found the gun. They didn’t know if the gun belonged to him or his friend who was with him at the time. Christopher had already done time, and his music career was beginning to take off. His friend told him he would take the gun charge for him so that he could get his music career going. It would be a three-year sentence. Christopher reluctantly agreed. Being this was a movie, I don’t know how true the storyline is but I do know that some men and women are doing time for someone else. That is true friendship and love for a friend.

I wonder if I would ever do time for someone else. Doing someone else’s prison time is a very curious concept to me.

As I have thought about this, I see a strong parallel in the life of Jesus. I see Jesus as “doing time” for me. Jesus “did time” as a human being. He willingly became imprisoned, so to speak, in a human body with human limitations. The most miraculous part of it all was that he chose to do it. He chose to lay aside all his abilities as God and experience life as a normal human being.

How could the Almighty Son of God become a human, deal with temptations and human issues and then die? How is that even possible? I know that we read about that happening in myths and legends. I also know that many people believe that Jesus wasn’t the son of God. I know that many people don’t believe that Jesus was fully God and full man.

But I believe it! I don’t know and understand all the intricacies involved in it but I believe it.

Jesus as Full Humanity

The Bible tells us that he was tempted in every way that we are. I don’t think that most of us have ever thought deeply about that. We read about his temptations in Matthew 4, but we don’t see any temptations beyond that listed in the Bible. I am sure that the temptations didn’t stop after Jesus’ wilderness experience. Since he was fully human, he faced the same things all humans face. We are all prone to be irritable when we are tired, to find an easier way of doing things, and to put ourselves first above others. I am tempted by those things and so is the rest of humanity. Jesus was tempted to find another way to save humanity instead of going to the cross, yet he willingly surrendered his will to His father’s will.

Temptation is a part of our daily lives. The good news is that God understands our weaknesses as humans because Jesus did time as a human. I don’t understand prison life because I have never been there but someone who has been will understand the harsh realities of prison life . . . because they have been there.

Jesus has been there as a human being! He understands our weaknesses and frailties. The most amazing part is that he is forever now a human being.

Because Jesus understands he can give mercy and compassion. He can sympathize with our weaknesses. He can come alongside us and help us carry the burden. He can pray for us because of his experiential knowledge of the human experience.

The things I have experienced in my life bring me an understanding so that I can comfort, help, and guide others who are facing similar experiences. However, I have found myself out of my league when dealing with someone who has gone through something I have never experienced. I have no point of reference. I have no understanding.

Jesus isn’t like that though. Somehow, during his time on earth, he managed to experience all that comes against humanity. I don’t think that he experienced every single little temptation that we do, like the temptation to watch too much TV. But I think that the basic temptations of life were experienced by Jesus. I believe that Jesus dealt with things that are related to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

I believe that our human temptations boil down to a few basic ones, such as the need to feel loved, the need for acceptance, and the need to feel validated. I believe we all do things for a reason. Every time we do something wrong, there is usually a deeper reason for it. I believe that Jesus’ temptations were in the areas of trying to fill needs within his life that would replace his dependency upon God. That’s simply my opinion and it would make a great discussion but that’s for another time.

Jesus did time for me as a fellow human being. I don’t believe that Jesus looked at his time on earth as “doing time.” When you love someone you will go to whatever lengths necessary to help them. That’s what Jesus did for humanity.

The Creator became the created. God became man. The Son became a son. Life experienced death. Jesus did time for me and you. He is the man that “did time” for all of us. And because of that, we can all be set free from our prisons of trauma, sin, hurt, woundedness, shame, guilt, and fear.