He had €20,000 in his pockets and was on his way to prison—but not as a criminal.
Activist and journalist Arne Semsrott was appalled by a German law, going back to Nazi days, that jailed people for something so trivial as not paying a train fare. If you’re caught fare-dodging on a train or bus, you must pay €60. But if you can’t pay, or if you keep dodging tickets, you must do time in prison instead. Of course this law affects poor and vulnerable people most. However, Arne found a loophole: you don’t have to pay the fine yourself. So he started a fund to release people from prison by paying their fines. He buys their freedom.
God’s people longed for freedom because they had been exiled for years in Babylon. God saw their defeated, disappointed state and promised a “servant” who would bring “freedom for the captives”, “release from darkness for the prisoners”, healing for the “broken-hearted” and even “good news to the poor” (Isaiah 61:1). Centuries later Jesus would announce that he had fulfilled this prophecy (Luke 4:16–21). Christ died to release us from darkness, sin and death (see Romans 8:1–2, Mark 10:45).
Jesus cares about the poor and those imprisoned when society doesn’t: He sees the forgotten. Whenever you are feeing defeated, stuck in destructive patterns or trapped in a hopeless situation, pray to Jesus, who still brings freedom today.
By Tanya Marlow
REFLECT & PRAY
In what areas of your life do you need Jesus’ freedom? Which of these will you ‘wear’ today—the “crown of beauty”, “oil of joy” or “garment of praise” (Isaiah 61:3)?
Thank You, Jesus, that You came so we could live fully free. Please be a comfort to individuals unfairly imprisoned, especially those in Germany who have been unable to pay fines.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus read from Isaiah 61 not long after He began His public ministry (Luke 4:18–19). Then He proclaimed to an astonished synagogue audience in Nazareth, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). Interestingly, as He read Isaiah, Christ stopped before the last part of Isaiah 61:2 , which reads, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” This omission was surely intentional. Jesus was likely signalling two things: He was declaring Himself to be the long-awaited One, and He was informing the people this wasn’t a time for judgment. It was the time for proclaiming good news, setting captives free, and comforting the broken-hearted. Salvation had arrived.
Tim Gustafson
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