Freedom for the Prisoners
Scripture — Isaiah 42:6-7 (NRSV)
I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Focus
The Servant of God in Isaiah will heal the sick and set free the prisoners. Jesus fulfilled that mission in his earthly life. He continues to fulfill it today through the Spirit and through his Spirit-filled followers. As we are set free by Jesus, we are able to join him in the work of freeing others from their bondage.
Devotion
In Isaiah, the Servant of God will open blind eyes, free the captives, and release the prisoners. These tasks are part of his work of bringing God’s salvation and justice to Israel. But that’s not all. Notice that the Lord has given the servant as “a light to the nations” (42:60). He comes, not just for the Jewish people, but for all.
Thus, when Jesus went about healing the sick and setting free those who were in bondage to demons, he fulfilled the mission of the Servant of God. His miracles were not simply acts of godly compassion, but also signs pointing to his divine mission as God’s Servant. Ultimately, by dying on the cross, Jesus broke the power of sin, thus setting us free from the greatest prison of all . . . death itself.
As ones who have put our trust in Jesus, the Servant of God, we begin to experience the freedom he gives even in this life, though the fullness of our freedom is reserved for the life to come. Nevertheless, we can be set free from that which binds us: from shame, from addictions, from anger, from doubt, from despair, from racial hatred, from grasping greed. Through Jesus the Servant we can begin to live in the freedom and joy of God’s salvation.
When we are set free from our “prisons,” we also join Jesus the Servant in his mission of setting others free. We share the good news of the Gospel. We stand up against oppression. We do battle in the Lord against all that keeps human beings in chains. We love our enemies. We who have been entrusted with leadership have a particular responsibility to seek God’s justice in our places of influence. We can join the Lord in his work of setting people free.
These days, when we think of people who need to be set free, we remember political hostages, victims of oppression and injustice, people who have been incarcerated for their faith, and others whose bondage is tangible. But many of us are in less obvious chains. We are held captive by materialism, shame, pride, or hatred. God is at work setting us free also. As this happens, we are able to participate in the freeing work of Jesus.
I think of a man I met recently who had spent many years addicted to hard drugs. By God’s grace and with lots of help, he became sober, free from the addiction that had devastated his life. What does he do now as a free person? He has devoted his life to helping others who are struggling as he once did. This is the sort of thing that happens in our lives when Jesus sets us free and calls us into the life of God’s kingdom.
Reflect
How have you experienced the freedom of Christ in your life?
Where do you need to know more of his freedom today?
In what ways do you participate with Jesus the Servant in his work of setting people free?
Are there other ways you might share in this endeavor? At work? At home? In your community? In the wider world?
Act
Can you think of people in your life who are in bondage to something? If so, take some time to pray for them. Ask the Lord if there is anything you might do to help people experience the freedom of Jesus.
Pray
Gracious Lord Jesus, Servant of God, how I thank you for the freedom you offer. Thank you for giving up your life so that I might be set free from all that binds me, most of all from sin and death.
Help me, dear Lord, to live in that freedom today. Where sin has dug its claws into my soul, set me free. When I am tempted to turn away from you, may I say no to temptation. Where I am weakened by spiritual or emotional or relational bondage, break these chains, so that I might serve you with freedom, joy, and power. Let me be an active member of your freedom brigade so that others might experience your freedom, justice, and peace.
All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for setting me free to follow you:
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. Amen.*
*Verse from “And Can It Be that I Should Gain?” by Charles Wesley, 1738
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The Only Mission Statement That Matters.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...