Take the Key

Once there was a man who was thrown in prison for killing another man. His sentence was life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Many years passed, and the man in prison fell into deep depression. He was very sorry. He wept for what he had done, and sitting alone in his prison cell he desperately wanted to make things right. He often thought about what was going on outside of the prison. He dreamed about freedom and what that would feel like. In spite of no hope and the worst of circumstances, somehow he managed to go on, day after day, year after year. The mundane routine and predictability of the day, although hopeless, sadly started to serve as a comfort to him. 

But there was something very unique about this particular murder case.

The Judge had made a written stipulation when the man was sentenced. It was a written stipulation which the murderer didn’t know about. See, way back when the man was sentenced to prison, the judge gave the dead man's brother the option of setting the murderer free under two conditions: the brother of the deceased had to completely forgive the murderer, and then give him the only key to his house along with all his possessions and let him move in. Forgive him and give him a new life. The stipulation was high. The brother was very wealthy.

After a long time had passed, the brother heard about the murderer - how he had expressed regret and sorrow about what he had done. Amazingly, without hesitating the brother raced to the prison.

When the brother arrived he provided the prison warden with the stipulation paperwork from the trial, the warden had no choice but to arrange a meeting. The brother was then humiliated as he went through security and was stripped down to his underwear and given the clothes of a prisoner while inside.

The brother was led to a large room where he waited for the murderer to arrive. During this time the warden showed the murderer the stipulation paperwork and explained to him that the brother of the man he murdered is waiting for him in the next room. The murderer dropped to his knees as the weight of the moment gripped his heart. Tears flooded his eyes as he heard the loud buzz of the prison door opening.

As the door swung open he saw a man on the the other side of the room, now beginning to run towards him. The murderer, still on his knees, braced himself with his head between his knees waiting to be kicked and beat by the brother. As the running footsteps drew closer, they started to slow down and finally stopped right by the murderer’s head. 

The brother, standing over the man who killed his younger brother, sat down on the floor next to the murderer. After a few moments the murderer finally looked up and their eyes locked. The brother’s eyes were opened wide, with, compassion. Confused tears streamed down the murderer’s face and as he opened his mouth to speak nothing but sobs poured out from the inner depths of his soul.

“I…I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

The brother replied, “I know you are son.”

“I’m a murderer! Why are you here?? Why are you doing this??”

The brother declared, “You are forgiven” and wrapped his arms around the murderer. The mouths of the nearby prison guards dropped as they saw the reckless act of love unfold before their very eyes.

The brother continued, “When you did the things you are now ashamed of you did not know who you were. You didn’t know where you came from. You didn’t know what you’re capable of and why you’re here. Son, look at me. I forgive you completely.”

When the prison warden heard those words, he looked down at the stipulation paperwork and put a checkmark next to stipulation #1.

The murderer, now violently sobbing, embraced the feet of the brother and wept aloud while thankfulness poured from his heart.

The brother reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Son, this key gives you access to everything I own. Everything I have is now yours.” And he set the key down on the floor. “No longer will you call yourself a murderer. From this point forward your name will be Justis, which means ‘righteous one’.”

Justis continued sobbing on the floor, and his eyes came into focus on the key. 

“Son, take the key” the brother told him.

After a long while Justis got up and dried his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “Sir, what you did is amazing. I sincerely thank you for your forgiveness. I can now die knowing that I am reconciled to my Maker. So, thank you.”

Now speaking in a more firm voice the brother said, “Take the key”.

Justis turned around and started walking back toward the prison guards.

The brother, now screaming, “Son! Take the key! There is more – everything I have is yours! I have given you freedom!”

Justis continued walking back into the prison, and the guards shut the door behind him.

The brother’s eyes were streaming with tears. “TAKE THE KEY JUSTIS! TAKE THE KEY!” The prison guards shook their heads at the decision of Justis while putting the shackles back on him.

The prison warden, still standing there with the stipulation paperwork, said “I’m sorry sir, but the prisoner did not accept your key. I cannot sign this paperwork.”

The brother turned, hung his head and walked out of the prison. Every day after that he returned to plead with Justis – telling him about his freedom. His destiny. His inheritance.

Often times we become so comfortable with the routine and predictability of slavery. We get comfortable with our three rations per day. We get comfortable with the same prison inmates. We get comfortable with the shame of dead religion. We feel undeserving and hide behind false humility. We say things like, “It’s my cross to bear” and begin to fear the very idea of freedom. We forget freedom even exists. Or worse, we’re deceived into thinking the prison cell is the most freedom we deserve.

See forgiveness is awesome but it doesn’t save us. It doesn’t set us free and empower us to change. It cleans up the old heart but doesn’t give us a new one. It tears down the old house but it doesn't raise up a new one. It’s the resurrection of Jesus that saves us. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Sadly, most churches only like to talk about the death of Jesus - forgiveness - leaving us with a key to the door of nowhere.

The new heart of flesh is given in this life, not the one to come. It is finished. His death reconciles us, His life saves us. We need to take the key and leave the prison. We need to see what lock it opens. Jesus died to deal with who you were, but was resurrected to make you into something new.

We’re not forgiven prisoners. We have been set free.

Take the key!

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” – Romans 5:10