March 12
Escape Story
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ––Colossians 1:13-14
Many of my favorite films have an awesome escape story. One that jumps to mind is The Shawshank Redemption, where Tim Robbins plays unflappable and brilliant Andy Dufresne, who collaborates with Morgan Freeman to escape the Shawshank State Penitentiary in Castle Rock, Maine. Another great one is The Great Escape, with the iconic motorcycle scene with Steve McQueen as he schemes to break out of a Nazi POW camp.
We all have escape stories. Some are nostalgic, such as escaping detention in junior high school even when we were the ones goofing off. Other escape stories are more intense, like escaping an abusive home by leaving as fast as your feet could carry you when you turned 18.
The Bible is full of great escape stories, including Joseph escaping prison and being elevated to a royal position in pharaoh’s court, Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt in the Red Sea crossing, and Peter escaping prison with the assistance of an angel, among many others.
The greatest escape story, however, is the one where Jesus came to earth to steal death from Satan and secure life for humankind. In that story, we are all bound in chains, born into a world of sin, and convicted as “guilty” by the father of lies. Think about what your life would be like without Christ. One word sums it up better than any other: Prison. The most dramatic scene in this escape story takes place on a wind-swept hill outside Jerusalem, circa 33 AD. It’s a dark, depressing scene: Roman soldiers nailing the Man to the cross, foisting it upward and into its pedestal, the Rabbi helpless, beaten, and bloodied. All is lost.
Until it isn’t.
The greatest irony in history unfolds: through death, Jesus conquers Satan. The irony is not that Jesus died on the Cross; the irony is that He could not rise again unless He submitted to the Cross in the first place. This escape story is something the devil didn’t see coming. As a hater and deceiver, with no understanding of sacrificial love, Satan completely overplayed his hand. His hubris—like so many villains in so many escape stories—was his downfall. When that round stone is rolled away three days later, it’s the plot twist no one saw coming—not even Jesus’ disciples.
We are all caught up in the same great escape story: As men of God, our lives bear witness to the fact that broken, sinful men can beat the odds, silence the critics, and thwart the devil. Think about your own spiritual escape story. If not for Jesus, where would you be today? The converse of that is your testimony—that in spite of all the junk you’ve been through, all the dirt Satan has on you, you’ve beaten the world’s odds. You’ve escaped because of a glorious loophole in the enemy’s legal system. Jesus stood up as your advocate in the Court of Heaven and said, “That’s my guy. He’s publicly declared His love and committed His life to Me, and I’m here to adjudicate his case. The accuser is a liar, and he no longer has any legal right to press charges against my boy here. I rest my case!”
How cool is that? Jesus is the unlikely hero who out-maneuvered Satan and death to deliver us from evil. The greatest thing you can do now is share your escape story with others, and agree to follow the rules of His legal system—a system of government based upon His grace for you and toward you.
Father, thank You for designed the perfect escape for me—for sending Your one and only Son to earth to pay the price for sin that I could never pay on my own. You are a merciful God!