“Let’s go to the jail to preach the gospel,” said Mr. Chilo.
“Okay, let’s go!” I replied.
We were visiting Christian friends in the Dominican Republic, and Mr. Chilo loved to tell others of the great love of his Saviour, the Lord Jesus. He was an old man with white hair, but he still walked briskly. Although I was almost 40 years younger than he, I had to work to keep up with him as we headed to the jail.
Many people in the Dominican Republic are very poor, but Mr. Chilo was not. He had a large farm with many animals and fruit trees, but he was never too busy or too rich to remember poor people or to tell sinners about the Saviour.
When we got to the jail, it was terribly hot. There was not a single tree for shade in the whole prison courtyard. The prisoners slept on iron cots built four cots high, one on top of the other, around the courtyard. The top cot near the ceiling was the hottest of all. I couldn’t see how they even climbed up there.
Mr. Chilo and I and some other Christian friends sang hymns and read from the Bible to the prisoners. Then we walked around to talk to the men.
I started to repeat a Bible verse to a man named Juan, “Christ Jesus came into the world . . .”
“. . . to save sinners,” he finished!
“If you know that,” I said, “why are you in jail?”
“Stealing,” Juan replied.
“Well, who taught you that verse from the Bible?” I asked.
“That man right there,” Juan replied, pointing to Mr. Chilo.
Later when we left the jail, I asked Mr. Chilo if he remembered Juan.
“Oh yes, I remember him,” he said. “He and his friends used to steal from me. I told them, ‘If you’re hungry, ask me, and I’ll give you a chicken - but don’t steal from me at night.’ But Juan answered me, ‘A stolen chicken tastes better.’ ”
Since Mr. Chilo was a Christian, he had taught Juan Bible verses and had spoken to him about his need of the Saviour, rather than report him to the police. But later Juan stole from someone else and ended up in jail. And what an awful jail!
Boys and girls, could you learn a lesson from Juan? The Bible says, “The way of transgressors is hard” (Proverbs 13:1515Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard. (Proverbs 13:15)). It says, “His own iniquities [sins] shall take [catch] the wicked himself, and he shall be holden [imprisoned] with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:2222His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. (Proverbs 5:22)). Don’t steal even a cookie from the cookie jar! You never know what the devil will lead you to steal next. What Juan needs - and what you need too -is to have his sins washed away. I’m sure that Mr. Chilo had also taught him that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)).
I cannot tell you if Juan was ever sorry for his sins and turned to the Saviour to have them washed away. But I can tell you that Mr. Chilo is still a happy Christian and still loves to tell people of his wonderful Saviour. Who will you be like? Will you be like Mr. Chilo who is happily waiting to be taken to God’s happy home in heaven - or Juan who was shut up to live in a hot and crowded jail? If Juan never turns to the Lord Jesus to be washed clean from his sins, he will still have to go to another jail. This one will be far, far worse, where sinners are bound hand and foot and cast into the lake of fire. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:1515And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)).
“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). Will you accept Christ’s wonderful gift of eternal life?
ML-03/09/1997