Jesus was crucified between two thieves.
He was there because he had been betrayed by a thief.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is grounded in the acts of thieves.
After meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus offered to make restitution of anything he had stolen.
The prophet Malachi charges all of us with stealing from God.
Isaiah condemned those who took advantage of the poor, the “payday loan sharks” of that day. Paul told church members at Ephesus who had been thieves to stop stealing.
In old Israel, in Judea of the time of Jesus, in the era of Christendom and in our day stealing has been and continues to be a problem. Why? Is there anything we can do about it? Why did God condemn stealing? What about restitution? What about prevention? How is poverty related to stealing? How is greed related to stealing? And how might a change in our values protect us from the temptation to steal? How should thieves be dealt with by society?
Why a commandment against stealing?
For nearly a year now I have served as pastor of a congregation comprised largely of women who have been convicted by federal courts of being thieves. Their stories have helped me see both the importance and the complexity of this commandment.
Some of the worshippers made poor choices regarding education, employment, abuse of alcohol and drugs, starting a family and living within their means. Some had wants that exceed their means. Some had been raised by thieves and had adopted that lifestyle. Some found excitement in the process of stealing. Some justified their thefts by contending that they were merely taking from other thieves. Some were trying to please lovers and friends. The motivation to steal is varied.
Many in this church acknowledge God was right in commanding us to not steal from one another. They do not like being stolen from, as often happens in their unit. They now understand that for relationships to be whole and communities stable, property rights should be respected.
But some will contend that in their case there was an acceptable exception. I too have sometimes said when deviating from the commands of God, “But my situation is different.” Likely you have done the same. Surely this is a dangerous position to take. To do so we are justifying ourselves rather than asking God for forgiveness.
The ladies in the church seem to be coming to the understanding that it was a sin, a violation of a clear command of God, when they stole something. They must ask God for forgiveness. They need to forgive themselves. They need to stop stealing. They need to ask forgiveness and make restitution, if possible.
As Christians we have a role to play in this. Our society has relied too much on the threat of punishment as a deterrent to crimes like theft. And we have not been redemptive in helping those who have been in prison get re-established in the community. Hunger, lack of shelter and nakedness should never be the motivation for theft. We need to help the needy financially so that they will not become enslaved by “payday loan sharks” and plunge into a deep ditch of debt. And we need to tame our societal passion for consumerism too.
Ministering to others
We encourage the born-again ladies of our congregation to connect with a church home and family when they re-enter the free society. We tell them they can minister to others through a church, and the church can minister to them in return.
As I watch the evening news I see stories of armed robberies, muggings, scams, embezzlement, fraud, car theft and more. Sometimes killings are involved. I hear about overcharging Medicare, loan foreclosures, manipulation of the stock market and the fixing of games of chance. I have had things taken from my car, my yard, even my house. I have lent items to others which have not been returned.
Clear message
In the world of the Bible one finds criticism of exploitation of the poor, of widows and of orphans; enslaving a neighbor; high loan rates; short weights and measures; not paying a worker what is due him; insensitivity to the needs of others. Jesus twice drove the exploitive merchants out of the temple. It is clear that God opposes both active and passive theft.
The clear message of the biblical revelation is that God desires a society that is just, merciful and loving. Jesus summarized the will of God as being that we love Him and love our neighbors. Stealing, whether it be by violence, stealth or deception has no place in the kingdom of God. Look at what Paul has to say in I Corinthians 6:9–11. Note both thieves and swindlers are excluded.
It seems to me there is a lot of stealing going on in our society. Many, if not most, of us who are not in prison for theft are or have been thieves at some point. Repentance is called for. Forgiveness is called for. So is love.
The Aliceville United Body of Believers took as its foundational or watchword text Luke 1:74–75. It declares the mission of Jesus is “to rescue us from the hand of our enemies and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness all of our days.” Jesus came as a servant. He called and still calls His disciples to servanthood. The root cause of stealing is a lack of faith in the provision of God on the one hand and on the other the failure of Christians to be sensitive to the needs of others.
Sunday by Sunday I see evidence of believers, even in this prison setting, striving to live as servants. Exploitation and manipulation, the normative social roles of our society, are being replaced by the Jesus role, servanthood. Stealing is being replaced by service and sharing. Greed by grace. Lust by love. Demanding by doing. Getting by giving. It is beautiful to see servanthood lived out in the life of this rather unusual congregation.
Following Jesus
Following the teaching of Jesus about being a servant is not an easy thing to do anywhere. For the members of this new church it is even more difficult. One is on duty as a servant 24/7 in the prison. There are those who hope, maybe even pray, that the ladies will fail and fall. With all the cultural diversity in the place, it is easy for one to take offense at what others say or do. Yet I see progress and victory in their lives. Certainly if they can do it there, we are without excuse.
As I pastor this congregation, I marvel. I am convicted. I try to be a fearless servant, holy and righteous. I am challenged by the lives of the inmates. I encourage you to do the same. They struggle and sometimes fail. I grieve that I find so few in the free world are as committed to being active disciples of Jesus, true servants.
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