Dr. Rick Mandl - January 14, 2021
Stuck In Solitary?
Devotional Manuscript: Solitary Confinement
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 14th, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. I want to talk to you about a subject that I’m going to guess, most of you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about. . . And that subject is “Solitary Confinement.”
But before we get into that I want to extend an invitation for you to join us for Live Worship in our parking lot beginning this coming Sunday morning - - and each Sunday following at 11:00AM. You may think - - - that’s a kind of a strange segue - - to go from Solitary Confinement to Parking Lot Worship. Hopefully the connection will become clearer as I move forward.
This worldwide pandemic that we’re going through - - -and the shutdown that goes along with it - - has affected different people in different ways. There is no doubt a tiny subset of people that don’t mind it too much. Now make no mistake, they are very concerned about the affect that it’s having on others. They see the number of deaths, and hospitalizations, and they see what it has done to businesses, and they weep with those who weep, but on a personal level . . . They’re still working . . . . They’re working from home - - - which is something that they would have loved to do, but were not allowed by their bosses to do - - pre-pandemic. And because of this shift they have eliminated a monster commute that they had to do (oftentimes more than an hour each way at the beginning and end of each work day – with a lot of that time spent stuck in traffic). Now they’re working from home, so for them an 8 hour day is truly an 8-hour day, not a 10 or 11 hour day. And although they are stuck at home. They’re not stuck there alone. They’re with their family. So they still have community - - And I know that spending that much time in close quarters, even with those you love can bring challenges.
But on the other hand... Think about it this way... For some people their ideal vacation is to be able to travel - - To go and get away from home. For others, when they have time off, their ideal is to do a “Staycation.” Not to go anywhere, but just to stay home with those they love. I know what you’re thinking... You’re thinking “Yes, but there’s something called Too Much Of A Good Thing”
And even for those who enjoy their family, they feel like they passed that point about 10 months ago.
Anyhow, back to my subject... Solitary Confinement... Did you know that according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are more than 80,000 men, women, and children in solitary confinement in prisons across the United States? That is more than any other democratic nation. Which is just another example of how when it comes to the U.S. “We’re number one!” But I digress. . .
When in solitary, prisoners are typically confined to a 6 x 12 cell… 23 hours a day, with nothing but a small sink and toilet to look at. Solitary confinement was first introduced in America in the late 18th century, and at that time it wasn't intended to be a punishment. In fact, solitary was first put into practice at U.S. prisons by a pacifist spiritual community called the Quakers, as part of an experiment to improve prison conditions and rehabilitate inmates. Prisoners were placed in solitary confinement so they could contemplate their crimes and perhaps become repentant.
Imagine 23 hours a day, in a bathroom-sized cell, under florescent lights that never go off, under 24-hour video surveillance, not really speaking or hearing from anyone.
All that time for you, to just think about your mistakes and missed opportunities…the people you’ve hurt and time you’ve wasted.
Maybe that is why although prisoners in solitary confinement account for just 5 % of the total prison population. . . They account for nearly half of its suicides. No one wants that much time alone.
I’ve talked to some people in our church family who’ve told me that for them this whole “Stay At Home” thing feels like prison. They feel like they’ve been sentenced to Solitary Confinement. That’s probably a slight exaggeration.
On the cross, Jesus took solitary confinement to a whole new level. Jesus’ death took about six hours. His hands and feet were nailed to wooden beams at 9:00 a.m. He spent the next six hours in excruciating pain. As darkness descended in the middle of the day, the Son of God screamed, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?”
In a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic, Jesus cried out the most bone-chilling words in human history. . . That cry translates. . . “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” It is the most unique and mysterious statement that Jesus ever made. From the cross He spoke to His Father in a way He never had before, and never will again. Because of this statement, we know that Jesus was at the peak of His agony.
Throughout His beatings, whether it be the crown of thorns placed on his head, and even the nails piercing His body He had never said a word. But when He felt the separation from God that sin brings – as the sins of the world were piled upon Him – it was more than He could take. In all of His humanity, all He could do was scream, “Why?” In His questioning, His brokenness, we see ourselves…because we have all asked that same question… “Why, God?”
A mother who loses a newborn child. A father who has to watch his 10-year-old die of cancer. The single mom trying to raise four children on minimum wage whose husband abandoned her for another woman. A faithful employee of 25 years who gets a pink slip without warning. There are no shortage of “Whys?” Because there is no shortage of pain.
But Christ’s punishment brought our peace… His loneliness ensures our fellowship with God forever. Because of the cross, we don’t have to live in the solitary confinement of regret, hurt, or even sin. Because He was willing to have God forsake Him… We never have to worry about God forsaking us. Jesus’ death and resurrection put an end to mankind’s solitary confinement for all time. Through faith, we can be united with Christ forever… Fully accepted, never alone, and always loved.
If you’re at all feeling isolated, abandoned, forsaken by others. Take a moment and thank God for his promise. . . Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) tells us. . . . “He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” And if you’re one of those who feels like you’ve been sentenced to solitary during this whole Stay At Home thing. . . Join us in our parking lot this Sunday at 11:00. Bring along your mask and your camp chair and we’ll look forward to seeing you
For the rest of you . . . All of our online services will continue uninterrupted at their regular times. Looking forward to seeing you in person or online this weekend. God bless.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
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