Untitled Sermon (2)
Do the Crime, Pay Someone to Do the Time
Genesis 22:13; Isaiah 53:4–6; Ezekiel 18:20; John 10:11; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:21–24; 3:18
Preaching Themes: Justice, Substitution
“Do the crime, pay someone else to do the time” was the headline in the Sydney Morning Herald. In May 2009, a wealthy 20-year-old Chinese man was drag racing through the streets of Hangzhou when his Mitsubishi struck and killed a pedestrian at a crossing. This crime can be the death penalty for some. When they found out about his excessive speed (over 70 mph) and his light and callous attitude afterward, it caused an outcry in the city. So he was arrested, or so they thought. Later they found out that the man who was sentenced was not the criminal at all but someone who had been paid to take the three-year prison sentence for him.
The rich families of China do this to avoid justice. In China this is so common they call the person who does the time a “substitute criminal” or “replacement convict.” They agree to a price, then do the time. People who are broke and/or desperate are willing to make as little as $31 for every day they pay for another’s crime. Jesus was not desperate or penniless, yet he became a “substitute criminal” for you and fully paid for your crimes. What but love could motivate Jesus to do that for us?
—Jim L. Wilson and David Mills