Emphasis Preaching Journal

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy of the Church included mercy towards the hungry, naked, sick, strangers, widows and fatherless, the dead, and prisoners. That prisoners have been abused in the past to arouse such charity is evidence their lot was a hard one in Old Testament as well as New Testament and modern times. Ebedmelech did a creditable act of philanthropy to be Jeremiah's advocate. In our modern terms of cruel and unusual punishment, Jesus was an abused prisoner as were Joseph, Samson, and Paul.