We might want to spiritualize this great escape, drawing the parallel between that escape and God’s freeing grace at work in our hearts. We could talk about being freed from guilt and shame. We could think about being rescued from addictions and hopeless futures. Certainly Jesus does that.
But this is about a real escape from a real prison. Sometimes we need earth-bound relief. Sometimes we need a new address. A new boss. A new job. In this case the escape was an answer to fervent prayer. So perhaps rather than spiritualizing this, we might take a page from the early church and pray for an earthly escape of our own.
When that happens, we can praise God for his gracious rescue.
