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Frederick the Great reigned over Prussia for almost 50 years during the 18th Century. He was considered by many, including Napoleon, to be a military genius. He was also a philosopher, a builder, and a patron of the arts. He lived during the Age of Enlightenment and readily embraced its ideals.
He also had an incredible sense of humor, as well. He was known for his sarcasm, his razor-sharp wit, and his self-deprecating jokes. He also had a penchant for pranks. No one, friend or foe, was exempt from his jesting. He was a man who didn’t seem to take himself, or anyone else, too seriously.
That attribute paid off in a big way for one criminal in his kingdom.
During the tour of a prison in Berlin, the incarcerated men were brought before Frederick and introduced to their king. They all fell to their knees, and when addressed by the powerful monarch, each prisoner insisted upon his innocence.
“I didn’t do it!”
“It wasn’t me!”
“I don’t belong here!”
“I was framed!”
No matter the verdict, each man had an alibi, an excuse, or a denial. All, except one man.
When Frederick asked the man why he was imprisoned, the criminal kept his face down and answered in a low voice, “Robbery, Your Majesty. Armed robbery.”
“And, are you guilty of this crime?”
Again, without looking at the king, he simply replied, “I am, O King, and I deserve my punishment.”
Frederick immediately shouted to one of the guards standing nearby. “Jailer! Take off this man’s shackles and have him released at once!” Confused by the king’s command, the guard asked Frederick why the prisoner should be set free.
“Because he is guilty and I will not have him kept in here where he will corrupt all the innocent men who occupy this jail!”
The prisoner confessed his guilt to the king and was set free.
When we confess the guilt of our sin to the King of Kings, we are also set free.
