Ransom

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45


Today, ransom has a different meaning than it did during the time of Jesus.  Today, when we think of ransom, we tend to think of movie plots like the movie "Ransomed". In the movie, Mel Gibson is a rich guy whose son is kidnapped and he is forced to pay millions to get him back.  In these modern examples, the person who is kidnapped and must be sought out is usually a celebrity or somebody great and important.  It was not like this when Jesus was talking in Mark 10.  When Jesus said this, his disciples and listeners would have immediately thought of slavery.  Even the dictionary defines ransom as "the redemption of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person, etc., for a price."  The fact is that Jesus ransomed you and me from slavery.  We were (or still are) slaves to sin and held as prisoners in it's grasp.  We are worthless prisoners, not important celebrities God really wants back.  This makes the price paid for our ransom even more stunning and beautiful.  There was a price for our salvation, just like there was a price to pay for the possession of a slave.  Jesus paid our price with his death.  It sounds so redundant and cliche to say that Jesus died for us, but it is a truth that should increase affection for Christ in us everyday.  The more I dwell on this and the more I see my sin, the more crazy this is!  GOD DIED FOR US.  It should never be a statement that we just lightly read over.  Think about Jesus paying our ransom, freeing us from slavery.  But the best part about all this is that we are still slaves in a way-- but now, we are slaves in the possession of God the Father, who is love.  We belong to our Creator, our Beloved, our Father, and there is nothing greater than belonging to Him.


For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.  1 Corinthians 7:21


And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  1 Peter 1:17-19