Jesus, the Ransom. I, the Ransomed

Jesus’ ministry on earth was very short, approximately 3 years. It was packed with wonderful teaching and miracles, but all the time Jesus knew that he was going to die, a fact that I still amaze while reading the gospels! He didn’t hide this fact from his disciples. Several times Jesus told them that he was going to suffer at the hands of the Jewish leaders and be put to death.

“[The] Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31, NIV. See also Mark 9:31; 10:32-34).

Jesus, the Savior. I, the Sinner

This is out of my mind, I said to myself, I can’t imagine what Jesus felt and thought knowing that he was going to die soon. (By the way, how would you handle it?). But strangely as his prediction of his own death was, he made it plain that his death would not be pointless. It would achieve something even more wonderful than his teaching and miracles. Jesus told his disciples that he would “give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

‘Ransom” is not so familiar word for me, “to redeem” is. But the word “ransom” is richer in its meaning. Here it means two things: First, kidnappers demand a ransom to release the people they’ve captured, and all of us humans have been captured by the power of sin. Jesus told his disciples that he would pay the ransom which would release humans from the captivity of sin. Jesus would pay it by giving up His life, by the shedding of His blood on the cross.

The other meaning is that, because of sins, all of us humans have to be punished by the holy God. God who is holy can’t stand to see any sin – even a dot of sin – hated it and will cast sinners to hell out of His holy presence (Check: How holy is your God?). This punishment can be thought of as a fine – the fine of death. Jesus told his disciples that he would pay the ransom – the fine – which would release us sinners from the punishment of God. Jesus would pay it by giving up His life, by the shedding of His blood on the cross.

Jesus taught that He would suffer and die.

His death would achieve something greater than His teaching and miracles

He gave up his life “as a ransom for many” by the shedding of His blood on the cross

To free us from the power of sin and the punishment of the holy God

This is how much Jesus has done for you – what is your respond to this truth?

To all of this wonderful work of salvation, I say, “Hallelujah!”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.