"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:25-28
As I have been struggling with getting back to reading God's Word daily, I have ended up doing a lot more thinking than actually reading. As I came across these verses in Matthew, the word "ransom" struck me as one of the more powerful words in these few verses. What exactly is a ransom? According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is defined as "the price or payment made for our redemption, a debt that has not been cancelled, but fully paid. The slave or captive is not liberated by a mere gratuitous favor, but a ransom price has been paid, in consideration of which he is set free. The original owner receives back his lost possession because he has bought it back 'with a price'."
This price or ransom always said to be Christ, his blood, his death. He secures our redemption by the payment of a ransom. This payment is what intrigued me the most. This means of payment, a means of horrible , to set us free from the burdens and of sin. Are we also finding comfort in the reality of the love God has for us that compelled Him to provide for our greatest need -- the ransom for the forgiveness of our sins -- and to offer a hope that will not disappoint us?
In spite of disappointing events and fearful situations of this life, we can still find comfort and hope because of the assurance God's grace provides for an eternity with Him. By knowing this simple fact and demonstration of grace, we can humbly acknowledge these blessings as undeserved, while at the same time experience a confidence that will powerfully motivate us to press on in life knowing the blessings are most assuredly ours in Christ. Praise God for His amazing grace that provided us with Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, and our Ransom.
1 comment:
Do you know what struck me most? The fact that the price/debt is not simply cancelled, but paid in full! That is why Jesus said that he did not come to abandon the law, but to fulfill it. And according to the law that God has given to Moses there has to be a sacrifice for debt, for sin.
Jesus was this sacrifice - once and for all!
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