Day 26 - The Ransom

During Lent we're reading through the book of Mark on Friday's and Saturday's. Today's reading is Mark 10.

Jesus' journey to the cross was purposeful. He never hid from his disciples the reason why he was here. He came to die. He told that to his disciples repeatedly. In Mark, Jesus had already said it twice:
Mark 8:31-32 (NIV)
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
32 He spoke plainly about this..."; and then in the next chapter again: Mark 9:31 (NIV)
31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."

So also here in chpt 10...Mark 10:32-34 (NIV)
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

There are more details this time. He tells them that it will be in Jerusalem and thtat it will be at the hands of both the Jewish and Gentile authorities. Three times in three chapters - he knew his death was an integral purpose of his incarnation. It is later in the 10th chapter that he summarizes the idea of "ransom"... Mark 10:45 (NIV)
45 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."

Jesus came to be a substitionary sacrifice. We don't know this word in English except by the idea of a kidnapping. The Greek word is "lutron", which in the first century Roman world meant to "buy the freedom of a slave or a prisoner". We don't like the idea of slavery, nor imprisoning, but the point is simple...Jesus came to pay for our sin, something we couldn't possibly pay ourselves, in order to purchase our freedom. Jesus didn't die despite God being loving, but rather he died because of God's love.

C. S. Lewis wrote this into his great story: "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe".
"When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward."

God created the world, and "it was good". The Fall brought corruption...Adam and Eve were traitors to God, and we have followed in their paths. God then sent his son, and he although the cross was a horrible site, his love changed it all...it has redeemed, and is redeeming even now today.

Peace

If you're reading through the-Bible-in-a-year with me, today's reading is 2 Samuel 16,17,18.