#DailyDevotion You Have Been Ransomed From The Grave. What Are You Going To Do Now?

Lent Day 32

Mark 10:43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

In our worship services God comes and serves us first. He brings us his word, forgiveness, and the sacrament. We respond with thanksgiving, praise, offerings and singing. It is this way because this is always as God has dealt with us. We see that in this lesson. Jesus first comes to serve man. He doesn’t come to be served. And how does Jesus serve us? He comes and gives his life as a ransom for many.

 

Now usually when you think of ransom, someone has been kidnapped. The offending party is demanding payment for the return of your loved one. War in the Old Testament was like that. Countries and tribes would go to battle. The victors would take prisoners. They would them ransom them back to their families and villages. Well we have been kidnapped! Death and Sheol (the Hebrew place of the dead) have held us captive. Our ancestor Adam was caught in sin. Death and the grave held him and all his descendents hostage.

 

But Jesus is our redeemer. He is our ransom. No mere man can ransom us from death as it is written, Psa 49:7 “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,…” But the one is both God and Man can give his life as a ransom for your soul for the life of all men. God has promised to do so: Psa 49:15 “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”

 

Jesus is the one who ransoms us from the power of Sheol, the grave. We believe this by faith but on the Last Day we shall see this promise fulfilled, Hos 13:14 “I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.” Everyone will be raised from the dead on the Last Day, some to perdition and some to eternal life. All are raised because all have been ransomed by Jesus offering his life as a ransom on the cross. That is how Jesus has served us and why he is given a name which is above every name above heaven and on earth.

 

Since our Lord Jesus Christ has served us like this, likewise he calls us to serve one another. He calls us to give our lives, our time, our being to being of service to the person in front of who needs our help. In serving our neighbor we return the service our Lord Jesus Christ has served us.

 

Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ to be our ransom from death and the grave. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may believe this and in turn be of service to those in need around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.