Mark 10:43-45 “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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.”
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. It is significant for Christians because it reminds followers of Jesus that He died for the sins of humanity. Many believe that His death had to happen in order for people to have a relationship with God.
For the first thousand years of Christianity, most Christians believed that Christ was a ransom that was paid to Satan in exchange for releasing humans from the bondage of sin. Satan had control over humanity since the fall of man (in Genesis), and only the soul of a perfectly innocent Jesus would be an acceptable payment for the return of humanity to the Father. But Jesus is also God. After three days, Jesus left hell (1 Peter 3:18-20) and was raised from the dead. He eventually returned to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 1:9-11)
But Jesus is also God. After three days, Jesus left hell (1 Peter 3:18-20) and was raised from the dead.
The idea that Jesus’s death was a ransom to the Devil might seem crazy to us, but it’s not so crazy if you look at the culture that produced it. It was not uncommon in those days to have “marauding gangs” that roam about “capturing travelers and demanding payment for their release.”
The strongest biblical support for this theory, known as the Ransom Theory of Atonement, comes from the very words of Jesus himself found in Mark 10:45.
Two other New Testament verses also mentioned this “ransom”:
Matthew 20:28 “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.”
1 Timothy 2:5–6 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
Christ came as a ransom to “to save many from their sin and from its guilt, power and penalty in eternal punishment.”
Biblically, a ransom means “deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, especially the payment of a redemptive fine”. Christ came as a ransom to “to save many from their sin and from its guilt, power and penalty in eternal punishment.”
- A ransom is in place because someone has been kidnapped and is held hostage.
- A ransom is the price needed to be paid in order for a release or deliverance.
- The ransom cannot be paid by the one held captive.
- Someone else needs to have the resources and must be willing to pay this ransom. Likely a loved one.
Psalm 49:15 tells us “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me.” God will pay the ransom Himself in order to receive us back to Himself. That is how much God loves us and how much we meant to Him.
Good Friday might not be so good for Jesus – who suffered death and the punishment of sin on our behalf. But Good Friday is really good for us – for we have been redeemed and can find the way back to God.
Any news or promise is only good if it is real and you believe it.
So is Good Friday GOOD for you?
God will pay the ransom Himself in order to receive us back to Himself. That is how much God loves us and how much we meant to Him.
Reflection Questions
- Why is it important for you to remember Jesus’ suffering?
- How much do you think God loves you for Him to send Jesus to pay the ransom for you?
- How does Jesus’ example help you when you want to be great, when you want to be served and when you encounter suffering?
Prayer
“Lord Jesus, thank You for being willing to suffer (in my stead), even to death, so that I might receive eternal life.”
Rev Alvin Ngo has retired after 36 years of full-time pastoral ministry to be fulltime caregiver to his wife who has dementia. In his spare time, he reads, writes and preaches at least once a month, counsels and mentors others. He is married to Wai Leng and they have three children, Isaac, Ivan and Isabel.
