A READING FROM MARK
45For the Son of Ma n came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
MESSAGE IN A PARAGRAPH OR TWO
The above lesson is the last sentence in Sunday’s gospel lesson. The lesson is about servant leadership. Jesus expects his followers to be servants, even slaves to others rather than ranting tyrants. The last sentences shows how far Jesus went for his followers. But the wors “ransom” is often misunderstood.
The Greek word translated to ransom does not mean that Jesus paid a price for our debt. It’s like a transaction that takes place when some is kidnaped. It’s translated that way and many, many church bodies teach it that way. I have taught it that way, The most accurate way to translate the Greek word is liberating event.
Jesus gave his life to set his followers free from our bondage to human ways rather than God’s ways. We are now free, without being bound to sin, to follow in the way of Jesus rather than the way of the world.