The Daily Word

During what became known as the dark ages, round about 1000AD to about 1300 AD, Europe was a mess of kings, lords and bandits and travel was only something you attempted to do if you had good defences and better in a crowd. 

A popular activity which generated money was to capture an aristocrat or important person and hold them to ransom until money was paid for their release. If the money wasn’t paid, they were either killed or they continued to live in prison being shut away from life. There was some honour and if the money was paid, the prisoner was ransomed and released back to normal life. As money was the main reason to take someone for ransom, it was rare to swop one person who was being held for another.

In Matthew 20, Jesus, who frequently referred to Himself as ‘the Son of Man’, said, “The Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for many”. Peter puts it another way, “We are not redeemed with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Jesus”. 

The only sacrifice that could ransom and free the world from the bondage of sin was the perfect sacrifice of God’s one and only Son. But when we take Him as our Saviour, then we acknowledge that Jesus shed His blood for each of us individually, and that was the ransom price to set us free from the power and punishment of sin and Satan. 

Article written by Brian Preston, Elder @SFGH Church