A RANSOM PAID

MARK 10:35–45

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many”

(Mark 10:45).

There have been many interpretations of the meaning of the Cross. We therefore have to be careful that our understanding of the Atonement is biblical. This is not to say that there are not various facets to the Atonement. For example, the Atonement not only removes man’s guilt in his rebellion against God, but it also satisfies God’s justice and thus propitiates His righteous indignation and holy wrath against the elect. Still, despite its many facets, we must not make the Cross into something that it is not.

One such deviation is the theory that the Cross is a “ransom to Satan.” While the Atonement is a ransom, it is not a ransom to Satan. Let us examine this more closely. In Mark 10:35, James and John wanted to be exalted to a high station in Christ’s kingdom. Jesus answers them by saying they must be servants. The disciples did not understand the mission of Christ. They only saw the glory, not the shame and humiliation. Jesus, however, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

A ransom is a payment that is made in order to secure the release of a captive. We associate ransoms with kidnappings in which money is demanded for the release of hostages. One of the tasks of the Messiah would be that He would release captives. He does this by paying a ransom. Some believe that Jesus paid a ransom to Satan because he is the one who holds people hostage. The Bible does teach that man is captive to sin and in bondage, as it were, to Satan. The idea of a ransom paid to Satan to satisfy his demands has had a long history in Christianity. But this theory does not do justice to the biblical portrait of the Atonement.

In light of Scripture, we must understand that the ransom is paid to God Himself. God is the one who must be satisfied. He is the one to whom the debt is owed. And He is the one to whom the debt is paid. Jesus does not negotiate with Satan for our salvation. Jesus pays the demands of the Father, and then by the Father’s satisfaction and by that payment, Satan’s power is broken. Satan does exercise a tyranny over us, but we must not assume that Satan is the one who receives a payment from Christ. Once the Son pays God the ransom, Satan’s head is crushed.

CORAM DEO

Ezekiel 4–6

Hebrews 10:1–23

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” is only one passage that should make you reconsider the “ransom theory.” Can Satan demand anything of God? Is Jesus not Lord over all? Spend some time in prayer today, using Psalm 24 as your focus. Praise Christ for being Victor over sin and death.

For further study: Ex. 21:30; 30:12 • Hos. 13:14 • Ps. 24:1 • 1 Tim. 2:1–7

friday

november