Ransom

Revelation 4 & 5     Joel Keller

"Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."  Rev.5: 9,10

Ransom (noun): 1. a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity; 2. the act of ransoming.

Ransom (transitive verb): 1. to deliver especially from sin or its penalty; 2. to free from captivity or punishment by paying the price.    [Merriam-Webster iPhone application]

The word ransom always stops me in my tracks.   To me, the word is the absolute embodiment of Jesus.  He was born to die - for us.  He came to defeat the works of the devil, namely to take us back from our enemy.  He triumphed over death, on the Cross.  His death was the price demanded by the Father; Jesus Himself was the perfect Lamb of God - the perfect sacrifice.  Old Testament history now made sense (the sacrificial system); it was the ultimate synergy on a cosmic level.  Yet, the Father didn't stop there: He raised His Son from the dead, annihilating death once and for all.  He paid the price and gifted us with real life; the eternal type.  Now, I can live a new life - empowered daily by You, Holy Spirit - all because the blood of Jesus paid the ransom.  He was the Ransom.  Truly amazing.  I am forever grateful.