CROSS PURPOSES 5: REDEMPTION
For the past 4 weeks, we have been asking, “Why did Jesus Christ, the Son of God, die on the cross for us?” We keep asking the same question, because the cross impacts our lives in so many ways, that we can’t exhaust them all:
The cross shows the love of God.
In the cross, God shares our suffering.
The cross combines the justice and mercy of God, so that he can be “just and the one who justifies.”
The cross repairs our broken relationship: God reconciles us to himself on the cross.
Today, we look at the cross from a different angle: REDEMPTION. Titus 2:14 says, “Jesus Christ gave himself for us to REDEEM us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
What is redemption? It is reclaiming something that is lost. In books or movies, a person who made a mess of life finds redemption, in a new relationship, a change in attitude, or a new purpose. In sports, the baseball player who commits an error redeems himself by hitting a home run. In business, the salesperson who fails to meet her goals redeems herself by making a big sale. In marriage, the inconsiderate husband seeks redemption by surprising his wife with an extravagant gift. Redemption recovers a reputation, a relationship, or a lost soul.
When Paul spoke of redemption, his readers would have had a vivid image of what it meant. In places like Rome, Corinth or Ephesus, there were slave markets. Paul’s readers might have seen women poked, prodded, and paraded before the buyers. They might have seen men, captured in war, humiliated and sold to the highest bidder. Some of Paul’s readers were themselves slaves, as Paul gave instructions to slaves in 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians.
What does redemption mean to a slave? Reclaiming freedom. A slave could only hope for a transaction at the slave market, where a rich person might buy him, only to set him free. Redemption means freedom.
That all seems quite foreign to us. We are not slaves—but how free are we?
In John 8, Jesus had a discussion with people who prided themselves in their status as free men. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.’” (John 8:31-33)
What does that make us? Maybe we are not as free as we think.
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did I do that? I knew it was wrong, and I told myself I would never act that way. Yet I did.”
Have you ever recognized that you were addicted to destructive behaviors? Maybe it was something like drugs or gambling, or the screen anchored to your eyes. Maybe it was more subtle, and just as deadly: unkind words, avoiding truth, or lustful thoughts.
Paul talks about being enslaved by “elemental spiritual forces” (Galatians 4:3). In Colossians 2:8, he says, “Make sure no one TAKES YOU CAPTIVE through hollow and deceptive philosophy…” We are constantly bombarded by spiritual and cultural forces which threaten to enslave us. Media companies like Disney/ESPN, gaming companies, and clothing brands have strategies to “own” people, from a young age. Influencers on social platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc., set the direction of culture. Marketing firms try to direct peoples’ needs and wants, and content providers—some real, some fake—try to define and shape reality.
Perhaps the strongest form of slavery is found within ourselves. Some people are enslaved by their past: their failures, their inability to compete in attractiveness or popularity, or bad choices. Some are consumed by shame, fear, insecurity, or an insatiable ego. Some are driven by a need to prove themselves.
Jesus said, “Anyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Then he went on to say to those who are enslaved to sin, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
HOW DID JESUS SET US FREE?
-JESUS MADE A PERSONAL INVESTMENT IN OUR REDEMPTION.
***Earlier this year, comedian John Oliver forgave 14.9 million dollars of medical debt. He purchased the debt for only $60,000, because it was beyond the statute of limitations, and legally uncollectable. Technically the debt was still owed, and the people who owed the debt received letters telling them their debts were forgiven and they were released from their obligations to their creditors. John Oliver was a hero, although the deal cost him nothing personally; his advertisers covered the debt. Oliver was safely on the set of his show, proclaiming freedom, without any real connection to the debtors. He would not be available to help any of debtors who called upon him in the future.**
God did not forgive our debts from the safety of heaven; he became personally involved. Philippians 2:6-8 says, “[Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant [literally, a slave!], being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Jesus was personally invested in our redemption.**
***I was in a maximum security prison last Sunday, for the closing ceremony of “Kairos.” Kairos is a weekend experience, in which men from “the free world” spend 4 days interacting with prisoners. They men form a bond with each other, as they eat together, share testimonies, and open up about their personal lives. The personal connection allows men from the outside to help men on the inside find freedom, even while incarcerated.
To bring freedom to men on the inside, men from the free world must empty their pockets, abandon their phones, and go through two gates. They give four days of their lives, going beyond their comfort zone to invest in honest personal conversations. In humility, they share a common humanity with those on the inside.**
Redemption requires a personal investment.
In the Old Testament, the right of redemption was not given to everyone; it was reserved for kinsmen.
Leviticus 25:47-49 says, “If…any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to a foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them: An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves.”
The Hebrew language had a special word for the kinsman with the right of redemption: “goel.” The goel had both the right and the responsibility to redeem relatives who found themselves in slavery, because they could not pay their debts or support themselves.
The Book of Ruth provides a beautiful picture of a goel named Boaz. Ruth is a Moabite woman, a widow of an Israelite. She and her mother-in-law are destitute, and she goes into a field to pick up leftover grain from the harvest. The owner of the field is Boaz, a relative of her late husband. In desperation, she slips back into the field at night, and in the darkness, she offers herself to Boaz. It is rather risqué! Boaz takes a different approach, however. He is the goel, the kinsman-redeemer. He is responsible, not to take advantage of the desperation of Ruth, but to redeem her from her hopeless situation as a foreigner and a widow. He redeems the property of Ruth’s late husband, and takes Ruth as his wife. In a twist of God’s providence, Boaz becomes the great-grandfather of King David.
The goel has the right and responsibility of redemption. Jesus became a man, so that he could be our goel—our kinsman-redeemer! Hebrews 2:11 says, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the SAME FAMILY. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
Jesus was born as one of us, to become our kinsman. Although sinless, he died the death we deserve, to redeem us from our shame and helplessness.
-JESUS PAID A PRICE FOR OUR REDEMPTION.
Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a RANSOM for many.” The word “ransom” is perplexing, because a ransom is paid to “someone” who holds a hostage. Who would be that “someone”? The devil?
The Greek word translated “ransom” has a broader meaning, referring to any “means of freedom.” In the case of the cross, it is not a ransom, but a rescue operation. The devil is the recipient, not of a payment, but a humiliating defeat. Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might BREAK THE POWER of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and FREE those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Yet the idea of ransom reminds us that our freedom from sin, fear and spiritual powers comes at a price: the price of Christ’s blood, shed on the cross.
1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a LAMB without blemish or defect.”
Wait—a lamb? What is Peter referring to?
The greatest redemption story of the Old Testament is the exodus from Egypt. The Israelites were slaves, and God brought them out of Egypt, freeing them from slavery.
In Exodus 6:6-7, God spoke to his people through Moses: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will REDEEM you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as MY OWN PEOPLE, and I will be your God.” There are two verbs for “redeem” in Hebrew. In talking to his people, God chose the verb related to “goel,” the kinsman-redeemer.
Yet redemption has a price. What was the price of redemption? It is hidden in the story.
God sent Moses to Pharaoh, to say, “Let my people go.” When Pharaoh refused to free the slaves, God sent ten plagues on the Egyptians. The tenth plague resulted in the death of every firstborn son in Egypt. The Israelites were saved from the plague, as God instructed them to kill a lamb, and sprinkle the blood of the lamb on the doorframes of their houses. The angel of death “passed over” the houses with blood on the doorframe, redeeming the firstborn from death. Jews still celebrate Passover as a festival of redemption.
Did God pay a price to redeem his people? It seemed that he did not; the lamb paid the price. But why was there a lamb in the picture at all? The lamb was a sign of a price to be paid by God, at a later time.
When Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized, John said, “Look, the LAMB of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ, our PASSOVER LAMB, has been sacrificed.” 1 Peter 1:19 says, “You were redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ, a LAMB without blemish or defect.”
The firstborn Son of God took the role of the Lamb of God, the one who saved the firstborn of the slaves from slavery and death. The blood of the lamb of redemption from slavery became the blood of the Lamb of God, shed for the redemption of many on the cross.
Through the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, we are redeemed. We are set free—free from the powers of sin, death, and darkness.
Yet unfortunately, we don’t always act like free people.
HOW CAN WE LIVE IN THE FREEDOM OBTAINED BY CHRIST ON THE CROSS?
-RECOGNIZE OUR WORTH.
Many people are engaged in a constant struggle to prove their worth. It enslaves them!
If our worth comes from our work, we might be enslaved by our need to always be busy, always producing something. When we try to relax, we might feel unworthy, because we are not being productive.
If our worth comes from the approval of others, they control our behavior. ***I read about a woman who celebrated her 104th birthday. When asked what was the best thing about being that old, she replied, “No peer pressure.”**
If our worth comes from meeting the expectations of our culture, we will feel compelled to measure up to society’s standards of physical appearance, possessions, vacations, or the newest trends.
If our worth depends on self-approval, we might have the hardest master of all, for it can seem like our work is never finished.
***I was in a bank, seated across from a personal advisor. On the desk next to the advisor’s cards was another stack of cards, with the words, “I am worth…” and a box to fill in. I assume the card was to fill in the value of a customer’s bank account. Does our worth depend on the balance of our bank account?**
How much are you worth to God?
***My friend was a large-animal veterinarian. One day, he was working on a dairy, when the owner began to lay into his stepson, using language I probably shouldn’t repeat, to tell him how worthless he was. When the man was finally done, my friend quietly said, “I’ll give you a dollar for him.” The place got pretty quiet for a while.**
What would Jesus give for you? Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.” Not a dollar, but his own life!
When you feel worthless, controlled by shame, insecurity or a need to prove your worth, you can know that you are worth everything to God.
When the world is bidding for your loyalty—bidding to “own” you—you can tell them that your price is way too high for them to buy your submission. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:23, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.”
How can we live in freedom? We can recognize our worth, and we can…
-FREELY CHOOSE TO BE SLAVES OF GOD
1 Peter 2:16 says, “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” “Live as FREE PEOPLE…live as GOD’S SLAVES.” Why does Peter say that?
***A young man goes off to college, away from home for the first time. There are no rules, nobody to remind him of his responsibilities, and no one to stay up until he gets home at night. He is free! But halfway through the first semester, he realizes he is in trouble. He is staying up too late, drinking too much, and doing things he regrets. His grades are suffering, and not surprisingly, he struggles with anxiety.
One day the young man wakes up to realize that he has not been free at all! His life is being ruled by his peers, social pressures, and his own lack of discipline. To be truly free, he needs guiding values and principles, self-discipline, even “rules to live by.” He might even decide to voluntarily “obey” the values and guidance his parents gave him.**
Many people think of freedom as “doing whatever you want.” Yes, but how do we determine what we want?
Hallmark movies and romantic comedies tell us, “just follow your heart.” But what if your heart is not right? The prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful.” (Jeremiah 17:9) Can we trust our emotions to guide us to freedom? Do our passions sometimes cause us to do things we later regret? Is our heart corrupted by our environment?
In the language of slavery, who ‘owns’ you? You might answer, “Nobody owns me; I’m my own person.” Yes, but who owns a piece of you? Does your boss own you, because you need and want the money? Does the culture own you, dictating how you dress, what you need to buy, and what you think is trendy? Do your peers own you, controlling your interests and social activities? Does your family control you, by their expectations and demands?
1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “You…were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors…with the precious blood of Christ…” Our ancestors, our family, our culture, and our peers have a huge influence on how we view the world, and how we react to it. We are not as free as we think. We need to be redeemed—set free from the false influences in our lives.
The only way to be set free is to be captivated by a better way. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…everyone who sins is a slave to sin….if the Son sets you free [from sin], you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36)
According to Jesus, freedom comes from holding to his teaching, being his disciples, accepting the truth from him. It is not finding our own truth, going our own way, doing whatever our hearts desire at any given moment.
Paul puts it like this, in Romans 6:16-22, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
If you want to be free, choose to give your life to the one who loved you enough to die to set you free. Choose to obey his commands. Choose his righteousness as your way of life. Choose to trust the One “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:14)
