“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
DEVOTION – by Brad Avery:
I remember the day my brother was shipped off by the Marine Corps to Operation Desert Storm. A couple years prior, he had enlisted in the reserves as a way to help pay for college and a potential pathway to med school. Although we all acknowledged the possibility that he might be called up to support active forces, our minds reasoned with our hearts that the most action he would probably see would be national weather emergencies and community service. Mom’s voice shook that day over the phone as she told me that he would be a grunt. I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but it didn’t sound promising. I surmised that he certainly wouldn’t be the one giving orders.
A quick web search reveals that the acronym GRUNT (General Replacement Unit, Not Trained) possibly originated in WWII, where the newbies were sent to the front lines while more seasoned troops fought from behind. Although my brother enlisted as a means to an end, he didn’t do so as a means to his end. That wasn’t his calling…or at least he hoped it wasn’t.
Juxtapose that with Christ. In the beginning, Jesus, The Word Made Flesh, knew His calling. His Mission: The Undisputed Ultimate Act of Service – “give His life as a ransom for many.” Ransom is a powerful word picture for us to ponder. The Greek word in the text is lutron which translates – the price or debt for redeeming from bondage: slaves, prisoners of war, the many – sentenced to eternal death.
Jesus came to this world and flipped the script. The Great I AM, The LORD of all, The ETERNAL KING of kings became The SERVANT of all. Your servant, my servant, our enemy’s servant. We have nothing to offer…no words, no deeds, no way to repay. We can’t help Him (Acts 17:25). He doesn’t need it. John Piper puts it this way, “Our God is so full and so self-sufficient and so overflowing in power and life and joy, that he glorifies himself by serving us.”
The familiar Marine Corps motto Semper Fi, shortened from the Latin Semper Fidelis, translates “Always Faithful” …an eternal commitment to victory, prosperity, and steadfast loyalty. I am so very grateful for my brother’s sacrifice (and return home), and am truly thankful and indebted to all who have gone before me. Their willingness to say “Here am I, send me,” has served to protect our and many other nation’s freedom.
In John’s Revelation (3:14, 19:11), Jesus refers to Himself as “The Amen, Faithful and True.” He alone is our true Freedom. His death in exchange (ransom) for our lives. He died so that we might live. To God be the Glory!
As we celebrate that He alone has come for us, we are invited by the hymnists, Fanny Crosby and William Howard Doane to:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.
