A Great Woman is a Ransomed Woman

²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

Do you really understand the sacrifice and power behind verse 28? Jesus left heaven and came to earth as a lowly man with one purpose in mind: to serve us. He came to serve us by paying the ransom for our sins—a ransom we could never have paid. Without it, we would all be doomed to eternal pain and suffering.

So do you really get it—the magnitude of that statement? “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 He sacrificed everything for us. He became nothing for us. He endured the most excruciating death for us. And He defeated death for us. Who are we to be worthy of that? We aren’t worthy. Jesus did all of this for His glory and to glorify His heavenly Father. We did not deserve it, yet He came to save us anyway.

This last verse sums up what it means to be great. Jesus was a sabbathed man here on earth. He spent time with his Father and purposely left crowds of people to be alone with Him, to listen and to pray. Jesus was a persevering man. He overcame many trials and suffered greatly for the sake of the gospel and for us, the lost in need of a Savior. Jesus was a humble man. He never doubted the purpose and plan for His life, and He humbly accepted it because He knew who He was, and His ultimate sacrifice was for our sake and for God’s glory. Jesus was a serving man. He gave and gave during His time on earth. He never took from anyone. He preached, He prayed for people, He healed and He listened. Jesus was the ultimate servant leader, and He was the ransom for many. He paid the ultimate price so that we may live. Because of His ransom, we are ransomed. Because of His willingness to die for our sins, we are free. 

There is a word in verse 28 that saddens me: many. It doesn’t say He gave His life as a ransom for all. It says Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many. I can’t stop thinking about that word. 

Biblical scholars tell us that the Aramaic word translated many here can mean “for all.” Jesus did this for all mankind. But not all will receive it. Not all will believe it. His sacrifice counts for those who believe that He died on a cross as a ransom for our sins—a death He did not deserve—and that He was resurrected from the grave to ascend into heaven sit on His throne with His Father. 

Whether Jesus meant many as “all” or “those who believe,” it makes me stop and think: Who is reading or listening to this devotional right now and she still doesn’t believe? 

Maybe she does all the right things—goes to church, prays before meals and at bedtime, subscribes to devotionals to listen to on the way to work. But she still hasn’t fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Going through the motions doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sticking your head in an oven makes you a biscuit, as (Pastor) Joby would say. The Church of Eleven22 is big, and there’s a lot of opportunity to play the part, look the part and go through the motions without truly surrendering. That’s what scares me the most.

Being a ransomed woman means surrendering all of yourself to Jesus Christ. It is freeing. It requires nothing from you! It is a free gift—a get-out-of-jail-free card—an exchange of death for life. 

So, what are you holding on to? What keeps you from a relationship with Jesus Christ? All means all.

• Is it that relationship you haven’t told anyone about because it’s embarrassing and you’ve done some things you aren’t proud of? 
• Maybe you can’t forgive yourself for that thing in your past and think there’s no way God could forgive you. 
• Maybe it’s that addiction no one knows about. 
• Or maybe you grew up in a religion that told you to be perfect and obey certain rules before God would ever accept you.
• Perhaps you’ve been hurt by the church.

God came to this earth to pay the ransom for your sins. For that to count for you, you only have to do one thing: accept it. Believe the truth of the gospel. That’s it. You don’t have to be perfect. He is the ultimate Healer and Forgiver of sins. 

You go to the doctor when you are sick, right? Why wouldn’t you come to the Lord when you are hurting and broken? He is the Great Physician. He will restore you and He will love you—no matter the sin, no matter the past. He makes all things new. There is nothing that can keep Jesus’s sacrifice from counting for you.

God, I pray for any woman who believes this doesn’t count for her. I pray that You will show her Your love and grace and that she will accept it. Lord, open her heart to receive You. Give her a renewed heart, soul and mind and give her strength as she walks into a relationship with You. In Your precious name I pray, Amen