You probably know the context of Mark 10:45. James and John have asked Jesus for the privilege of sitting at His right and left hands in the kingdom. Christ responds to them, and His response culminates in verse 45. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This verse always cuts to my heart when I actually take the time to meditate on it.
- Even the Son of Man– never forget who is speaking. This is the Christ, the Messiah, the One who will one day rule over all things. He was there for creation and has been in fellowship with God the Father for eternity past. This is GOD. He endured the humiliation of becoming a creature and dwelling among mere mortals. But He didn’t just come to dwell…
- “came not to be served but to serve”- He didn’t just endure the humiliation of dwelling with men, He came with a purpose. That purpose was not to conquer, rule, and finally set things right on this messed up earth, but to serve mankind. How? Well, He gets to the biggest reason in a minute, but think about His life! Healing, teaching, washing feet, loving people, just the fact that He lived perfectly among mankind shows service to the human race in modeling godly behavior (quite literally!). But all that would have meant nothing but for…
- “and to give his life as a ransom for many”- how humbling. Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God and second member of the Godhead, would come to earth and become one of us so that He might die. And not just die, but die a painful, humiliating and undeserved death. Why? So that you and I might be ransomed, or bought back. See, we are born as slaves to sin. We all fall short, we violate the righteousness of Holy God. He would be well within His rights to wipe the entire race out, condemning all to eternal torment in Hell. But in His grace and mercy He decided to make a path to redemption where none existed. He did what no human being could ever do. He paid our ransom. And because of the humility of the Son of God, I can go free.
If we can rest in that fact, then pride, arrogance, and the superiority complex that so easily creeps into our minds can be defeated, and we can truly claim the name “Christian”- those who walk in the steps of the One who died for us! I know, easier said than done, but no one said the Christian life was supposed to be easy!