Jesus Bought Us from the Auction Block
Long ago I stopped watching movies about our Black History dealing with the painful stories of slavery. I cringe at the horrible abuse our people went through and yet they persevered to the bitter end. Of course, other cultures have also suffered beyond words. I say that to think about how much suffering Jesus went through to redeem us from the slave block of sin.
We have just come through the Easter season. It was not a time of rejoicing; however, we do rejoice at the final outcome. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).
Since Jesus redeemed us, we need to know all the powerful images that are contained in this key New Testament word, “redeem”! In the first century, slaves could be very costly. When a purchaser came to the market to look for a new slave, he would meander through the aisles, his eyes roaming over all the slaves as he searched for the one he wanted.
After pinpointing the slave who fit his needs, the buyer then inspected the slave’s condition. The purpose of this inspection was similar to that of a test drive when purchasing a new car; check out the merchandise before he put his money on the table. The inspection included physically beating the slave to see how he responded to abuse, so the buyer would know how much “wear and tear” he could take on the job. The buyer also opened the slave’s mouth to see if his teeth were rotten or in good shape. If the buyer decided to proceed with the purchase after the inspection was complete, it was then time for the next stage of the process — that moment when the slave was put on the auction block.
If the auctioneer noticed that a buyer had his eye set on a specific slave, he would push the price for that slave as high as possible. And if the buyer continued to show interest, then the auctioneer knew he could demand a completely unreasonable price and get it! All of these images are contained in the word “redemption,” which comes from the Greek word lutroo. This Greek word depicts a person who paid an exceedingly high price to obtain the slave of his choice. Once the price was offered and accepted, that slave became his personal property.
We were slaves to sin and God, because He loved us so very much – more than we can comprehend – bought us with the price of His only begotten Son, Jesus. It is Jesus and Him only, who was able to redeem us from eternal damnation into eternal life. And this is why we rejoice! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
We have just come through the Easter season. It was not a time of rejoicing; however, we do rejoice at the final outcome. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).
Since Jesus redeemed us, we need to know all the powerful images that are contained in this key New Testament word, “redeem”! In the first century, slaves could be very costly. When a purchaser came to the market to look for a new slave, he would meander through the aisles, his eyes roaming over all the slaves as he searched for the one he wanted.
After pinpointing the slave who fit his needs, the buyer then inspected the slave’s condition. The purpose of this inspection was similar to that of a test drive when purchasing a new car; check out the merchandise before he put his money on the table. The inspection included physically beating the slave to see how he responded to abuse, so the buyer would know how much “wear and tear” he could take on the job. The buyer also opened the slave’s mouth to see if his teeth were rotten or in good shape. If the buyer decided to proceed with the purchase after the inspection was complete, it was then time for the next stage of the process — that moment when the slave was put on the auction block.
If the auctioneer noticed that a buyer had his eye set on a specific slave, he would push the price for that slave as high as possible. And if the buyer continued to show interest, then the auctioneer knew he could demand a completely unreasonable price and get it! All of these images are contained in the word “redemption,” which comes from the Greek word lutroo. This Greek word depicts a person who paid an exceedingly high price to obtain the slave of his choice. Once the price was offered and accepted, that slave became his personal property.
We were slaves to sin and God, because He loved us so very much – more than we can comprehend – bought us with the price of His only begotten Son, Jesus. It is Jesus and Him only, who was able to redeem us from eternal damnation into eternal life. And this is why we rejoice! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).