“Ransom for Many”
Matthew 20:17-28

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost–Blocktoberfest—September 18, 2022

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

There is a ransom story in today’s Gospel Reading.  Jesus says, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  A good reporter is supposed to get the “Five W’s” of a story:  “Who, What, Where, When and Why.”  What is the “Who, What, Where, When and Why” of this ransom story?

Jesus says that the “Who” has two parts: the “Son of Man,” ransoming the “many.”  “Son of Man” is an Old Testament title for the Messiah, stressing that the Messiah will be God, come down to earth and made man.  As the hymn “Beautiful Savior” says, “Son of God, and Son of Man.”  In the Gospels, Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man” much more frequently than any other name or title.  With this title “Son of Man” Jesus was declaring, “I am the promised Messiah, God, come down to earth and made man.” The one doing the ransoming is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God.

The second part of the “who” in this ransom story is those being ransomed, described as the “many.”  In the original language “many” actually means “all.”  Jesus Christ came to ransom not just a select few, but all people.   As Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading, “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.”

So, the “Who” in this ransom story is the “Son of Man,” the Messiah, Jesus Christ, ransoming the “many,” all people, including you and me.

“What” is it we are being ransomed from?  The word “ransom” was mostly used in ancient times to refer to the price paid for the release of a slave.  Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”  That is the “What” we are being ransomed from—our sins.

So, we have the “Who” and “What” of this ransom story:

“Who?” — The “Son of Man” ransoming the “many.”

“What?” — From our sins.

Jesus tells us the “Where” and “When” of this ransom story in the first verses of today’s Gospel Reading: “Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,  ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!’”

Peter says, “It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed . . . but with the precious blood of Christ.”  On the cross Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price.  He sacrificed Himself to release you from your sins.  He gave up His life to earn you eternal life.  Every time you see the word “redemption” in the New Testament, behind it is a Greek word meaning “ransom.”  That’s what your redemption is; Jesus Christ paid the ransom, the price for your sins.  As Martin Luther says in the Small Catechism, “[He] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”

“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  What are the “Five W’s” of this ransom story?

“Who?” — The “Son of Man,” Jesus Christ, ransoming the “many,” all people, including you and me. 

“What” were we ransomed from? — Our sins. 

“Where” and “When” did He ransom us? — By His death on the cross. 

Finally, “Why?” 

This morning we witnessed the Baptism of two beautiful little babies.  You know those proud parents would give up everything for their beloved children.  Why is a parent willing to give up everything in order to serve, and save, and even ransom a child?  Out of love.  As the book of Revelation says, “[Christ] loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”  That is the “Why” of this ransom story.  It was out of love for you that Jesus Christ gave up his life for you.

“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”