For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.
Devotional Text
Without contradiction, we can say that Christ came to earth to die. From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus instructed His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. He told them that unless they ate His flesh and drank His blood, they had no life in them. Moses’ revelation of the blood is described in Exodus 12:13: “The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” The blood of an innocent, meek lamb would substitute for an entire household. Although the firstborn of Israel deserved death just as much as did Pharaoh’s firstborn, the blood of the lamb ransomed (paid for, bought back) their lives. Like that lamb, Christ was a gentle, humble servant who never sought the glory and exaltation for which the disciples were constantly striving. In humility, never forget Christianity’s focus: we deserve to die, but Christ, the spotless Lamb, died in our place—the “just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18 KJV). Rejoice today in the power of the blood of Jesus who ransomed you from death!