The Ransom Paid by the Willing Kinsman

James and John came to Jesus with a request. They wanted to sit at his right and left in his glory. It was the wrong question, but Jesus answered it seriously. He asked whether they could drink the cup he was about to drink, and told them that greatness in his kingdom looks nothing like greatness among the rulers of the nations. Then he said the sentence that explains his whole life. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

A ransom is a price paid to set someone free. It is the language of redemption, the same idea behind the kinsman-redeemer who bought back land and people for his relatives. Boaz was willing, related and able to pay. Jesus is all three to the fullest degree. He became our kinsman by taking flesh. He was willing, setting his face toward Jerusalem. And he paid not with silver but with his life.

The lesson for the disciples was that the redeemer does not sit on the throne first and serve later. He serves his way to the throne. Anyone who wants to follow him will find that the path to honour runs through the field, the threshing floor and the gate, doing costly good for people who cannot repay. That is the shape of the Master's life, and it is meant to be the shape of ours.