“No one can redeem the life of another or give to God the ransom for them; the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.”  – Psalm 48:7-8, NIV

The 2017 movie, All the Money in the World, is based on the true story of the kidnapping of a boy called John Paul Getty III, in 1973.

The boy, the grandson of the oil tycoon John Paul Getty, was abducted by Italian mafia who demanded a $17 million ransom to set him free. Of course his young parents couldn’t afford to raise that kind of money.

The wealthy Mzee also refused to pay but when the mafia sent one of the boy’s ears to a leading media house, the old man gave in.

He successfully negotiated for a payment of $2.2 million (equivalent to about $14 million [UGX50 Billion] in today’s money) to redeem the boy.

The kid was found alive at a fuel station shortly afterwards.

In our meditation today, the Psalmist ponders on the subject of the value of life.

The Hebrew word ‘padah’ (for ransom) is connected to money paid to set a slave free from slavery. It also denotes atonement from the wrath of God.

In Mark 10:45, Jesus Christ describes Himself as “a ransom.”

That means Christ gave up His life as a sacrifice and shed His Blood as a ransom so that those who receive Him obtain eternal deliverance from the penalty of sin and death.

Christ gave up His life as a sacrifice and shed His Blood to be the ransom so that those who receive Him obtain eternal deliverance from the penalty of sin and death.

In the Old Testament, the blood of innocent animals was sacrificially used as a ransom for sin.

Of course this ritual is still being practiced in some religions, but it’s just that – a mere religious ritual.

In the New Testament, Christ is called the “Redeemer” because His sacrifice was the ultimate ransom for all humanity and indeed the whole Universe.

Today, you may freely walk out of bondage and oppression because the hefty price for your redemption was paid in full.

No one else could do it because the ransom was way beyond any other person’s ability to pay it.

Today, we can all choose to live in perfect freedom and blessing because of Christ’s finished redemptive work on the Cross.  Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Almighty God, I am grateful for the price you paid for my redemption. I declare that I am now completely free from the penalty and bondage of sin, self and Satan! May my life help many people to also experience this liberty and freedom, in the Name of Jesus, Amen!.