Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Epistle lesson, especially these words, “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed alleluia! Amen. You were ransomed from the futile ways you inherited from your forefathers. Our text is clear – St. Peter’s word’s proclaim this message. We are ransomed not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood, innocent suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ransomed. It’s a word that we often quickly skim over. Ransomed is a word that deals with slavery and imprisonment. When someone is kidnapped, they are held for ransom. When the ransom is paid, they are set free. When someone is a slave, they may be set free if they can pay their purchase price – a ransom. So if our text tells us that we have been ransomed, that means we must have been in bondage. We must have been held captive.
As modern day americans we don’t like that idea. We like to think we are not slaves and have never been slaves. We have done so much to earn our worldly freedom. But still our text tells us we have been captives, telling us we were under the authority of futile ways inherited from our forefathers. We were slaves to useless things. And what is more useless and futile than our own sin. What has more held us in captivity and yes even slavery than “those thing we do not want to do, but yet do.”
Yes, in sin, we are slaves. We are slaves to sex. We are slaves to our desire to do it our own way, even when God’s word and even modern social scientists say our way isn’t the best way. We hold up and glorify sex outside of marriage, and so often we just accept it as a part of our modern life instead of taking a bold stand to what is right by God. We are slaves to sex as we look at things that are inappropriate on our computers and televisions. We are slaves to sex as we read novels that depict things that we wouldn’t want our young children to read. Friends, sex is a beautiful gift from God that he has given and that has its place. In our sin, we have corrupted it, and become slaves to it.
We are slaves to sin! We are slaves to our greed, always wanting more and more. Always wanting what our neighbor has or always wanting what we don’t have ourselves. We know it isn’t fair if someone else has what we want. So often we will do whatever we possibly can to get our hands on the mammon of this world. The things we are so greedy for are the things that will not last, the things that moth and mold will destroy, but that we so badly want anyways. God gives us everything we need to support this life and body, and yet we want more, more, more!
We are slaves to sin! We are slaves to our own indifference as we care mostly about what is beneficial to our own selves, and ignore those who are around us and really truly in need. We ignore those who are sick, so that we can have time to watch our television shows. We ignore those who mourn so that we can take care of our own business. We ignore those who have serious struggles, saying, “to each his own, let each take care of their own issues.”
We are slaves to sin as we tell lies about those around us, or pass on “information” we have heard without knowing if it is the truth or not. We put others down, we spread vicious rumors and lies. We ourselves lie about things, taking advantage of the kindness of people to benefit ourselves. We are slaves.
In all of these things and more, we are guilty. In all these things and more we are slaves to sin. And as slaves to sin we are also slaves to sin’s counterpart – death. As slaves to sin we must also submit to death and the grave. For the wages of sin is death. Through sin, death entered the world. And if we are slaves to sin, we have no choice but to obey, we must die if we are slaves to the sin of this world.
But friends, our text is so clear. You have been ransomed. You have been set free. You have been rescued from the futile ways of your forefathers, the futile ways of sin. You don’t need to submit to them any longer. As St. Peter says, and as we quote in our Small Catechism, Jesus Christ has ransomed you, not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood, innocent suffering and death. He has set you free from slavery and made you a child of His kingdom. You may now live and reign with Him to all eternity, just as Has risen from the dead, and lives and reigns himself. In Jesus, you are no longer a slave. You are free.
Being free, when faced with temptation, be they sexual, be they in regards to gossip or greed or selfishness, we don’t have to give in. We may declare loudly and boldly – I DO NOT BELONG TO YOU SIN OR SATAN, BUT I BELONG TO JESUS! I will be free, for Christ has made me so. I am baptized into him. I partake in His body and blood! I am God’s own child! I gladly say it!
Friends, you are God’s child, no longer a slave. Why do you turn back to your slavery? Why do you give in to the struggles of this world? You are ransomed. You have been purchased by Christ. You belong to Him, and nothing else matters here in this world. What great news!! What a great Word that has been proclaimed! You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. You may now serve your Lord and your neighbor freely knowing that you do not have to submit to the sin of this world.
Can you imagine what this means? Picture a slave out working in the field, doing the will of his master without being able to care for himself. Long hard days of labor, from dawn until dusk doing the will of his slave driver. Finally, the news arrives! You are free! You have been ransomed! Does the man return to his slavery and say – “well this is easier!?” NO! The man goes forth celebrating and sharing this news with all! I once was a slave, but now I am free. I once was captive and now I am ransomed!
Friends, you are ransomed. You are free. In the death and resurrection of Jesus, you may leave your slavery behind forever and every and ever – even unto eternity. Amen.
