Rev. Michael Piazza in Liberating Word says, “Mark is the only Gospel in which you find the statement that has been held by many to be the theological explanation for why Jesus died. This verse is offered just before the final act begins: For the Human One came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 This verse becomes the cornerstone for what becomes known as the Ransom Theory of Atonement. Essentially, this earliest theory of what Jesus’ death means holds that Adam and Eve sold the human soul to Satan and that Jesus came to redeem us, or buy us back. This was the Church’s accepted understanding for the first millennium. In the 11 th century, Anselm began the process of questioning this doctrine, and, subsequently, it has fallen out of favor in the West, though it is still considered true by the Orthodox faith. Atonement basically refers to how God forgives our sin. There are a number of theories, and the Church has argued about it since the ink dried on Mark’s parchment. Still, few Christians have ever actually given the matter much thought. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement ) So what does the crucifixion of Jesus mean to you and your life? Have your sins been so bad that an innocent person had to die to persuade God to forgive you? If God is omnipotent, who made the rule that someone had to pay for sin in order for God to be able to forgive? If someone actually died for you, doesn’t that act deserve our grappling with what it means? Ultimately, Mark thought the ending of Jesus’ life was the most important thing. The Church historically has agreed, adopting the cross as its sacred sign. The challenge for us is to move beyond preachers’ clichés to discover for ourselves what it means to us and for us."
Rev. Michael Piazza in Liberating Word says, “Mark is the only Gospel in which you find the statement that has been held by many to be the theological explanation for why Jesus died. This verse is offered just before the final act begins:
ReplyDeleteFor the Human One came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45
This verse becomes the cornerstone for what becomes known as the Ransom Theory of Atonement. Essentially, this earliest theory of what Jesus’ death means holds that Adam and Eve sold the human soul to Satan and that Jesus came to redeem us, or buy us back. This was the Church’s accepted understanding for the first millennium. In the 11 th century, Anselm began the process of questioning this doctrine, and, subsequently, it has fallen out of favor in the West, though it is still considered true by the Orthodox faith.
Atonement basically refers to how God forgives our sin. There are a number of theories, and the Church has argued about it since the ink dried on Mark’s parchment. Still, few Christians have ever actually given the matter much thought. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement ) So what does the crucifixion of Jesus mean to you and your life? Have your sins been so bad that an innocent person had to die to persuade God to forgive you? If God is omnipotent, who made the rule that someone had to pay for sin in order for God to be able to forgive? If someone actually died for you, doesn’t that act deserve our grappling with what it means?
Ultimately, Mark thought the ending of Jesus’ life was the most important thing. The Church historically has agreed, adopting the cross as its sacred sign. The challenge for us is to move beyond preachers’ clichés to discover for ourselves what it means to us and for us."