The Ransom

A very important Bible reading today, as it covers the ransom sacrifice.  Why did Jesus come to the earth to die?  What was it that had happened in Eden, when Adam willfully threw away his perfect human life?  And please bear in mind that the world has erected a giant smokescreen of Evolution, Evolution, Evolution to try to stop us seeing what Genesis so plainly tells us.    Jehovah's word tells us that perfect justice requires a life for a life. But who could give a perfect human life for the one that Adam threw away?   None of us, his damaged children. We are all born imperfect and dying.  We are born "in sin" - sin means "to miss the mark of perfection" -, through no fault of our own.

We don't have a life to give, let alone a perfect one.

Sunday, March 20

The Son of man came . . . to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.—Matt. 20:28.

How would this ransom satisfy justice? (1 Tim. 2:5, 6) As a perfect man, Jesus had prospects similar to those of Adam before he sinned. Jehovah’s purpose was to fill the earth with Adam’s perfect offspring. Hence, with deep love for his Father and for Adam’s descendants, Jesus gave up his human life in sacrifice. Yes, Jesus gave up a perfect human life that corresponded to what Adam had lost. Thereafter, Jehovah restored his Son to life as a spirit. (1 Pet. 3:18) Jehovah could justly accept the sacrifice of that one perfect man, Jesus, as a ransom, or purchase price, to buy back Adam’s family and give them the life prospects that Adam had forfeited. In a sense, Jesus took the place of Adam.—1 Cor. 15:45. w14 9/15 4:11, 12

Memorial Bible reading: (Daytime events: Nisan 10) Mark 11:12-19

(Mark 11:12-19)   "The next day when they were leaving Bethʹa·ny, he felt hungry.  From a distance he caught sight of a fig tree that had leaves, and he went to see whether he could find something on it. But on coming to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  So he said to it: “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And his disciples were listening.  They now came to Jerusalem. There he entered the temple and started to throw out those selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,  and he would not let anyone carry a utensil through the temple.  He was teaching and saying to them: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a cave of robbers.”  And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and they began to seek how to kill him; for they were in fear of him, because all the crowd was astounded at his teaching. When it became late in the day, they went out of the city."

Some people seem to feel that this was a rather petulant loss of temper on Jesus' part. But, no, he was using the fig tree as an illustration of an important spiritual truth.  I shall return to that point, maybe tomorrow.

Yesterday was a Rugby day - and England won - so the Captain is happy.  I lay on the sofa reading, occasionally whirring my rugby rattle and shouting: "Get your specs on Ref!".and "ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY" on every possible occasion.  I like to take an intelligent interest.

Ron and Daphne are taking me to the meeting this morning.  I am still nowhere near driving - my shoulder/arm being very sore today.