"I'm running away from home and I'm not coming back," were the words which uttered out of my mouth. I was talking to my boss; however, her response was as shocking as my statement. She said, "And we aren't paying the ransom to get you back, either." Hey, wait a minute! Whatever happened to job security?

In Hebrews 9:15 we read, "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Jesus paid the ultimate price to set us free from the power of sin. In Matthew 20:28 we also read, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

I was joking about running away; however, my classroom was inaccessible. The floor covering trade students were replacing the tiles in the hallway, which led to my classroom. So, it was necessary for me to find another room for my class to meet in. After saying she would not pay the ransom to get me back my boss then asked me if I had ever read, The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry. I had not, but later found a copy of O. Henry's delightful and fun short story at the local library. The Ransom of Red Chief is a fictional tale, which ends with the kidnappers having to pay Red Chief's parents the ransom money so they would take him back.

The Bible contains several references about Jesus paying the ultimate price when He freely gave His life as a ransom for us. In 1 Timothy 2:5-6 we read, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time."

No longer was the blood of animals required. In Hebrews 9:12 we read, "He [Jesus] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." Jesus was willing to die and give His own life so that you and I would not have to die. He paid the price to ransom you and I from sin. In Hebrews 9:14 we read, "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"

In John 1:29 we read, "The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" Jesus was the lamb who was sacrificed for our sins. The price He paid was much, much more than thirty pieces of silver and I do not believe we can ever fully understand what it cost Christ to pay our ransom. However, in Romans 5:8 we do get an idea of the great sacrifice, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Have you accepted Christ's ransom?