The Price of Redemption

 

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

—1 Peter 1:18-19

Many years ago, a pastor of the church I attended back in the 1970s told the story of an old manual typewriter that had been in his family for many years. His father, also a minister, had painstakingly typed his sermons on that typewriter for over 30 years.

But then, the older pastor’s son—my pastor’s elder brother—was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. The older brother didn’t have any money for bail. So, he languished in the county jail until his trial. During this time, another prisoner beat him severely and he ended up in the hospital.

His father could not stand to see his son spend another day in that jail. So, he pawned the only possession that he had for which he could obtain enough money to pay the son’s bail. The old typewriter ended up in the possession of a pawn broker. The father had two months to redeem it, or it would be sold.

In order to try to earn back his beloved typewriter, the father took a part-time job as a janitor in a nearby bar. It was grueling and very unpleasant work for this man of the cloth. He especially had a difficult time cleaning the filthy toilets in this rather seedy establishment.

But, within 55 days of working very hard each day, including late on Sunday evenings, the pastor earned enough money to go to the pawn shop and redeem his typewriter. He was willing to do anything to pay the price of redemption.

The pastor telling this story about his father made the point that to redeem us from the sins that we had committed against God, God Himself was willing to pay whatever price His eternal justice demanded—and that was the shedding of blood.

The Apostle Peter put it best when he wrote these words to the early Christians, as recorded in 1 Peter 1:18-19:

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

As we begin another new day, let us not forget that we have been bought by a great price.

The God who chose us to belong to Himself before the foundation of the earth has paid the bounty—the price of redemption—for our sins through the blood of His one and only Son, Jesus. He has bailed us out of eternal damnation.

The joy we should feel, when faced with this act of extreme love, should indeed be immeasurable.

 

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