Ransomed by Christ (3rd Sunday of Easter)

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This Sunday’s reading builds on last week’s theme of being born again to a living hope. This means not only that Christians have been saved from their sins, but have also been sanctified, or set apart as holy. St. Peter quotes from the Torah to explain that their conduct must reflect their newfound sanctification: “as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16, cf. Leviticus 11:44) Accordingly, Peter declares that God will repay each one according to his works. St. Paul teaches something similar in Romans, when he states:

He will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. (Romans 2:6-11)

He then explains that they were ransomed by Christ. The use of “ransom” language denotes paying a price to rescue someone in bondage. Christ ransoms us with His own life, as He Himself states, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). By calling him a lamb, Peter is referring back not only to the Passover, but also to the Servant Song in Isaiah 53, where the Messiah is likened to a lamb that is led away to the slaughter (v. 7).

Through Christ’s redemption, we no longer belong to the world, but to Christ. Through Him, we have been raised to new life. We should always be diligent to ensure that our lives always reflect that reality.

J. Luis Dizon