Redención

Why do Christians say, I have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb? Yes, that is a very complex phrase. Let's decipher it. First, let's talk about what it means to redeem something. If you have something, it belongs to you, right? But things can be lost or stolen, and so someone else takes possession of what is legitimately yours. So you would have to recover it. And you could do it in different ways. You could show that it belongs to you, or try to buy it again, or simply demand that it be returned to you. Either way, that transfer that returns to the legitimate owner is what the Bible calls redemption. Okay, but what does it mean for a person to be redeemed? Well, imagine that you live in biblical times, and that you run out of money. As a last resort, you could sell yourself as a slave to pay that debt. Ah, I lose my freedom. Exactly. But a member of your family could claim you with money called the price of redemption. That person was called a redeemer relative, and so he could transfer you back to the family. Ah, I understand. Well, the history of the Bible begins with this great idea that all creation, and especially humans, belong to God. But tragically, humans ended up being corrupted and enslaved by death. God wants to recover humanity, so the history of the Bible shows us how God recovers us as his possession, that is, he redeems us.

Okay, so what does the lamb's blood have to do with all this? Yes, to understand this last step, we have to tell a story. In Exodus, we see that Pharaoh claims the lives of all the Israelites and turns them into his slaves. Yes, they lose their freedom, but they do not belong to Pharaoh. Israel belongs to God. Correct. So God confronts Pharaoh and demands, Set my people free, or I will recover them with signs of power. You mean the plagues, right? But it didn't work. Pharaoh refused to recognize God's claim to Israel. Exactly. So in a final act of power, God makes it clear to Pharaoh that not only Israel, but that all life belongs to him. And to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites, God unleashes a deadly plague on the earth. But this plague was not only going to affect Pharaoh and Egypt. It was also going to affect the lives of the Israelites. Well, remember, all life is already enslaved by death. But God provides a way out of the plague. And that's what the Passover meal is about, where each family puts the blood of a lamb without a stain on the posts at the door of their house to protect them. How does that work? Well, the lamb is the symbol of a life that belongs entirely to God, without the corruption of evil or death. That means that death cannot claim it. And its blood? Blood is the symbol of its immaculate life, which has been surrendered to death. But wait, you said that death cannot claim the life of that lamb. Why did it die? Yes, exactly. It is not fair. But as it surrendered its life, it can, so to speak, give its vital strength to open the way back to life with God. Okay, so going back there is like being inside the house covered by the blood of the lamb,

protected from death, because we belong to God. Yes. On the night of Passover, God frees the people from death. And the next day, Pharaoh renounces his claim to Israel. And so God also frees them from slavery. Both liberations are essential to understand the meaning of redemption in the rest of the Bible. Okay, so God redeemed Israel with a greater purpose, right? That's right. So that they can be God's companions and represent their character to the nations. But the story of Israel takes a tragic turn when they are enslaved along with the rest of humanity, to their corrupt desires and the deadly violence they cause. And so, instead of living in freedom, Israel continues under the claim of death. So, how can Israel, or whoever it is, be truly redeemed from death? Yes, that is the question that leads us to the story of Jesus. Jesus announced the arrival of God's redemption. He lived fully dedicated to love God and others, freeing them from sickness and death. On the weekend of Passover, Jesus went to Jerusalem. to confront the very power of death. And the leaders of the city decided to kill him. But he was innocent. The leaders had no right to claim his life. Correct. It was unfair. But in an act of generous love, he gave his life for humanity. And when Jesus was raised from the dead, everything was clear. Jesus is the supreme claim of God against death. And in the life of Jesus, represented by his blood, there is protection for everyone who seeks refuge in him. Death could not claim it. And ultimately, it cannot claim you either. So when Christians say, I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb,

they mean that for the life of Jesus, they have been claimed by God for freedom and a life that goes beyond the power of death. We belong to God and nothing can change that. That is what it means that we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. For more information, visit www.projectbiblia.com