Mark 10:45 (WEB)
For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Mark 10:45 (KJV)
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Key words
- λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶνlytron anti pollōn · Greek
- 'a ransom for many' — Jesus describes his death in the words of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53).
- διακονῆσαιdiakonēsai · Greek
- 'to minister' — the Son of Man comes to serve, not to be served.
Why it matters
The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many. Pitre opens the chapter on Mary's birth pangs with the paradox this verse states (p 118): Jesus heals and raises the dead, yet his mission is finally not to take away suffering but to take it upon himself, as Isaiah's Servant does. Mary's life follows the same paradox — miracle and sorrow — with no labour pains at Bethlehem and the real pangs at Calvary.