How Does Jesus Redeem People?

Summary

Podcast Summary: BibleProject – "How Does Jesus Redeem People?"

Release Date: July 21, 2025

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Introduction to Redemption in Luke

The episode opens with Tim Mackie and John Collins delving into the concept of redemption as portrayed in the Gospel of Luke. They begin by examining the opening narratives of Luke, which introduce Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and Anna, a prophetess. These characters are pivotal in setting the stage for understanding Jesus's role in redemption.

Tim Mackie (00:04) notes, "The Gospel of Luke opens with Zechariah... Anna... begins to tell everyone who is looking for the redemption of Israel about Jesus."

John Collins (00:22) adds, "Luke really wants us to notice that all the people around have this expectation of what the redemption of Israel involves."

Historical and Theological Context

Mackie and Collins explore the historical context of redemption, drawing parallels between the Exodus led by Moses and the contemporary hopes for deliverance from Roman oppression.

Tim Mackie (00:34) explains, "The story is how God rescued Israel from Egypt through Moses... hope is that God will raise up a new leader, just like Moses, to rescue Israel again from Rome."

John Collins (00:58) summarizes, "Redemption is what people think Jesus is here to do."

However, they highlight a crucial divergence in Jesus's mission compared to Moses. Unlike Moses, who confronts Pharaoh directly, Jesus faces crucifixion at the hands of Rome, leading Collins to pose a significant question about the nature of Jesus's redemption.

John Collins (01:16) remarks, "Crucified Messiah equals no redemption."

Redefining Redemption: From Political to Cosmic

The discussion shifts to Luke's nuanced portrayal of redemption, emphasizing that Jesus's mission transcends mere political liberation. Instead, Jesus confronts a deeper, more pervasive enemy: death itself.

Tim Mackie (01:27) states, "Luke wants us to see Jesus wasn't merely about releasing his people from slavery to Rome... he needed to confront death itself."

John Collins (01:48) further elaborates, "Jesus and Luke's redefinition of redemption... sin, the Satan, a spirit... affects our bodies so that they die and the power of darkness."

Biblical Narratives Illustrating Redemption

Mackie and Collins examine specific passages from Luke to illustrate their points:

1. Zechariah's Song of Redemption:

   • John Collins (07:44) discusses Zechariah's prophecy, highlighting themes of salvation and fulfillment of God's covenant.
   • Tim Mackie (10:01) quotes Zechariah: "Blessed be Lord God of Israel. He has visited us and accomplished redemption for his people."

2. Simeon's Encounter with Jesus:

   • John Collins (17:19) describes Simeon’s recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, tying it back to Isaiah's prophecies about the servant who renews Israel.

3. Anna the Prophetess:

   • John Collins (19:04) introduces Anna, who proclaims Jesus as the redemption of Jerusalem, reinforcing the theme of divine intervention.

Jesus’s Ministry: Acts of Redemption

The hosts delve into how Jesus’s actions throughout the Gospel of Luke embody the redefined concept of redemption:

• Healing and Forgiveness:

  • John Collins (32:24) analyzes the healing of an 18-year-bent woman, interpreting her physical ailment as a metaphor for spiritual bondage.
  • Tim Mackie (35:30) discusses Jesus's response to Sabbath healing controversies, emphasizing release from bondage over mere physical healing.

• Authority to Forgive Sins:

  • John Collins (38:22) explores the story of the paralyzed man, highlighting Jesus's authority to forgive sins and its connection to cosmic redemption.

John Collins (43:21) synthesizes, "Jesus and Luke's redefinition of redemption... release them from bondage."

Cosmic vs. Political Redemption

A significant portion of the conversation contrasts traditional political expectations of redemption with the broader, cosmic scope presented in Luke:

• Tim Mackie (37:09) emphasizes the adversary as a cosmic force: "sin, the Satan, a spirit... the power of darkness."

• John Collins (45:36) connects this cosmic battle to the formation of new social communities, suggesting that redeemed individuals live in ways that challenge existing powers not through force but through demonstrating liberation from darkness.

Conclusion: Redemption’s Implications for Community

The episode concludes by tying the themes discussed to the broader narrative of Luke and Acts, suggesting that Jesus’s acts of redemption lay the groundwork for new forms of community that embody freedom and challenge societal norms.

John Collins (47:22) reflects, "Redemption is Jesus doing all these acts of forgiveness and power and healing and then himself suffering and dying, suffering and dying and being raised up in victory over the Satan and sin and death."

Tim Mackie (45:48) summarizes the implications: "We're going to live as if we're liberated from them, because we are. And that's going to mean that there's so many implications for that."

They wrap up by previewing the next episode, which will delve into how the Apostle Paul discusses redemption in his New Testament letters.

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Key Takeaways:

• Redemption in Luke extends beyond political liberation to encompass cosmic deliverance from sin and death.
• Jesus's role is redefined from a political savior to one who confronts deeper spiritual adversaries.
• Biblical narratives in Luke illustrate how Jesus’s actions embody this broader concept of redemption.
• Theological implications suggest the formation of new communities that reflect this liberated state, challenging existing societal structures.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tim Mackie (00:04): "The Gospel of Luke opens with Zechariah... Anna... begins to tell everyone who is looking for the redemption of Israel about Jesus."

• John Collins (01:16): "Crucified Messiah equals no redemption."

• John Collins (10:05): "He has accomplished redemption for his people and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David."

• Tim Mackie (43:21): "Or releasing them."

• John Collins (47:22): "Redemption is Jesus doing all these acts of forgiveness and power and healing and then himself suffering and dying, suffering and dying and being raised up in victory over the Satan and sin and death."

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This comprehensive exploration by Tim Mackie and John Collins offers listeners a deep understanding of how redemption is portrayed in the Gospel of Luke, highlighting its multifaceted nature and profound theological implications.

Transcript

[Tim Mackie]

The Gospel of Luke opens with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, singing about God's coming redemption. And then we learn of the prophet Anna, who meets Jesus in the temple when he's dedicated as a baby. And then she begins to tell everyone who is looking for the redemption of Israel about Jesus.

[John Collins]

So Luke really wants us to notice that all the people around have this expectation of what the redemption of Israel involves. And a story comes into their head when the word redemption is uttered.

[Tim Mackie]

And that story is how God rescued Israel from Egypt through Moses in the past. And their hope is that God will raise up a new leader, just like Moses, to rescue Israel again from their current oppressors, Rome. So to talk about the redemption of Israel is to talk about this coming liberation, a release from the bondage of.

[John Collins]

Slavery, a Moses Exodus style. Redemption is what people think Jesus is here to do.

[Tim Mackie]

But Jesus didn't quite confront the leaders of Rome like Moses confronted Pharaoh. In fact, Rome captures Jesus, crucifies and kills him.

[John Collins]

Crucified Messiah equals no redemption. So this raises the crucial question then, are those poems from chapters one and two, were they just wrong?

[Tim Mackie]

What Luke wants us to see is that Jesus was not merely about releasing his people from slavery to Rome or Herod. Jesus saw a bigger, badder enemy that he needed to confront, and that is death itself. And so all through his life, Jesus confronted this enemy when he healed people's bodies. And he confronted this enemy when he forgave people's sins.

[John Collins]

He sees the enemy under the names of sin, the Satan, a spirit the. That affects our bodies so that they die and the power of darkness. So this becomes Jesus and Luke's redefinition of redemption.

[Tim Mackie]

Today, all the themes of redemption culminate in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Thanks for joining us. Here we go. It's him.

[John Collins]

Hello. John Collins.

[Tim Mackie]

Yes, hello.

[John Collins]

How are you this morning?

[Tim Mackie]

Great, yeah, doing good, Good, yeah. I'm excited to get into the New Testament and this theme on redemption.

[John Collins]

Yes. On average in our theme video conversations, we do about 2/3 to 3/4 Hebrew Bible and then 1/3 1/4 New Testament, which reflects the shape of the Christian Bible in terms of page count. But yeah, yes. We're tracing the idea and words of redemption throughout the storyline of the Bible. And we started one with just a reflection on what does this word even mean. Redeem means to repossess, to reclaim in the Bible. In the Bible, redemption is about releasing something from something state of wrongful or tragic ownership. Something has fallen into the wrong hands and redemption both in Hebrew and in Greek is about the act of reclaiming, repossessing.

[Tim Mackie]

In every example in the Bible, it always has to do with wrongful possession, from a wrong state to a good state.

[John Collins]

That's right. Yep. And in cases where there's nothing of economic value exchanged, the word seems to just have a more general meaning. To release. Yeah, to release or to liberate. And actually, this is really important for how the word gets activated in the Gospel of Luke. Okay, this is so great. Luke has very clearly opened and closed his account of Jesus with two really beautifully designed introductions and conclusions to ending pieces. The opening piece is all about the pregnancy and birth stories of Jesus. But what Luke has done is put this birth stories and the pregnancy stories of Jesus and John the baptizer into parallelism. And the word redemption is strategically introduced. And the word redemption strategically is used right in the very end, specifically with the famous story of Jesus walking with the two on the road to Emmaus. And then within the Gospel itself, redemption vocabulary is not very frequent, but the synonyms of it linked words that connect to the idea but that aren't the actual word are just, like, everywhere.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay.

[John Collins]

And why he used very clear words for redemption at the beginning and end, but why he used less obviously linked words in the middle, that's the interesting little puzzle about redemption in the Gospel of Luke. Okay, but let's turn our attention to the opening chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. Here's a little Bible trivia. Which of the four gospels doesn't open with a story that's immediately connected to Jesus?

[Tim Mackie]

Is it Luke?

[John Collins]

Sorry.

[Tim Mackie]

You know, I love it when you do Bible trivia with me because you are like the Bible trivia master. And so it just lights you up.

[John Collins]

Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, sometimes it's truly trivial, but sometimes these little facts, you're like, well, that's interesting. Yeah. Matthew opens with a genealogy about Jesus, about Jesus, Messiah, the son of David. John opens up with. In the beginning, was the word like, pre incarnate Jesus?

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah, The Gospel I can't think of. The very opening right now is Mark.

[John Collins]

Yeah. The beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God.

[Tim Mackie]

That's how Mark begins.

[John Collins]

Yeah, in the opening sentence. So Luke has the famous prologue where he first writes, as was commonly done in, like, commissioned works. He writes to his patron, Theophilus, telling him how and why he made the work. That's Luke verses 1 through 4, chapter 1. But the work proper begins in Luke 1:5. And we hear that in the days of Herod, There's Herod, the great king of Judea. There was a priest named Zacharias from the division of Aviah, and he had a wife from the daughters of Aharon named Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the eyes of God and blameless and walked in the commandments of the Lord, but they had no child. And you just start reading and you're like, oh, this is supposed to be about Zechariah, and these are not going to be Jesus parents. This is, like, about some other couple. These are characters who, after chapters one and two, won't appear again in the rest of the story. So why are we being set up with an elderly couple who haven't been able to have any children for a long time? There are lots of hyperlinks and narrative analogies to Abraham and Sarah in particular.

[Tim Mackie]

And he's a priest, right?

[John Collins]

And he's a priest. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. But it's interesting because Zechariah the man is the one told about the birth of this forerunner connected to the messenger of Malachi who will go before the Lord. And he has a really hard time trusting and believing. In fact, he goes mute for a long time as this kind of testing consequence for his lack of faith. And he can't speak again until the child is born.

[Tim Mackie]

Oh, his child.

[John Collins]

His child. This is John the baptizer. Then you get introduced to John Jesus Mom. And she's given him the same type of message that, like, an astounding pregnancy is going to take place. It's even more astounding because Mary's a virgin and she is inquisitive, but she trusts, like, immediately. And so there's a contrast between this teenage girl who trusts God and is like, may it be according to your word, I'm your servant. That's her response. Whereas Zechariah's response, the priest is like, what? No way. This is not possible. So the goal of introducing this secondary character is just to provide a contrast to this main character, namely Jesus mom, who isn't going to be in the foreground throughout all of Luke's gospel, but she appears throughout multiple times. So what's cool is that the Gospel of Luke opens with two chapters that read like a musical. Maybe if you had heard an oral performance, you would hope that people would break into song. But there's all these poems embedded. And when Zechariah sees that his son, John the baptizer, is finally born, we're told that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied and he sang this epic poem that is just a collage of hyperlinks from lines from the Psalms and the prophets. It's really cool. Specifically, it opens with him saying, may the Lord God of Israel be blessed because he has visited us and he has accomplished redemption for his people.

[Tim Mackie]

You're in Luke 1:68.

[John Collins]

Luke chapter one, verse 68. Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

Blessed be Lord God of Israel. He has visited us and accomplished redemption for his people.

[John Collins]

He has accomplished redemption for his people and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David. His servant Zechariah knows that Mary is also pregnant and that that son is gonna inherit the throne of David and so on. So he sees the birth of these two boys as linked together. And even though it's technically the beginning of a redemption, you're singing a poem about it as if it's already accomplished.

[Tim Mackie]

And even though it's his son, John the Baptist, who was born, he's really celebrating Jesus being born. Which hasn't happened yet.

[John Collins]

It hasn't. It happens right after he sings the song is then the famous birth story from Luke. They go to Bethlehem. There's no room in the inn space, in the guest room of the family's house, and the shepherds and all that, that happens immediately after this. But he knows that these two pregnancies and then this birth of his son and then the birth that's coming, it's like a package deal.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. And if you're a priest and you acknowledge the Torah and the prophets, you study the Torah and prophets, you know redemption is a keyword related to the Exodus.

[John Collins]

That's right. So that was an event in the past when God repossessed his people from wrongful possession of slavery to Pharaoh. And it was all kicked off by the surprise and amazing deliverance of a young boy.

[Tim Mackie]

Moses.

[John Collins]

Moses, Yep. So the birth of the deliverer is a key motif on. Throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible. So just the birth of the companion figure to the Messiah opens up the floodgates for Zechariah to be like, it's happening. Which I'm just gonna describe it as if it has happened.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

Which is true, because it is happening. And if it's happening, it's happened.

[Tim Mackie]

It's great. That's a great positive attitude.

[John Collins]

Exactly.

[Tim Mackie]

But what does he think is happening?

[John Collins]

Exactly. Okay, let's read his description. Anticipation. The Lord God of Israel has visited us. He has accomplished redemption for his people.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay, so stop there. Visited us. I mean, he heard from God. Is that what he's referring to?

[John Collins]

Oh, right, this word Visiting us. And visitation is a key hyperlink to a number of texts in the Torah and prophets, referring to moments when God comes to either hold people accountable for their actions or to bring about the. The restoration. It's connected to the Hebrew verb pakad, the time of visitation. And it actually begins in Exodus. Exodus is the first visitation by God. Mm. Yeah. When he comes to see and hear the groaning of his people and raise up a deliverer.

[Tim Mackie]

That's a visit.

[John Collins]

That's a visit. Yep.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay, so he visited us. God's acting, justice and renewal.

[John Collins]

But so how and when is God going to reclaim Israel? Okay, here's the parallel line. And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, his servant.

[Tim Mackie]

Let me see if I can remember. Horn. That's about victory, Right.

[John Collins]

It's the animal horn.

[Tim Mackie]

Animal horn.

[John Collins]

Raise up the horn.

[Tim Mackie]

Raise up the animal horn is like, I just won in battle.

[John Collins]

Yes.

[Tim Mackie]

And salvation is rescue. So God has done some sort of act of victory that's rescued us.

[John Collins]

Yeah. Like a victorious ox who just gored.

[Tim Mackie]

Its rival and then lifted his horn.

[John Collins]

Yeah. And delivered his herd from something. So God redeeming his people is involved with the birth of a royal savior.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. The house of David. That's about the Messianic.

[John Collins]

That's right.

[Tim Mackie]

Savior.

[John Collins]

Yep. Then Zechariah says, this is just as God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets of old. Salvation from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us. I mean, just sounds just like the psalms that we read in the last episode. And from Isaiah, he has shown mercy towards our ancestors. He's remembered his holy covenant that he swore to Abraham to grant us that after being rescued from the hands of our enemies, we could worship him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all of our days. So we're oppressed by foreign nations. Okay.

[Tim Mackie]

Right now it's Rome.

[John Collins]

Right now it's Rome working through the puppet king, Herod, who was just named in the introduction to the story. And we want to worship God in the temple free, as a free people.

[Tim Mackie]

We can't.

[John Collins]

Yeah. And the birth of this kid and the birth of Mary that we've heard about, this is it. God's doing it. He's doing the thing.

[Tim Mackie]

So you could import the Moses story now. And this kid's going to, like, confront Herod, bring some plagues, like kick him out, drown them in the sea. This is the stuff you would have on your mind.

[John Collins]

That's the story being activated.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

Yep. Just very clearly salvation from our enemies, from those who hate us so we can worship God without fear. That describes also then, after the Exodus story, the people's journey through the wilderness to worship God at the mountain. So notice that redemption and rescue, salvation and redemption are really paired terms here. When Jesus is born in the next chapter is the next time our redemption words occur. And there's these rad scenes where Jesus is born. And then Joseph and Mary bring baby Jesus for his circumcision in Jerusalem. And then as they bring him to the temple to offer these purification offerings that were traditional, there was this guy, Simeon, who was righteous and devout. This is Luke 2. 25. And he was looking for the comfort of Israel. So that's a key hyperlink. Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

Comfort.

[John Collins]

The comfort of Israel comes right from. For us, two conversations ago in Isaiah, how Isaiah 40 opens up.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

And again, those were the chapters where the word comfort is a signal for the restoration that God will bring about for Israel on the other side of Babylonian exile and the return to Jerusalem where they can rebuild the temple and worship God in freedom. So that's associated with the word comfort in the book of Isaiah. And Simeon, he was looking for that comfort for Israel.

[Tim Mackie]

Simeon, also a priest.

[John Collins]

Hmm. We're just told he was just a righteous dude.

[Tim Mackie]

Just a righteous dude?

[John Collins]

Yeah. And he hangs out in the temple a lot. The Spirit was on him.

[Tim Mackie]

Oh, he hangs out there. Okay.

[John Collins]

And the Holy Spirit had actually given him this insight that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. And so he was led by the Spirit's guidance to the temple one day, right. When Joseph and Mary happened to bring baby Jesus in. And he saw this kid, and he was just like, that's it. And he sings this little poem that is just this little collage from the servant poems in Isaiah 40. 55. So rad. My eyes have seen your salvation. But remember, salvation was linked to redemption in Zechariah's song. He could have just said, my eyes have seen your redemption. He could have, but my eyes have seen your Yeshua. It's the name of the kid, your salvation that you've prepared in the presence of all the peoples, a light of apocalypse for the nations and the glory for your people, Israel. So this is all connected to core themes in Isaiah. The arrival of the servant to renew Israel. Create the sparkling, shining city on the hill that is the righteous remnant. And then we hear about this female prophet, Anna, from the tribe of Asher, who was a widow, and she just basically lived at the Temple in fasting and prayer and worship. And at that same hour, she approached and began to give thanks to God and to speak about this child to everybody who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

[Tim Mackie]

The redemption of Jerusalem.

[John Collins]

So Luke really wants us to notice all the people around have this expectation of what the redemption of Israel involves and that it's like we're looking for the time.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

He really wants us to notice all these other Jewish people who. A story comes into their head when the word redemption is uttered.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. And then that this kid Jesus is this new Moses character.

[John Collins]

That's right. Yep. Now, let's go now to the end of the work, and we're going to see an important little addendum. It's a frame that picks up this redemption word again, but with a twist. So this is after the empty tomb, Mary and the women who were there, and they see the stones rolled away, tombs empty, these shining humanoid figures saying, jesus is alive from the dead. Go tell the others. So that scene just happened. And then we're just introduced to this couple walking along a road to Emmaus, which is a town just a few miles south of Jerusalem. And the risen Jesus just starts walking alongside them. And it's an amazing. Gosh, it's such an amazing story. We did make a whole scene in our video about this in the Luke Acts series. In the Luke Acts series, yeah. And they don't recognize him. And Jesus said to them, these are.

[Tim Mackie]

Just two disciples of Jesus.

[John Collins]

One of them is named Cleopas. Cleopas. And it could be he's walking with a male disciple. Doesn't say. We also know that Cleopas was named as one of the husbands of the named female disciples elsewhere in the Gospel of Luke. So it's also likely, I think probable, that this is Cleopas and his wife. So Jesus says, hey, what are you guys talking about as you walk along?

[Tim Mackie]

What's up, guys? This is the word.

[John Collins]

Yeah. And they were just. They stopped. They were just so sad. And they said, what are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn't know what just happened over the weekend? And he plays dumb, like, what things about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a mighty prophet, mighty in word and deed, like a Moses figure in the eyes of God and all the people. But the chief priests and our rulers delivered him over to the sentence of death. They crucified him. We were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. So let's pause. We're back to what people's expectations were, and he's linking back to all these redemption hopes from the opening chapters and then saying, yeah, it didn't go down like that. In fact, people were crushed. Part of why his disciples were crushed by what happened was it didn't.

[Tim Mackie]

Right. In the story of Moses, he doesn't confront Pharaoh and then get killed. That's not how it goes down.

[John Collins]

That would actually be a failure to redeem.

[Tim Mackie]

If that had happened in the story, then Israel would just have been stuck in slavery. In that story, Moses had to actually get Pharaoh to finally relent. So you would imagine the powers, Rome and the puppet government would have to, like, get to a point where they're like, okay, yeah, you're in charge. We'll get out of the way. And they didn't. They killed him.

[John Collins]

They didn't. So crucified Messiah equals no redemption. It didn't work. Yeah, it didn't stick. So this raises the crucial question then. In what sense are those poems from chapters one and two, were they just wrong? Or perhaps the way in which God was going to redeem was both in continuity with all those ancient hopes and promises, but also, like, there was a twist, there was a different means of doing it. And this is essentially the burden of what Luke is trying to work out in the heart of his gospel. And he doesn't do it by using the word redemption anymore. He starts activating synonyms or connected words that are like a red thread from the introduction to the conclusion and to see where he first starts developing it. It's essentially Jesus's first speech, his entry onto the stage as an adult character announcing the good news of the kingdom of God. It's in Luke chapter four. And it's crucial for understanding this redefinition of redemption. So let's go there. So, writer, for Jesus is tested in the wilderness 40 days and nights. He goes to Galilee, the region of Galilee, and we're told he starts teaching in their synagogues. This is the moment where in Matthew's version, he inserts the Sermon on the Mount. Yeah, right here. He just cracks open and puts in the Sermon on the Mount.

[Tim Mackie]

Puts him on a mountain, has him start teaching.

[John Collins]

That's right. In Luke's account, Jesus goes to a synagogue, which Matthew told you to, and he goes on a Sabbath on Shabbat, Friday evening. And he tells us a unique story that's not found in Mark or John or Matthew. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. It's like he's doing the public reading of Scripture. And he opens to Isaiah 60:1, where he reads this famous passage. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me. Yep, Mashach me to announce the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim or announce release for the captives.

[Tim Mackie]

Oh, what's that word?

[John Collins]

And recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Yes. Okay, so release, it's a noun here, aphesis, which releases. The perfect translation, you let something go out of a situation into another situation, and then the verb is afiyemi, which is the verb to let go of, or release. So this word is one of the most common words in the New Testament and in Luke, for forgiveness. To forgive someone. Oh, but literally in Greek, you release someone from their sins.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay, wait, so in this passage, if you had proclaimed forgiveness for prisoners. Yeah, that doesn't make as much sense.

[John Collins]

Yeah. So the core idea is you let something go.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay.

[John Collins]

Something is in your grip.

[Tim Mackie]

I see.

[John Collins]

Or it's in one circumstance, and it's released and let go.

[Tim Mackie]

And in the context of a relational problem where someone owes you something, if they did you wrong.

[John Collins]

Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

You can release them of that.

[John Collins]

That's right.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay.

[John Collins]

Yeah. So release becomes a way of saying, if someone did you wrong, they are in your debt, you ought to possess them, or you rightfully possess them, or some part of them because they did you wrong. And so you can choose to claim what is yours. You owe me this, which is some sort of justice.

[Tim Mackie]

Recompense.

[John Collins]

Recompense, yeah. Or you can open your hands and say, I release you from your sins and you let them go. That's one nuance of the word release. But the word's basic meaning just means release. And very often it's release from a burden or from bondage. This is the word used and the concept being drawn upon here in Isaiah 61 is about the year of jubilee. It's called the year of release. The Hebrew word is doror, which means to unbindle something's tied up and you untie it so it can go free. And the Septuagint translators translated that word with aphesis and aphiemi. So here's why this is important. Back in our second conversation, one of the highest density places of the appearance of the word redemption in the Torah is in the chapter in Leviticus describing the year of jubilee. Yeah, it's the year of release, when something is released from a state of slavery or debt, and then the family member who goes to repossess it to release and transfer it back to family ownership. That's what the word redemption refers to. So this word release is a Closely related synonym. It's a good example of how themes in the Bible come to accumulate. Many words that are attached to the theme.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. So the largest theme is something or someone is in a wrongful state of ownership. And we're transferring that back to a rightful state of ownership. And to do that is a redemption. But when you're doing that, you are often rescuing someone from a bad situation. So it's a salvation of sorts of. And also when you're doing that, you're releasing them from bondage. So it's a release. And so all of these words and ideas are getting at the core idea, which is the transfer of ownership into its rightful place.

[John Collins]

Yeah, that's right. So redeem is one way to describe a little story that happens. Let's say that you are enslaved and I come to transfer you, to purchase you, to redeem you. So that's referring to what I do, my activity you're redeeming in getting you out of that situation. But if you want a word to describe just what you are undergoing, what are you experiencing in that moment? Not from my point of view, I'm being rescued. Then you call that either salvation, which is about going from a dangerous situation to a place of safety, or you can just call it release. You're bound up in one situation and you're released. So this becomes the key word in all of the healing narratives that follow in the Gospel according to Luke, in chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. He's just packed these stories about Jesus coming to poor outsiders, people who are vulnerable or on the social margins, and he heals them. He includes them in his disciple community. And this word aphesis, release, or the verb aphiemi, to release, is just littered throughout these stories in a really cool way. So let's go to Luke 13 to see how the story work. Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on Shabbat on the Sabbath, and there was a woman there who for 18 years had a sickness caused by a pneuma, an invisible destructive energy spirit. She was. So I'm reading New American Standard. Bent, double hunched over. Yeah. ESV has bent over. So the word sungpto kupto means to, like, stoop down or to kneel. So she's bent over and she cannot straighten herself up. So what's interesting is both. It's like a medical condition, you know, a whole variety of things, but also the image of being stooped over, not able to stand up. These are common, even biblical images of slavery, carrying a burden to be Bowed low or laid low is often an image associated with slavery, whereas walking upright is an image of dignity or freedom. So her physical condition is also an image of her social condition. So Jesus sees her, he calls her over, and he says, woman, you are released now. You are freed. He actually doesn't use the word afiami.

[Tim Mackie]

Oh, he doesn't.

[John Collins]

Okay, he will. But he uses the word again. Another synonym, apaluo.

[Tim Mackie]

Oh, yeah.

[John Collins]

But luo is connected to lutron or lutrao for release. So, woman, you are freed from your sickness. So even just right there, sickness is something described here with the language, it enslaves you. Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

You need to be released from it.

[John Collins]

Imprisoned, enslaved.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. It's owning you, and it's not your rightful owner.

[John Collins]

Okay, so let's pause. Yeah. So in Jesus imagination, when he sees somebody who's sick.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. They're under the ownership of this realm of death and destruction is claiming ownership over you.

[John Collins]

Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

And you bent over your body, ailing. It's a physical manifestation.

[John Collins]

Yeah. Of like, something that's both personal to this woman's body.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

But it's also, for him, it's a sign of something cosmic.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

In the biggest frame of the biblical story, this is Jesus seeing the world in light of the Eden story. We're outside Eden under the oppressive influence of the snake Man.

[Tim Mackie]

That's so, so helpful, because it is hard as a modern person to read stories of spirit possession. And more and more, as I go through this world, I'm more open to like, yeah, the material world is not all there is. And there's. There's spiritual forces, there's powers, there's things. For some reason, it's connecting in a new way right now. For me to think about this theme of being owned by death.

[John Collins]

Yes.

[Tim Mackie]

That we need to be freed from that. And what is that? It's not merely an abstraction.

[John Collins]

It's probably the most concrete thing we experience. From the moment we're born, we're subject to death.

[Tim Mackie]

Something is grinding us down, back to the earth. And Jesus sees that as being captive.

[John Collins]

Yeah. So this is not Jesus applying metaphorical or spiritual language to a literal or physical condition. In the biblical imagination, sickness is a sign of being outside Eden, under the influence and power of death and the snake. So watch where this goes. So he puts his hands on her. Immediately, she was able to stand upright, and she began giving honor to God. And you're like, yeah, That's a Genesis 1 situation right there. Upright, a free, dignified human who can give honor to their creator. But this was on the Sabbath. And so certain synagogue officials get frustrated with Jesus. Listen, we do our work in six days. Healing can happen on those six days. But Shabbat day is for rest from our work. Jesus answered, you hypocrites, wouldn't any of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him to water him if he was thirsty?

[Tim Mackie]

That's allowed on the Sabbath.

[John Collins]

That's the assumption here. Yeah. It's like you can feed your animals.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

And if you can feed your animals, what about an image of God? But look at the language he uses. This woman is a daughter of Abraham and Satan. The Satan has bound her, literally tied her up for 18 years. Shouldn't she be released from this bond on the Sabbath day?

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. If the Sabbath day is for anything, it's for release.

[John Collins]

Yeah, for release. Release from your labor.

[Tim Mackie]

Right.

[John Collins]

And here it's back to her stooping over. The sickness is like a burden, like a slave's burden. And for 18 years she's had to carry it. So it's just fascinating. One, Jesus sees his mission to release people from bondage to a much more pervasive and destructive power. So this is a good example where in Jesus mind, he's here to redeem and on a cosmic level. But it does begin to qualify those expectations and hopes.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. Because if you just look at the outer frames and you think of Jesus as the Moses figure to redeem Israel and Jerusalem from the new pharaohs, then Jesus needs to confront the pharaohs and get them out.

[John Collins]

Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

But here it seems like he's confronting a bigger, badder pharaoh.

[John Collins]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

And that's what his interest really is in.

[John Collins]

Yeah. The adversary, the enemy. Hasatan means the one opposed the enemy. Yeah, yeah. That's what Zechariah said. Salvation from our enemies so that we can worship God.

[Tim Mackie]

So who's your enemy?

[John Collins]

Without fear, who's the enemy? Let's look at another example. Luke, chapter five. It's another well known story. One day Jesus was teaching and there were some Bible nerds, Pharisees and Torah teachers there. And some guys came carrying a friend of theirs who was paralyzed on like a platform, a bed. They were trying to get him in front of Jesus, but they couldn't find a way. So they go up on the roof and they just start shredding the roof apart to create a hole and lower this guy down. It's a famous scene. Seeing their trust, Jesus said, friend, your sins are afiami released. Your sins are released for you. Actually, it's not Present tense. What he says is, your sins have been released for you. Huh.

[Tim Mackie]

And that's not what they were after.

[John Collins]

Okay. Yeah. So that's interesting. Yeah, like, they want this guy to be healed.

[Tim Mackie]

They want this guy to be healed.

[John Collins]

And in Jesus mind, his healing speaks to a much more cosmic problem.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah, this cosmic problem is, is destroying your body. But the reason why we're in this mess is because of our failure to live right by each other and live by God's wisdom. And it's put us into the state of slavery to death. So it's all connected for Jesus.

[John Collins]

Yeah, we know that Jesus doesn't think that people get sick because you've done something wrong. In the Gospel of John, Jesus disciples ask him about the blind man. Literally, it's the same word who sinned? This guy or his parents? And he's just like, neither. The glory of God's about to be revealed and that's the deeper purpose at work here. So it's not like, of course Jesus knows this guy's human and that he's blown it. And he hasn't always loved God and love neighbor. The point is that your sins here are a sign of his enslavement along with the rest of the cosmos that has a claim on his body right now.

[Tim Mackie]

Now, when you ask a direct question about someone who's blind, you're like, who sinned him or his father? And then Jesus like, well, neither. I get that. Couldn't you also say, hey, Jesus is sin and death reigning us because of our moral failures? And I think he could be like, yeah, yes, right.

[John Collins]

And he would say, and that's just one part of the sticky web that we're all in. And another sign of being caught in that web is our sick and dying bodies.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah, but it's all connected in the same way.

[John Collins]

It's all connected. Yes. So that's where he takes it. So the Bible nerds say, like, who can forgive sins except God? Like, you can't do that. You're not authorized. And Jesus, you know, famously says, why are you scheming in your hearts? You know, which is easier? To tell this guy his sins have been forgiven or to say to him, get up and walk. It's a classic Jesus style question. It's obviously easier to say your sins are forgiven you. Anybody can go around saying, your sins are forgiven. Right.

[Tim Mackie]

And real quick about that. So I can forgive someone's sin against me.

[John Collins]

Yes, yes.

[Tim Mackie]

So what Jesus is doing, this guy hasn't sinned against Jesus.

[John Collins]

That's right. Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

And this guy tore apart someone's roof, so he's got a debt of obligation with some other guy. So I guess the thing is, in what sense can a man forgive people's debts to other people?

[John Collins]

That's right.

[Tim Mackie]

And just say, hey, don't worry about it. Don't worry about your relational debts to other people. Yeah, that's the problem.

[John Collins]

That's right.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay. And they're saying, like, you can't do that.

[John Collins]

That's right.

[Tim Mackie]

God could do that. Yeah, God has the right to do that. You don't have the right to do that.

[John Collins]

That's right. If your dog comes and poops on my lawn, I have an issue with you. But if my neighbor. If my neighbor comes over and says to my other neighbor, whose dog pooped on my lawn, says, hey, it's okay. You're forgiven. And I'm standing there going, like, what?

[Tim Mackie]

No, he's not. Stay out of it. Clean up this poop.

[John Collins]

That's right. So Jesus is waltzing in, just saying, like, you're clear. Right. So then the Pharisees are like, that's not how this works.

[Tim Mackie]

Okay.

[John Collins]

So then Jesus ups the ante, and he says, well, you know, which is easier? To tell this guy he's right with God or to heal his body.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. Yeah. And another way to say it is like, not only what is easier, but these things are tied together.

[John Collins]

Exactly. Yes.

[Tim Mackie]

So you don't think I could do that? Well, I can't prove I can by just saying I can. But let me show you something undeniable.

[John Collins]

Yeah, that's right. And then he appeals to Daniel, chapter seven. But so that you will know that the Son of Man has authority on the land to forgive sins, he said to the paralyzed man, you know, get up, pick up your stretcher and go home. And immediately he gets up, picks up his stretcher and goes home, once again honoring God, glorifying God, just like the woman. So he's pulling a line out of Daniel 7, which is the story about God elevating a human figure into the heavens to share in God's rule and identity and authority over the land. And here Jesus is claiming, like, I'm that one. So if I share in God's divine identity and authority, then healing this guy and forgiving this guy is just two sides of the same coin. It's about restoring people or redeeming them.

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah. Or releasing them.

[John Collins]

Yeah, that's right. And so he doesn't name the Satan here, what he names the sin. Now, sin's the culprit. Sin is an issue connected to this guy's sickness or. Right. His bodily illness.

[Tim Mackie]

Sin is crouching at the door.

[John Collins]

Yeah. So we're. Yep, we're back there again. So, you know, on the night that Jesus is betrayed in the garden of Gethsemane and the chief priests and the officers come and he says, you know, you could have arrested me. All throughout the week leading up to Passover, I've been in the temple every day. But then he says, but this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness. So we're back to like, who's the enemy?

[Tim Mackie]

Yeah.

[John Collins]

So Luke has profiled that the enemy, from Zechariah's point of view or the couple on the road to Emmaus point of view is Herod or the corrupt priest or something. But Jesus is working on a more cosmic level, which doesn't mean it doesn't have political implications. It does, but he sees the enemy as under the names of sin, the Satan, a spirit that affects our bodies so that they die, and the power of darkness. So this becomes like Jesus and Luke's redefinition of redemption, which gives birth to a new type of social community, which is what the book of Acts is all about. Two volume work of Luke and Acts, what gives birth, what Jesus is doing is redeeming people. And the people that he redeems form these communities of his disciples that begin to live in a way that actually does really pose a challenge to the powers that be. But not by pulling the 10 plagues on them, but by saying, hey, you don't know it Herod, or you don't know it chief priests, but you're actually in league with the powers of darkness and you need to be liberated from them.

[Tim Mackie]

And we're going to live as if we're liberated from them, because we are. And that's going to mean that there's so many implications for that.

[John Collins]

Yeah. You could see the rest of the New Testament is just working out the implications of what Jesus meant when he said he was here to redeem. Yeah.

[Tim Mackie]

Wow.

[John Collins]

So the fact that we end with the conclusion of Luke with this couple saying we thought he was going to redeem Israel. And you, the reader are like, well, I just read the account of Jesus doing what this couple just said he didn't do.

[Tim Mackie]

Well, if you caught it, I suppose you might be thinking the same thing as that couple. In which case it's like an invitation to I need to explore this.

[John Collins]

Yeah, that's right. And so Jesus takes them on a Bible study, they go to have a meal and he takes them through the writings of Moses and the prophets and shows them how the Messiah, suffering and then entering into glory is about this cosmic redemption.

[Tim Mackie]

It was key to this cosmic release.

[John Collins]

Yeah, yeah. So how does some representative leader dying and then being raised from the dead, how is that an act of cosmic redemption? Luke just tells you the story and names it that, that is the redemption is Jesus doing all these acts of forgiveness and power and healing and then himself suffering and dying, suffering and dying and being raised up in victory over the Satan and sin and death. So how exactly is that a definition of redemption?

[Tim Mackie]

And I guess Jesus explained it during.

[John Collins]

His Bible study, apparently, which is unrecorded here. But the one early follower of Jesus who was connected to these early circles, people who knew Jesus, a guy named Saul of Tarsus, who's also known on the road as Paul the Apostle. He, more than any of the other earliest followers of Jesus, worked out in his head and developed an elaborate way of talking about this redefined version of redemption. So it's really to Paul's letters that provide this kind of elaboration of this redefinition of redemption that we see at work here in the Gospel of Luke. So I thought it'd be good to then take a next step and turn to the letters of Paul.

[Tim Mackie]

Let's do that. That's it for today's episode. Next week we look at how the Apostle Paul talks about redemption in his New Testament letters.

[John Collins]

His letters are packed with redemption language and there's one letter where he really begins to unpack what he means in multiple places. And that's his letter to the churches and Rome.

[Tim Mackie]

Bibleproject is a crowdfunded nonprofit and we exist to help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus. Everything that we make is free because of the generous support of thousands of people just like you. Thank you so much for being a part of this with us.

[John Collins]

Hi guys, this is Greg from Sacramento, California. Hi, my name is Anita and I am from Nashville, Tennessee. I first heard about bibleproject from my daughter. I use bibleproject for my own enrichment. My favorite thing about bibleproject is, is the podcast.

[Tim Mackie]

I love the Bible Project, the way.

[John Collins]

It helps people understand the gospel in a way that they may have had.

[Tim Mackie]

Confusion over not been able to understand.

[John Collins]

It, how it applies to them. I love listening to Tim and John unpack the scriptures and it feels like they're literally sitting at my table and I'm part of their conversation.

[Tim Mackie]

The Bible Project has been influential in.

[John Collins]

My own kids lives. So Keep up the good work. Appreciate you. We believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. We're a crowdfunded project by people like me. Find free videos, articles, podcasts, classes, and more on the BibleProject app [e-mail] hey everyone, this is JB. I'm a writer and editor at BibleProject, and I work closely with our content and product teams. I've been working at Bible Project for almost four years, and my favorite part about my work is being a connector both among our internal teams and also with all of our resources to help people experience the Bible as a unified story leading to Jesus. There's a whole team of people that bring the podcast to life every week. For a full list of everyone who's involved, check out the show credits in the episode description wherever you stream the podcast, and also on our website.

[Tim Mackie]

Sam.