Mark 10:45

Context

Immediately after Jesus foretells his death and resurrection for the third time (Mark 10:32-34), James and John, the sons of Zebedee, ask to sit at his right and left hands in his glory. When the other ten disciples hear of this, they are indignant. Jesus teaches that the rulers of the Gentiles exercise lordship over their people, "but so shall it not be among you": whoever would be great must become a servant. He grounds this teaching in verse 45. The phrase "for many" and the image of a servant who gives his life in the place of others are often read in connection with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

Interpretation

• As a model of service: The first half of the verse grounds the teaching that leadership within the community of disciples must be marked by service rather than domination.
• As a declaration of substitutionary redemption: "Ransom" (Greek lytron) denotes the price paid to free a captive or a slave. The verse presents Jesus' death as a price paid on behalf of many and is a central text for the doctrine of the atonement.

Debates and Issues

• To whom was the price paid? Some early Church Fathers explained it as a ransom paid to Satan (the ransom theory), but medieval and Reformation theology later developed toward understanding it as a substitution that satisfies God's justice. The Reformed tradition emphasizes penal substitution, while the Swedish theologian Gustaf Aulén brought renewed attention to the atonement as victory over the powers of sin and death ("Christus Victor"). Many hold that the various understandings of the atonement complement one another.
• The scope of "many": The Canons of Dort of Calvinism teach "limited atonement," the doctrine that Christ's redemption is actually effective for the elect, and cite this phrase as one of its grounds. Arminianism and the Wesleyan tradition hold that in Hebraic idiom "many" can carry the sense of "all," and maintain that the atonement is for all people (compare 1 Timothy 2:6: "Who gave himself a ransom for all").

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently used at ordination services for church officers and at pastoral installation services to explain the meaning of offices of service.

Related Passages

• Isaiah 53:10-12
• Matthew 20:28
• 1 Timothy 2:5-6
• Philippians 2:5-8