I think for a lot of second generation Christians like myself, we take a lot of Bible verses for granted. An example of a verse is Matthew 20:28: "even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (ESV).

I am by no means a theological expert or a Bible scholar, but as I read this verse one morning, its implications suddenly stood out to me. As a second generation Christian I have always read this verse as it is, thinking that yes it's pretty obvious that Jesus came down to earth to serve man and to give up His life for our sins. I mean it's the gospel summarised in a sentence, so I usually don't pay much attention to it.

As I read it again that morning, however, the Holy Spirit spoke to me through this verse, telling me that it is not as simple as it sounds. Jesus came down to earth as a man and as God. Yet with all the power and exaltations He deserved, He humbled Himself to the level of a servant, to tend to the sinners around Him instead of receiving the glory He should have had. That itself is a true sign that Jesus Christ Himself is Lord, because God will not demand His followers to serve others or turn the other cheek without Himself being an example. How difficult it must have been for someone as mighty and powerful as Jesus to lower Himself to our level, or even worse, to that of a servant. Jesus set the true and perfect example for all of us to follow, and that is exactly what He wants us to be - servants for God and for others as well.

Another thing we take for granted is the very fact that Jesus gave His life as a ransom for our sins. If you've watched the movie Passion of the Christ you would see very graphic visuals of how Jesus was probably treated. Jesus - God Himself - treated like utter crap by His own creation, treated as if the things around us were not given to us by Him, as if our very lives were not from Him. Jesus was tortured so badly for nothing except for healing the sick, feeding the poor, and preaching to everyone around Him about the good news of eternal life. How painful it must have been. Most of the times when we read about Jesus dying on the cross we take it as a fact, but we don't see it in face value. We can't possibly because we have never seen the actual happenings for ourselves. But every year during Good Friday I will watch Passion of the Christ with my family, to remind myself of the pain Jesus had to go through in order to atone for all our sins. The amount of pain and hurt He must have felt in His heart would have been more than the physical torture, so much so that even Jesus could call out to God, saying "My Lord, why have you forsaken me?" Every year when I watch this movie I cry so badly, both in thankfulness and in shame for my own sins, and after that I treasure God's gift so much more. For those who haven't watched Passion of the Christ I encourage you to, unless you absolutely cannot stand gore, because like I said, it is a very graphic movie depicting Jesus' crucifixion, down to the whip of thorns that tore through Jesus' back and the hammering of nails into Jesus' hands and feet.

The next time we read Matthew 20:28, or any other verse talking about Jesus coming to die for us, I hope we won't take it for granted no matter how many times we have read them, and instead soak in God's goodness and overwhelming love for us sinners.