Ni save na fifty bob.

Saviour!? Really!!


Let’s talk about the word Saviour. Over time, this word has taken on quite the transformation. These days, especially if you’ve grown up in a Christian environment, we often think of it in a spiritual sense—someone who saves us from sin, right? We don’t really picture a guy in battle armor, charging through enemy lines to rescue someone in distress. Nope. Speaking of save or saving, we sometimes also think along the lines of "save me a seat" or "save a number in your phone." And if you take the slang route in Kenya, "save" can even mean, "Nisave na fifty bob" (Help me out with fifty shillings).


So, the word Saviour has a ton of meanings today. But to the Jews back in the day? Oh, it had a very different ring to it. For them, it was all about liberation. They wanted to be freed from the chokehold of oppressors. After centuries of rebellion against God and worshipping other gods, the Jews had a rough ride—captivity, destroyed homes, burnt-down cities, kings gone, and their heritage wiped clean. They hadn’t had a king of their own for ages. Instead, they were ruled by other nations, which you’ll see when you read the Old Testament (hint, hint).


So, when they thought of a Saviour, they were expecting someone to swoop in like a mighty warrior, overthrow their oppressors, and flip the script. They wanted to stop being the oppressed and start being, well, the oppressors. A military takeover, maybe a nice seat in government(remember the mother and her two sons in Matthew 20 and Mark 10?). But… they were wrong, and God had a different plan altogether. 


When you get to Matthew 21, Mark 11, and John 12, you’ll see this word Hosanna pop up. It means “save us now.” The crowd shouted it as Jesus entered Jerusalem. They were hoping for liberation, military-style. But, plot twist: instead of kicking out the Romans, Jesus flipped the tables—literally—whipped the merchants, and caused a scene* in the temple. This was disappointing. The crowd was not amused. This wasn’t the savior they had in mind. From that point on, they were done with him, and they began to plot his downfall and one of his disciples was later looped into the plan.



But hey, that’s just the surface. What happens next? Well, you’ll have to crack open your Bible for the full story. Trust me, it’s worth it! 😎

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