Gospel of Mark--Christ as Servant

I've been reading through the Gospel of Mark in my quiet time. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four.  It is straight forward and action packed.  The characters are colorfully described. The verbs are quick and certain.  The word “immediately” appears 42 times in the sixteen chapters.  The brevity and simplicity make this Gospel ideal for an introduction to the Christian faith for the new believer. It also is wonderfully suited to evangelize those who yet to believe. Often Bible translators in foreign counties pick Mark as the first book of the Bible to translate. Ninety percent of Mark’s Gospel is repeated by Matthew and Luke or both. 

 

Mark presents Jesus Christ as the Servant.  Mathew’s Gospel focuses on Jesus as King; Luke reveals Him as the Son of Man and John emphasizes Him as the Son of God.  Mark tells us throughout his writing that Jesus came to serve. He shows Jesus actively engaged in ministry. He heals the sick. He raises the dead. He delivers the demonized. He preaches and teaches. He is constantly ministers to the needy, lost and hurting around Him. As His disciples we are to do the same.  We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, body and soul and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

            Mark portrays Jesus as laying aside His divinity and His glory in heaven to assume the form of a bond Servant.  He perfectly obeyed His Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Mark demonstrates the humanity of Jesus Christ more clearly than the rest. We see here in this Gospel Christ’s human emotions, reactions and even some human limitations.  Jesus is pictured from His baptism and temptation by Satan in the wilderness in His steady march toward the suffering of the Cross and the glory of His Resurrection.

Mark’s Gospel is a glorious revelation of Jesus Christ as the Servant, the Son of Man and the Savior. When some of His disciples argued about who would be the greatest, Jesus rebuked them. A key passage  is found in Mark 10: 43 - 45: But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

He we find an overarching principle from the life of our Savior. Followers of Jesus Christ are called to glorify God by selfless service to others..