“For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NKJV)
Mark was a young Jew raised by a wealthy widow mother. He
was a nephew of Barnabas who was known as son of encouragement and an apostle
to the Gentiles. His full name was John Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark. He
accompanied Barnabas and Paul in the first missionary journey to Cyprus and to Perga
in Pamphylia where he suddenly left the group and returned to home in
Jerusalem, which later caused a dispute between two apostles at the dawn of
second journey. We are not told why he left but it definitely made him troubled
a while. However he was recovered by the help of Barnabas and Peter. Eventually
Paul accepted him as a fellow worker and brother in Christ Jesus. We are not
told when he was converted but he was the man who ran away naked when he was
following Jesus with a linen cloth only and the people laid hold of him.
His gospel portrays Jesus as Servant with two
viewpoints--Servant who rules and Ruler who serves. This gospel is the shortest
record of Jesus Christ. No genealogy was recorded but right started telling the
story of John the Baptizer. Mark was fascinated by Jesus the Servant who rules.
Jesus called the disciples, saying “I will make you fishers of men.” Who could
say in such an utter confidence? To a young and intellectual Jew, the serene sureness
of calling for the mundane men was a mind-blowing moment. Mark should have been
baffled by how a man could say of the future life of the disciples like that.
Not only that, he witnessed that Jesus drove out demons and
healed the sick by the words of His mouth. Nothing hindered Him to perform the
miracles in heaven and on earth. Nature obeyed Him and even the angles
submitted Him completely. Any disease yielded its power at His command. The
words He spoke penetrated into the depth of the hearers who accepted Him. He
was majestic and grandiose in all beauty and wonder of words and deeds as
Servant.
The second part of the gospel describes Ruler who serves. Jesus
was heading toward the way to give His life for many. The key verse of the
gospel is Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” For this purpose,
the Son of Man came to the earth and laid down His life in the place of many. To
Mark, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the most beautiful thing in heaven
and on earth. This was the way for Jesus Christ to become the true Ruler who
sacrificed His body for many. In this way, Jesus became the only way to the
Father.
Those who come to the cross of Jesus Christ are given the
most powerful and beautiful gift, the resurrection life, eternal life,
overflowing love, joy, and peace. The way of the cross in Calvary is the way to
the throne of grace in the Father’s house, the very source of life that all humans
are in need desperately. Mark, a young man in the first century, saw Faithful
Servant and learned of Jesus Christ, accepted Him as Lord, and was given
eternal life, overflowing out of rivers of living water. So do anyone who hears
of Jesus Christ in any age.
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