The BOOK – Servant of God

When you read the Gospel of Mark, we can easily determine its objective – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Mark 10:45. Mark was not trying to prove certain statements and prophecies concerning Jesus. His only object in writing was to tell clearly certain facts about Jesus: That Jesus is the Son of God. He proves this not by declaring how he came to earth, but by showing what he accomplished during His brief period on this earth.

John, whose surname was Mark, is the writer of this Gospel (Acts 12:12,25). He was the son of Mary, and cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). He accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Antioch and was the cause of a serious disagreement between them (Acts 12:25; 13:5). Finally he became a great help to Paul (Colossians 4:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:11).

There is no introduction in Mark. The other Gospels have lengthy openings, but there is none in Mark. The opening verse says, “Gospel of Jesus Christ”. He adds, “Son of God”, to show Christ’s divine glory. Miracles have a leading place in Mark, as parables have in Mathew. Twenty miracles are given in Mark in detail. These miracles of Jesus were proof of his mission from God. Through his miracles, Jesus inspired faith in many of those who saw and heard him.

An important thing we find in Mark 1:35 is about Prayer. “He arose very early and went out of the city to a lonely place and prayed”. If the son of God needed to pray before he undertook his work, how much more should we pray. Perhaps if we lack success in life, it is because we fail at this point.

From Mark 8:31 to Mark 15:47, we see Christ’s direct claim to be King and the suffering and rejection he had to go through because of that. Jesus tells his disciples that he is to be rejected by elders, chief priests and scribes (Mark 8:31), he is to be delivered by treachery (Mark 9:31), he is to be put to death by the Romans (Mark 10:32-45), and he is to rise again the third day (Mark 9:31).

In Mark 16, we see Christ being exalted and his words that his disciples are to take his place, and he will serve in and through them (Mark 16:20). The command rings with urgency of service. Not a corner of the world is to be left unvisited; not a soul to be left out.

The greatest sin of every age is the rejection of Jesus Christ. Everyone who had heard the Gospel must either accept the Lord as Saviour or trample him underfoot. There are people who made their choices right by accepting him. But the ones who accepted him should show his characteristics.

I pray that you accept Christ and live with his fruits and gifts to bring others to salvation. 

The BOOK – Gift of God

The Gospel of Mathew starts with the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham. This statement links Christ with two of the great covenants God made with David and Abraham. God’s covenant with David consisted of the promise of a King to sit upon his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:8-13). Gods covenant with Abraham promised that through him should all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:3). David’s son was a King and Abraham’s son was a sacrifice. Mathew opens with the birth of a King and closes with the offering of a sacrifice. 

Jesus is associated with the Jewish nation. Mathew used wisdom in not alienating the Jews who might read the story. He is convincing them that this one fulfilled every prophecy spoken concerning their promised Messiah. He quotes freely from the Old Testament. On every page he is trying to connect the Gospel with the prophets and show that all of their teaching is being fulfilled in the person and kingdom of Jesus Christ. Mathew, the author is no doubt a Jewish believer in Jesus (Mathew 9:9; 10:3). He was a tax collector at Capernaum under the Roman law when Jesus chose him as one of the 12 disciples. In Luke we find his other name, Levi. 

The Gospel of Mathew breaks the silence of 400 years between Malachi’s prophecy and the announcement of the birth of Jesus. Israel was under the domination of the Roman Empire. No man of the house of David had been allowed to sit upon the throne for 600 years. Mathew traces Jesus line back to Abraham and David to show he was a Jew. He shows Jesus as of royal descent, the King, the promised ruler of Israel. Of the 3 gospels, Mathew alone tells of the visit of the wise men from the east (Mathew 2:2). 

The birth of Jesus was followed by 12 years of silence until his visit with the teachers in Jerusalem. Then silence shut him in again, with the only word “carpenter” (Mathew 13:55), to let us know what he was doing. Jesus took 30 years of preparation for 3 years of ministry. 

Even though Jesus Christ was son of God, when he came to the world, he prepared himself to serve people. If you want to be in medical profession, you need to spend lots of time and years for your preparation. You cannot serve God without preparation. Even Paul had good knowledge on the Old Testament, before he saw Jesus and took his apostolic work.  I pray that God will help you in the preparation and call you at the right time to serve him.