Dr. E. Harold Henderson was for 25 years, from 1972 -1997, the principal English language speaker on LifeWord Broadcast, an international radio outreach of the Baptist Missionary Association of America. Dr. Henderson was the Writer of the Adult Sunday School Quarterly (Baptist Publishing House, Little Rock, AR) for 39 &1/2 years. He authored four books and numerous religious periodicals

© LifeWord Broadcast Ministries
Conway, Arkansas
Reprinted by permission

Prisoners Bible Crusade
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Picayune, MS 39466

A DIVINE SERVANT

If you came into my home and walked through the house, you would see pictures of three children, a boy and two girls. They are my son and my two daughters. I have several pictures of each one. You would notice that each one is pictured at different stages of life. You would notice that each one is pictured in different kinds of dress. You would notice that each one is pictured in different poses. We like that kind of remembrances of our loved ones.

So our Heavenly Father has given us four pictures of Jesus in the first four books of the New Testament. Matthew presents Jesus as a king, the Messiah of God. Mark presents Jesus as a servant, the Servant of Jehovah. Luke presents Jesus as a man, the Son of Man. John presents Jesus as God, the Son of God.

Those four pictures of Jesus do not contradict one another any more than the pictures of my son in an academic gown contradicts the picture of him in a military uniform. Each picture of the Lord shows Him in a different role He filled while here on earth. Each says something wonderful about Him, and we appreciate Him the more when we see the many-sided aspects of His person.

We have reviewed the life and ministry of Jesus as the King of the Jews, the Messiah of God. Let us turn our attention now to Jesus as the Servant of Jehovah. In the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus is the King. In the Gospel According to Mark, Jesus is the Servant.

Mark’s key concept

The content of the Gospel According to Mark is an expansion of Old Testament references to the Servant of the Lord. Zechariah 3:8 records God’s words, "Behold, I will bring forth my Servant the Branch." Isaiah 42:1 reads, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him." Isaiah 52 and 53 descnbes the terrible sufferings He would endure on behalf of sinners. The key verse of Mark’s book is 10:45, ‘The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Many of Mark’s statements regarding the person and work of Jesus must be understood in view of His servant role. Jesus said He did not know the day or the hour of His return to earth (Mark 13:32). That self-limitation of the attribute of omniscience is based on His servant role, "for the servant knoweth not what His lord doeth" (John 15:15).

Mark shows the servant role of Jesus by the repetition of two terms. The Greek word eutheos occurs more than 40 times in the 16 chapters of this book. It is translated "straightway, forthwith, immediately, anon, as soon as." It is the word of a servant who responds without hesitation when he knows the master’s will.

The second term is "and" (the Greek word hat). It is used to join one act of Jesus to the next act. The word is found 48 times in chapter 1. It is the first word in 12 of the 16 chapters of the book. The many usages of the word creates a sense of activity. Jesus did this, and that, and the other, from one act of service to another. What a word to picture one who is busy serving!

What Mark does not record

Many things included in the other gospels are omitted from Mark’s record. There is no mention of the genealogy of Jesus, for instance. Why should there be? No one is concerned about the genealogy of a servant. The question is not of his family line, but can he do the work required of him? Matthew goes to great length listing the legal descent of Jesus from David to prove Him to be King of the Jews. Luke goes to great length showing the natural descent of Jesus from Adam, showing Him to be the Son of Man. But Mark makes no reference to His genealogy.

Matthew tells of the appearance of an angel to Joseph, explaining the conception of Mary. He tells of the visit of wise men from the East and their gifts to the baby Jesus. Luke tells of the angel’s visit with Mary to explain to her the conception and nature of the boy to be born to her. He tells of the angels’ singing at His birth and the shepherds’ visit to see the Christ child. But Mark makes no reference to any of those wondrous events.

Matthew reports that Jesus’ ministry began with the announcement. "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). His ministry continued with His preaching that same message (Matthew 4:17). Matthew records the words of Jesus that "the gospel of the kingdom" would be preached to all the world (Matthew 24:14). Mark makes no reference to a "gospel of the kingdom" but writes rather of "the gospel of Jesus Christ" (Mark 1:1). A servant does not announce the rule of a kingdom but is busy meeting needs by obeying his master’s will. So Mark’s emphasis is different from Matthew’s.

Matthew gives three chapters to a transcript of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5.7). He gives one chapter (chapter 13) to a recording of seven great parables Jesus gave. Preaching by Jesus has a large place in The Gospel According to Matthew. But Mark makes no such emphasis. Who wants to hear a servant preach?

Mark is the most brief of any of the four Gospels. Yet he records more miracles performed by Jesus than any of the other three. Why? Because he shows Jesus to be a servant, one who is busy at work in behalf of His heavenly Father.

What Mark is careful to emphasize

But do not think Mark emphasizes the servant ministry of Jesus to the neglect or denial of His deity. Not at all. In the first chapter, Mark refers to Him as "Jesus Christ, the son of God;" "One mightier" than John the Baptist; God’s "Beloved Son;" "The Holy One of God." Later in the Gospel we find Jesus called "Son of man, Lord, Son of God, Son of the most high God, Christ, Son of David, Christ the King of Israel, King of the Jews, and Christ the Son of the Blessed." What lofty titles!

Mark recognized and reported the foreknowledge of Jesus, the divine power to work miracles, His power to forgive sin, His personal knowledge and revelation of God, His atoning death on the cross, His victorious resurrection from death and His return to heaven from whence He came.

While Mark presents Jesus as a servant, He is always the Servant of Jehovah. He is God who has come in human flesh to take our nature and minister to us. Let us worship before Him who "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many "(Mark 10:45).

Let us offer ourselves and our resources to serve Him who is Himself the Servant of the Lord.

A COMPASSIONATE SERVANT

Mark 1:40-42 gives us a blessed insight into the servant ministry of Jesus. It reads, ‘There came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touch him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed."

There are two wonderful things I see in that account. First, there was a marvelous and miraculous deliverance of a man from the disease of leprosy, an illness for which there was no known cure in that day. To be cleansed by a touch and a word is an astounding miracle. Second, there was a gracious spirit in Jesus which caused Him to heed the plea and to effect healing in the sick man. He was "moved with compassion." That tells us something wonderful about the spirit of the Lord Jesus.

His sympathetic heart

Compassion is a compound word made up of two words: a preposition and a noun. The "coin" is the preposition which means "together." "Passion" is the noun that means "to suffer." Put them together. Compassion means "to suffer with another; to sorrow for the sufferings or trouble of another; to experience deep sympathy." The use of the word in our text indicates that Jesus had such a spirit toward those who suffered then. Is He any different now? Not at all. Hebrews 4:15 reads, "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." He is still compassionate, "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Praise His name!

This survey of the Gospel According to Mark is viewing Jesus as the Servant of Jehovah. That is the pose in which Mark presents his biography of Jesus. Let us not think that Jesus was an unwilling servant, serving people because God made Him do it. He had no desire to be released from His servant role. It was with a willing spirit that He "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). He was and is a servant toward needy people because He loves each one and desires to help each one.

Someone has said, "Jesus was a people person." That is, He was concerned about and involved with people. So in the Gospel According to Mark you find Jesus involved with people-teaching, healing, delivering, training. Always He was serving people in need. Remember the key verse of this book, the very words of Jesus Himself, The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many"(Mark lO:45). His service and His sacrifice were motivated by His compassion and love.

His tender touch

Jesus’ sympathy and loving concern were indicated by His personal contact with people. Sometimes He healed by speaking a word, even when he was at a great distance from the sick person. At other times He healed through the agency of His disciples whom He empowered to heal in His name. But most of the healings Jesus effected to the sick and suffering were by the touch of His hand.

Have you been sick, perhaps with pain and temperature, when a loved one came to your bedside and touched your brow? What a comfort that touch brought. Though that person could not heal you with a touch, how refreshing just to feel it. There was a world of love and sympathy conveyed by the touch.

Mark is careful to record in his gospel record that Jesus touched people in love. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law by taking her hand and lifting her up (1:81). He healed a leper by reaching out His hand and touching him (1:41). He healed a man who was deaf and mute by putting His fingers into His ears and touching his tongue (7:31-37). He gave sight to a blind man, taking him by the hand and leading him to a private place where He put His hands upon him and effected healing (8:22-26). He delivered a demon-possessed boy by taking him up in his arms (9:27). He received the little children in love and "put his hands upon them, and blessed" (9:26; 10:16). What a blessing to feel the touch of His hand!

That is how Jesus deals with people today. You can come to Him with your need, knowing that you will be received in mercy, dealt with in grace and touched by the compassionate bands of the Savior. D. L. Moody is quoted as saying, "A man may be a successful physician and not love his patients; a successful lawyer and not love his clients; a successful merchant and not love his customers; but he cannot be a successful worker for the Lord and not Love humanity." Jesus set the example in His personal ministry.

His willing service

Not all servants serve willingly. Some are bondslaves who chafe under the burden. Others are hired help who work only for the pay. Yet others are self-seeking who serve only for personal advancement. Some are vengeful who seek to harm the one served as a protest against their duty. How different is the Servant of Jehovah. How different Jesus was and is. He serves because He wants to, not because He is forced to. He came into the world of mankind knowing full well what would be expected of Him here. But he came willingly and bore the burden of service without hesitation.

The Bible tells us that one becomes great by serving. Jesus said "Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be chiefest, shall be servant of all" (Mark 10:43, 44). He set the example by being a servant to all, from the lowest to the highest. I have known of families breaking up (a mother deserting her children and husband or a husband deserting his wife and children) because someone got tired of giving more than he was receiving. It never happens that way with our Lord. He loves whether we return His love or not. He gives whether we remember to say a "thank you" or not. He ministers to our need whether we serve to His purposes or not. That is the sign of true compassion.

Please understand one other thing about the servant ministry of Jesus. It does not make Him the less or take away from His dignity to say He is the Servant of Jehovah. It magnifies the physician to take special are of his patient. He is respected the more because of his personal interest and involvement. So we love the Lord Jesus more than ever as we understand His efforts for us.

He who was the very essence (form) of deity took upon Himself the very essence (form) of a servant that He might minister to us and save us (Philipplans 2:5-11). Praise God, our Savior is the compassionate Servant of Jehovah, Jesus our Lord.

A FAITHFUL SERVANT

Slavery was common in the Roman Empire during the time Jesus lived on the earth. It is estimated that there were more slaves than free people in most of the cities of that empire. Some slaves were respected and treated fairly by their masters. Other slaves were abused severely. Rarely did a slave have any choice on whether he would be a servant or a freedman. It is surprising, therefore, to hear Jesus adopt to Himself the title of "servant." He called Himself a diakonos, a table waiter, one who serves the desires and needs of other people. He who was eternally the form of deity came in human flesh and took the form of a bondslave that He might minister to our needs. He announced that His purpose in the world was to serve us, not to be served by us.

The Gospel According to Mark presents the Lord Jesus as being the Servant of Jehovah. We have seen Him as a divine servant, for He was God in human flesh ministering to the needs of a poor lost human race. We have seen Him as a compassionate servant who suffers together with those who are in any trouble. Now let us look at Him as the faithful servant who performed fully His ministry in spite of rejection and abuse.

Faithful when His teachings were called blasphemy

Jesus was the faithful servant of God even though the truth He taught was called blasphemy by those who heard Him. It is difficult to keep on telling the message of truth if it is perverted and rejected by your hearers. But Jesus did.

A man sick of palsy was brought by four friends to the presence of Jesus. Their desire was to see their sick friend healed. Jesus dealt first with the poor man’s spiritual need, then with his physical need. He said, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. . . Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk" (Mark 2:5, 9). Some of those who heard said, "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sin but God only?" (2:7). They were right that only God can forgive sin. Hut they did not know that Jesus is God and has power on earth to forgive sin (2:9.11). He did not turn from teaching that God has given Him power to forgive sin just because some rejected that teaching. It was the truth of God. He kept on telling it over and over. He was faithful to that teaching as the Servant of the Lord.

Faithful when His actions were misrepresented

Jesus was the faithful servant of God when His actions were misinterpreted and He was accused of doing wrong. He called a publican (tax collector) to be a disciple. Levi, the new convert, made a great feast and called his fellow tax collectors to share it that they might meet Jesus. It was an opportunity to reach those outcasts from polite society, and Jesus took advantage of it. Some attributed that act as an act of sin. Jesus showed it to be an act of mercy, saying, ‘They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). The physician cannot heal the sick without coming in contact with them. The Savior could not save sinners without coming in contact with them. His contact with sinners was misinterpreted and made to appear as if it was an evil thing. But Jesus remained faithful even when His actions were misinterpreted and misrepresented as though they were wrong.

Faithful when ritual surpassed human need

Jesus was the faithful servant of God when religious ritual was placed in a more important place than the needs of men. A certain man with a withered hand came into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Enemies of our Lord watched to see if Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath. To do so would be an act of mercy, but they thought it would be a violation of the law of God. They watched in order to catch Jesus in a violation of their rules rather than to see a needy man helped. For the first time Mark says that Jesus "looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts" (3:5). A servant has no right to be angry, but remember that Jesus was the Servant of Jehovah and not of the wicked men who sought to accuse him of wrong doing. The crippled hand was healed, the man rejoiced, and the enemies of the Lord went away to plot how they might kill Him. Even so, Jesus faithfully continued His ministry in the name of God.

Faithful when enemies planned His death

Jesus was the faithful servant of God when evil men plotted His death (3:6). It is always the business of the servant to obey and of the master to protect him. Jesus did not take His own protection in His own hands. As Simon Peter afterwards wrote of Him, "When he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:23, 24). He endured suffering, even to death, that we might be delivered. What a precious illustration of the self.sacrificing quality of true love.

Faithful when His work was credited to Satan

Jesus was the faithful servant of God even when His work was attributed to the devil. Those who refuse to accept the evidence that Jesus was and Is the Christ of God felt required to make some explanation of His power. They announced that He was doing miracles by the power of the devil (3:22-29). He rejected the accusation with a logical argument and announced rather that He was here as the servant of God to overthrow the power of the devil. Think of how hard it is to stay faithful when people reject your message and put you in league with the devil. Jesus did and you should do no less.

Faithful when He was rejected and ridiculed

Jesus was the faithful servant of God when He was rejected, ridiculed, and accused of wrong doing. He delivered a poor wild man from a legion of demons which possessed him, permitting them to enter a herd of swine. The people of the community came and asked Jesus to leave their area because they did not want Him doing such miracles among them (5:1-20). He]eft them, but He continued to serve God. God assigned His ministry; so none but God could change His direction in it.

When Jesus went into a house to restore a young girl to life, the people ‘laughed him to scorn" (5:21.43). It did not discourage Him from meeting the need of that poor, grieving family. He served them faithfully, for He is the servant of the Lord.

How do you respond when you are falsely accused, when your worthy actions are misinterpreted to make them appear evil, when people stand in suspicion of you, when evil is plotted against you, when your efforts are attributed to the devil instead of God, when you are rejected, ridiculed and constant fault is: found in you? If you are the servant of God as Jesus was, you will continue to be faithful. The servant is not greater than his Lord. Keep the spirit of Jesus, who "come not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Behold the Servant of Jehovah and worship at His feet.

A SACRIFICING SERVANT

A servant belongs to his master. He has no property he can call his own. He has no time he can call his own. He has no family he can call his own. He is the property of his master and totally at the master’s disposal. That is why it is so surprising to find John Mark presenting Jesus as a servant, even the Servant of Jehovah, in the Gospel According to Mark. But that is the portrait we find of Jesus in that second book of the Christian New Testament.

As the Servant of the Lord, Jesus lived a life of sacrifice. Let’s make a list of some of the things He surrendered in order to be God’s servant and our savior. This will require us to go beyond the writings of Mark, yet all we say is confirmed in spirit if not in actual statement in the Gospel According to Mark.

A sacrifice of equality with God

Jesus sacrificed His equality with God the Father and the Holy Spirit to serve God in this world. He who had always been God by nature did not ding to His prerogatives as God’s equal but stripped Himself of all His privileges and rightful dignity and consented to take on the nature of a slave in order that by being man He could bear the sin-guilt of all men and make atonement for them (Philippians 2:6-8). We call that great act of grace the Incarnation," the time God came in human flesh to live among us and minister to us.

God the Son became subordinate to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in His incarnate state. His works were the works God commanded Him to do. His works were the words God commanded Him to speak. His power was the power of God communicated to Him by the Holy Spirit, not His inherent power as second person of Holy Trinity. He could do and did nothing except by the direction and empowering of the Father and the Holy Spirit. We will never know what a sacrifice it was when He emptied Himself to become Man among men and be our Savior. What a manifestation of Himself as a sacrificing servant!

A sacrifice of personal time

Jesus sacrificed His time to serve God in this world. When His popularity spread abroad and people heard of His miracles, He was pressed by a mob of people every place He went. Those who had sick or demon-possessed relatives or friends all pushed one another and insisted on His healing the ones they brought. Not in the day time only, but "at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils …and in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:32-35).

There is the picture of a servant who has no time to call his own. Jesus was busy through the day. He was busy after the sun had set. He had to rise up long before daylight to have time for prayer and communion with His heavenly Father. Wherever He went, people were seeking His help, asking His counsel or challenging His claims. Behold the Servant of Jehovah at work!

A sacrifice of human energy

Jesus sacrificed His energy to serve God in this world. Look at Him crossing the Sea of Galilee. He is in a boat with His disciples. Some of them were experienced sailors, having been professional fishermen on that same body of water. Jesus is so exhausted physically that He went to the back part of the boat, rested His head on a pillow and promptly went to sleep. He slept so soundly in his exhaustion that even a storm fierce enough to sink the boat did not wake Him (Mark 4:35-40). The land of Palestine is not large. Jesus was never more than 100 miles away from His home town. Yet, wherever He went, He walked or rode a donkey. He was a man whose body endured great demands for physical energy.

But the goal of His life was to serve God by serving people in the name of God. So long as His strength could be invested in the service of God, He counted it of no loss. His body as well as His spirit belonged to God and was totally available to do His will.

A sacrifice of necessary food

Jesus sacrificed His food to serve God in this world. Consider these two reports by Mark: First, "The multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread" (3:20). Second, "There were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat" (6:31). He was so busy serving that the need for food was temporarily ignored.

Luke gives a parable of Jesus which illustrates this point (17:7, 8). The servant has been plowing in the field all day. He comes in at even time tired and hungry. But he does not sit down and eat before his master has eaten. On the contrary, he serves his master’s dinner and afterwards eats his own meal. And Jesus said, "Whether is greater,, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serve thee? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth" (Luke 22:27). Is that your spirit as you serve people in the name of God?

A sacrifice of innocence

Jesus sacrificed His innocence to serve God in this world. The Bible affirms over and again that He was sinless before men and God. He did always those things that pleased the Father. He could challenge His enemies by asking them to point out any sin in Him, and they were helpless to do so. He "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (I Peter 2:22).

But when He went to the cross, He bore the guilt of all mankind in His body and upon His innocent spirit (I Peter 2:24). He suffered, the Just One for the unjust ones, that He might bring us to God (I Peter 3:18). God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might we made the righteousness of God in Him (II Corinthians 5:21). 1 think that the "cup" which Jesus asked the Father to take from Him was not merely the suffering of physical death by crucifixion but the agony of an innocent Man bearing the sin-guilt of fallen men. That is the greatest exhibition of the servant spirit of Jesus to be found in the Bible.

Jesus sacrificed His life to serve God in this world. He went to the cross, suffered the penalty for our sins and died in our place and on our behalf. The apostle Paul wrote years afterwards, "Christ died for our sins…he was buried, and. …he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:3, 4).

That was what Jesus meant when He said He "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Read the account of His crucifixion in Mark 14. See Him go freely and willingly to death for our benefit. That is the spirit of serving which marked all His life. Trust Him who is the Servant of Jehovah. Trust Him and commit your life to serve Him in return.

A CONTINUAL SERVANT

Jesus concluded His work on earth, saying to the Father, "I have finished the work which thou gayest me to do" (John 17:4). Then He ascended up to the presence of God and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3; 8:1). So ended His earthly ministry as the Servant of Jehovah.

I hope you are asking, "What is Jesus doing now?" The answer is a revelation of God’s grace which is truly astounding. Jesus is in heaven, at the right hand of God, appearing in the presence of God on our behalf. He continues to serve even though He has returned to heaven. His serving ministry is not yet over. He is the Servant of Jehovah to this very hour.

He continues to empower

Jesus is serving today by empowering our ministry done in His name. Mark makes it very clear in his gospel that the work of Jesus did not end when He ascended back to the Father. Hear this reading of Mark 16:19, 20: "So after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat down on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following Amen." All through the second Gospel we see John Mark’s studied effort to present Jesus as the Servant of the Lord. Now that inspired writer concludes the Gospel by showing Jesus still serving God in heaven. How? By empowering our ministry done in His name.

Jesus left a great commission for us. He said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The early Christians obeyed that command. "They went forth and preached every where" (Mark 16:20). What good would it do since they were "unlearned and ignorant men "in the eyes of many of their peers? (Acts 4:13). They could be effective because they were not alone in their witness. Jesus was "working with them, and confirming the word with signs following" (Mark 16:20).

He is still working with us- He is still confirming the word we speak. He is still empowering our ministry. He is still serving. What an encouragement that gives us to be busy in the service of God. Jesus is serving God with us by working through us. The Servant of Jehovah is serving still in this world!

He continues to answer prayer

Jesus is serving today by answering prayer. Mark recorded this remarkable prayer promise of Jesus: ‘Therefore I say unto you, What things so-ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24). That is an amazing promise It is certified by the word of Jesus: "I say unto you. "It is limitless in its subject: "What things soever ye desire:’ It is dependent on our asking: "Pray." It is dependent on our faith: "Believe that ye receive." It is certain of fulfillment: "Ye shall have them." Praise the Lord for such a promise! Jesus continues to serve by answering our prayers. You see, it is that we pray, and God acts. Jesus said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, twill do it" (John 14:13, 14). How is prayer answered? Jesus said, "I will do it." As He did the Father’s will by divine commission while in His earthly ministry, now He will do the Father’s will in answer to our prayers He still functions as the servant of the Lord. Think about that! You and I can influence the ministry of Jesus by the content of our prayers. Glory! I’m so glad He is still active in the world today. Aren’t you?

He continues to intercede for believers

Jesus is serving today by making intercession for us. The ancient prophet Isaiah wrote of Jesus’ sufferings on the cross, "He hat/i poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12). That is gloriously true. But the intercession of Jesus goes far beyond His atoning death on Calvary.

Here is His present ministry: "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24). Since He appears in the presence of God "for" us, that means He is there on our behalf. He is serving our interests as He appears before God. Hebrews 7:25 explains further, "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

His present ministry is to serve us by interceding for us. How much we need His help. How wonderful is His ministry on our behalf. What blessings from God come to us because Jesus is there serving us by His blessed and continual intercession.

He continues to prepare for His return

Jesus is serving today by the hope of His return. Mark recorded His promise to come again in these words: Then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven" (Mark 13:26, 27). That promise is recorded in different words by each writer of the Four Gospels. It is repeated in the epistles of the New Testament. it is described in the book of the Revelation. It is "that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

The work of Jesus is not yet finished. Having returned to the Father in heaven, He has been crowned as Lord of lords and King of kings. He is already on the throne of His kingdom. But all the enemies of the Kingdom of God are not yet subdued. "He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (I Corinthians 15:25, 26). So, He will reign until the resurrection Is completed and the judgment is confirmed, and then He will deliver up the kingdom to God the Father "when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power" (I Corinthians 15:24). Then He will be a servant no more, but reign in the full majesty in which Matthew pictured Him as sovereign King over the eternal Kingdom of God.

That is the picture of Jesus, Servant of Jehovah, as set forth in the Gospel According to Mark. We have seen Him as a divine Servant, a compassionate Servant, a faithful Servant, a sacrificial Servant and a continuing Servant. His example calls us to a like spirit. There is no higher office than to be the servant of God in the kingdom of His dear Son.

We agree with the testimony of those who saw Jesus in the flesh and witnessed the power of His ministry. As the Servant of Jehovah, "He hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37).

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