The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark 1:1
So begins the gospel of Mark. Whereas Matthew presents us with the genealogy of the King to establish His antecedents and status, and Luke recounts His human ancestry to prove that He is a genuine and proper man, and John describes His divine origins as the eternal God, Mark introduces the Lord in a most simple and straightforward way. Mark's intention is to present to us the servant of God, a Slave-Saviour. There is little record of His speaking (for example, on the kingdom of God in Matt. 5-7), but much detail concerning His deeds in the carrying out of His gospel service. This is because in the case of a slave, no-one is interested in their background, their origins, nor what they say. The only value of a slave is in what they do, and this is the particular flavour that permeates Mark's writing. Mark's gospel is the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Christ as the Slave of Jehovah in Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; 49:5-7; 50:4-8 and 52:13-53:12.
If you go into a museum and look at Western artistic portrayals of the Lord Jesus (or, this being a blog, do a Google search), you will undoubtedly see an attractive and pleasant image. However, according to Isaiah:
Even as many were astonished at Him - His visage was marred more than that of any man, and His form more than that of the sons of men... He has no attracting form nor majesty that we should look upon Him, Nor beautiful appearance that we should desire Him."
Isaiah 52:14, 53:2
There was nothing outwardly attractive or captivating about this Man, yet He drew countless to Himself, through the beauty and excellence of His deeds in His gospel service.
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