In the Gospel of Mark
Mark 1
The second book of the New Testament, Mark, seems to tell of the Lord Jesus as the Holy Servant for God on earth. The prophets had written that the Holy One would come as a Servant as well as, the King.
That Servant’s coming was as sure as that the heavens and earth had been created, for these words follow:
“Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens... He that spread forth the earth... He that giveth breath unto the people upon it... I the Lord have called Thee... and will keep Thee.” Isaiah 42:5,65Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 42:5‑6).
This Servant would be meek and humble, not like any other, and doing great good for people: He would open the eyes of the blind; cause the deaf to hear; bear the sorrows of the people, and preach God’s words to them. (See Isaiah 42:2,7; 53:3; 61:12He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. (Isaiah 42:2)
7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:7)
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)
1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1).
In this history of Jesus, as the Holy Servant, the stories of His birth are not told, but, when He began His important work for God, He came to the Jordan River to be baptized by the prophet John, and the Spirit from Heaven rested upon Him: and His faithful, constant work began.
This Holy Servant made the blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the lame walk, and the sick well; He cured the lepers, fed the hungry, and told God’s words: all that the prophets had written and more.
A good servant does his work promptly, and that was told of the Lord Jesus many times in this book of Mark: Jesus went or did “immediately” or “straightway” (right away). When He cured sickness, the persons were immediately: made well.
We would expect such a faithful, holy Servant for God would be well treated by all men. But He was not: the prophets had written that also o the Holy Servant: Isaiah wrote, “He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him: He was despised and we eeemed Him not.” Isaiah 53:33He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3).
Jesus spoke of Himself as coming to “minister”, to do for others, or serve. He said,
“Christ... who made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a Servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Phillippians 2:7.
ML 01/09/1944