Christ: The Slave of God and Man

In the Gospel of Mark we get a clear view of Christ in His humanity and His divinity. In His human living Christ took the form of a slave, serving God and men. He was a slave not only to God but also to man. The Lord Jesus lived on earth as a slave.

Before moving on, we must not forget, and be reminded that Christ is God! Christ was God mingled with Man. 

Christ is God! 

In the following verses, is Christ's deity manifested in full in it's glory and honor.

Christ's divinity is shown through His lordship:

Mark 2:28 So then the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath

His omniscience:

Mark 2:8 And immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

His miracoulous power, and His authority to cast out demons

Mark 1:27 And they were all amazed, so that they discussed among themselves, saying What is this? A new teaching! With authority He orders even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.
Mark 3:15 And to have the authority to cast out the demons.

To forgive sins:

Mark 2:7 Why is this man speaking this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except One, God?
Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth

 and to Silence the wind and the sea:

Mark 4:39 And having awaken, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Be silent! Be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Christ in his divinity had the power and authority of God. He was equal to God. He was God living in the form of Man.

Christ is Man!

But we must also not forget that Christ was a man. He was a serving man. We see his humanity through His need for food and rest:

Mark 3:20-21 And He came into a house, and again a crowd came together, so that they could not even eat bread. / And when His relatives heard about it, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, He is beside Himself.
Mark 6:31 And He said to them, Come by yourselves privately to a deserted place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have opportunity to eat.

His anger:

Mark 3:5 And looking around at them with anger and being greatly grieved with the hardness of their heart...

His groaning:

Mark 7:34 And looking up to the heaven, He groaned and said to him, Ephphatha! that is, Be opened!

and His affection:

Mark 10:21 And he said to Him, Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.

His humanity in these verses are beautifully displayed in it's virtue and perfection.

In Mark's Gospel are the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning Christ as the Slave of Jehovah. In the Gospel of Mark we have a vivid record of the Lord's humanity as a Slave. The last chapters of Mark are especially long and detailed. The reason is that Mark's purpose is to provide a detailed record to show the beauty of the Lord as a Slave in His human virtues.

Matthew 20:27-28 Whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave; / Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

The Lord Jesus lived on earth as a slave. With his living as a slave, He set a pattern to the believers. As a slave, He is a model of a proper human life. As the standard of the highest human living, the Lord in His living fulfilled the requirement of the first ordinance of the law concerning our relationship with others. (Life-study of Exodus p. 806)

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, / Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, / But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; / And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross.

Even though Christ was equal to God and had the highest rank in the universe, He became a person of the lowest level of society. The very One who was equal with God not only became man but became a slave. In this He emptied Himself and humbled Himself. Those who would follow this pattern must also empty themselves and humble themselves.  

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

I pray that we can follow such a pattern of living the life of Christ and serve God along with our fellow brothers and sisters. To love God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and our neighbors as written so to keep His law.

Mark 12:29-31 The first is: "Hear, Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; / And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength, / The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.

 (Inspired by source: Crystallization-Study of Exodus Vol 3 by Witness Lee p. 376)