In this chapter we shall consider what kind of character the Lord Jesus had while He was on the earth. We may think that those of us who serve the Lord need to have a proper character, but that the Lord Jesus had no such need. However, if we read the four Gospels carefully, we can see that while the Lord was on the earth, His service before God depended greatly on His character.
Among the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark especially shows us how the Lord Jesus served God. All those who study the Bible can perceive in this Gospel the character of the Servant of God. In reading the Gospel of John, we can realize the life that was in Jesus Christ—the life of the Son of God. By studying the Gospel of Luke, we can see the perfect disposition within that perfect Man. If we study the Gospel of Matthew, we can witness how the King of the kingdom of the heavens conducted Himself. When we read the Gospel of Mark, we can notice the character of the Servant of God. In the Gospel of John the Lord shows us by His living on the earth the life that was within Him. In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord reveals to us His human disposition by living as a man on the earth. As a man His disposition was perfect and beautiful. In the Gospel of Mark, however, the Lord is seen as a servant. There He did not display His life or His disposition but His character.
In seeking for a friend, you would often look for a pleasing disposition, not necessarily a proper character, in the other party. Usually, your only concern is his disposition and not his character. For example, a person does not have to be an early riser to qualify to be your friend. He may regularly get up and go to bed on time, but if his disposition is not pleasant, you will not want to make friends with him. Therefore, in making friends you first pay attention to a person’s disposition. However, when you hire someone to do housework, do you care only for his personality? Certainly not. He may be very gentle, patient, loving, and moderate, but if he is also very lazy, sloppy, slow, and forgetful, would you hire him? When we consider employing someone, we should consider not only his disposition but also his character. Gentleness and kindness are in his disposition. But he still must be diligent, girded in his work, and always in his place, all of which are needed in his character.
If you are able to distinguish between disposition and character, you will find the matter of disposition in the Gospel of Luke and the matter of character in the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Luke reveals the disposition of a perfect Man. The Gospel of Mark unveils the character of the Servant of God. I say this with good reason. For example, Mark indicates on at least two occasions that the Lord Jesus did not even have time to eat. This is not recorded in Luke, John, or Matthew. Matthew speaks of the Lord as the King of the kingdom of the heavens; whether the King ate or not is unimportant. This matter was recorded only by Mark. In the Gospel of Mark there are these words: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still night, He went out and went away to a desolate place, and there He prayed.” The Lord was so busy serving others that He did not care to eat, giving people the impression that He was crazy. When He saw the crowd, He did not have the heart to send them away, fearing that they would faint on the way. So He gave them bread and fish to satisfy them. He even asked the disciples to gather the leftovers. Then, after He sent the people away, He left. Is it not significant that the Holy Spirit recorded these things? The book of Mark shows us that God had found a Person on the earth whose character was fit for God’s service. In other words, this book demonstrates to us the character of the Lord Jesus as the Servant of God. Because He had such a character, He was useful in the hand of God in His service to God and to man.
One can observe the character of the Lord Jesus as God’s Servant in every chapter and every paragraph of the book of Mark. Although on a certain day He healed many sick ones, cast out many demons, did much work, and went to sleep late, He still rose very early the next morning to pray. Such was His diligence. When He was busy, He cared only for others’ needs and not for His own hunger. This is the character which one who serves the Lord should possess. When the multitudes gathered in the wilderness and it was late, He could not bear to send them away for fear that they would be exhausted from lack of food. Whereas this incident was recorded in a brief way in the other Gospels, it was recounted in the Gospel of Mark in great detail. That record shows us that He not only cared for the crowd, but He also thoroughly discerned and understood the whole situation. Further, He knew how to arrange things. He calmly charged the people to sit down row by row, took the bread and the fish, blessed them, and distributed them row by row. After the people were filled, the disciples gathered the fragments in baskets. Then He sent the people away and brought the disciples to another place. Does this record describe a miracle of the Lord? Does it unveil the life of the Lord? Does it reveal the disposition of the Lord? No. This shows us His character. He was diligent, considerate, perceptive, sympathetic, and concerned for others, and He never shirked responsibility. Without the character in the Gospel of Mark, the life in the Gospel of John could not be dispensed. In order to be dispensed, the life recorded in the book of John needed the character in the book of Mark. The life in John is the food; the character in Mark is the container.
We lack this kind of character today. I have observed that some of the brothers are often wasteful in their service. To be wasteful is a small matter. But I am afraid that when these brothers serve the Lord, souls will be lost. This is a serious problem. Do you think the Lord treasured the twelve baskets of fragments? No, the Lord wanted to show the disciples that one who works for God in service to Him must do things in this manner. The Lord trained the disciples and led them that they also might have this kind of character. We must see that in the matter of serving the Lord and being a servant of God, the one thing that is indispensable is a proper character. We cannot serve God without a good character.