Last week we started this “PORTRAITS” series, where we are taking a look at the 4 PORTRAITS of Christ, as painted in the 4 Gospels. Each of the Gospels presents a slightly different portrait of Christ, highlighting different parts of His person and mission. And here is what I am saying through this series.

All are correct. None are complete.

That is our bottom line for the series. We get a better picture of who Jesus IS when we look through the lens of ALL 4 Gospels! Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Last week we looked at Matthews Gospel and said that Matthew presented Jesus as being the King, as being the Royal leader, as being the WAY BETTER Leader of our life than we are.

In my study this week, I was reminded that the Gospels are not the first place that painted 4 portraits of the Messiah. Let me read you the account from Ezekiel. I am not going to read the whole account because it is kind of weird. The prophet has a pretty crazy vision. But within that vision, look at what he sees.

You’ve heard of being 2-faced, how about 4-faced? For almost 2000 years now, many theologians have seen those 4 symbols as 4 PORTRAITS of the Messiah, as symbols of the 4 GOSPELS that would tell the story of the Messiah. That resonates with me as well. Now, there is not consensus on which portrait represents which Gospel. Lots of different theories, but let me give the one that I think it is.

Matthew is all about Jesus as the King. Which of those 4 faces best represent a king? The Lion. One of the names of the Messiah was the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew chapter 1, traces His lineage and among His ancestors was Judah, whose tribe’s symbol was a lion. The lion is also the king of the jungle, so there’s that.

I think Luke is best represented by the face of the man and John by the face of the eagle. I will wait to show you why, when we get to those messages. Today I want to look at Mark. I believe Mark is best represented by the face of the ox. I will come back later to why I believe that. For now, let me give you a few interesting things to know about the Gospel of Mark.

· The author of this Gospel is John Mark. Mark spent time with Barnabas and Paul, but also Peter, who refers to him as “my son, Mark” at the end of 1 Peter.
· That leads to the next interesting thing to know about Mark. Most theologians believe that the apostle Peter was Mark’s source for the first-hand information in His Gospel.
· Of all the Gospel writers, Mark spends the most time on the crucifixion and the suffering of Jesus. In fact, so much of Mark’s story is concerned with the cross that the Gospel has been called a passion narrative with an extended introduction.
· The target audience for Mark was to the Romans. The Roman empire was very diverse, and they didn’t care whether Jesus was Jewish or not. They just wanted the facts. Give them the evidence that Jesus was who He claimed to be. For this reason, Mark doesn’t spend ANY time on the birth story or on the genealogy of Christ. For the Romans, it is all about action. What did He DO? So, the reader is plunged “immediately” into the adult story of Jesus. Within a few short paragraphs, Jesus is baptized by John, tempted by Satan, and starts His ministry.
· Every paragraph in Mark is about Jesus except for 2 about John the Baptist. From start to finish Mark is about Jesus, and He is portrayed as a man of ACTION. The focus in Mark is not on the teachings of Jesus, but on what He DID.

· Above all, Mark’s portrayal of Jesus is characterized by 3 factors.
o His divine authority
o His mission as the Suffering Servant of God
o His divine Sonship.

· The Romans would have been really impressed by His authority.
o Demons listened to Him
o People followed Him
o He taught AS someone who wasn’t just teaching information but HAD real authority.

· The Romans would have been intrigued by His claim to be the Son of God. And there was evidence that pointed to Jesus being divine.
o Diseases listened to Him
o Storms listened to him
o The Sea allowed Him to walk on it.

· But the thing that would have gotten their attention the most was that someone who claimed to be the Son of God and who clearly had amazing ability and authority would willingly suffer and serve those under Him.

That isn’t normal! Kings don’t usually become servants willingly! Let’s think back to last week’s message topic. Jesus came as THE KING! What do YOU expect a king to look like? Act like? What does a king deserve or how should He be treated? Kings are usually SERVED, correct? You would not expect to be invited into the palace and have the king wash your feet, take your coat or cook your food.

· The key verse in Mark is:

THAT STOOD OUT! THAT got their attention. Here is what I think the bottom line for Mark is:

Jesus was born…to die…for you

· Have you ever worked for a boss that sacrificed those under him or her so they could get ahead? That isn’t like Jesus. He sacrificed FOR those under Him.
· Have you ever had a teammate that took the credit for the whole team? That isn’t Jesus! He sacrificed Himself! He didn’t look for the credit or the spotlight, but shined it on others.
· What would you think if the mayor or the governor or the president of the corporation or the university or the Prime Minister was known for GIVING credit to others? That they were always pointing out how someone else was doing a great job? If they were known for deflecting credit and accepting all blame instead of deflecting blame and accepting all credit?
· Here is the truth that we find in Mark. Jesus had all authority. Jesus was the King of all Kings. Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus laid that all down willingly AS our Sacrifice.

Jesus was born…to die…for you

Let me go back to the 4 faces in Ezekiel. The lion, the man, the ox and the eagle. Think about those 4 faces. One of them stands out as not that complimentary. Not that desirable. Out of the 4 faces, there are numerous examples of sports teams being based on 3 out of the 4 faces.

o Lions are easy. The Packers have been beating them up for a long time. In addition to Detroit though, Columbia, Loyola Marymount and Southeastern Louisiana universities all have Lions as their mascot. According to one article, Lions is the 7thmost popular team name among all sports teams in the U.S. 742 teams from high school to Detroit are the lions.

o The face of man. WAY too many to list all of them. Pirates, Buccaneers, Brewers, Padres, Cavaliers, and MANY more are man based. And if you just take Warriors as an example, there are 926 sports teams from high school to Golden State with that name.

o Eagles are also easy and plentiful. Along with Philadelphia in the NFL are 10 Division 1 colleges including Boston College, Morehead State and Winthrop. And when you add high schools to the mix, Eagles is the number 1 team name in all of sports. 1603 sports teams are the Eagles.

o But how about the face of the Ox. There are ZERO professional teams and ZERO college teams. I looked through all the minor league baseball teams too where animals such as Stone Crabs, Flying Squirrels, Mud Hens and even Sea Unicorns all have teams. But no OXEN. I found that the Blue Ox made the final 6 list for the professional hockey team which became the Minnesota Wild. But I could only find one sports team named Ox. I had to dig deep into Google to find that there was once a professional roller hockey team called the Minnesota Blue Ox.

No one signs up to be the OX. Why would they? What are some characteristics of an ox in the time of Ezekiel.
· They were beasts of burdens.
· They were adult male cattle that had been castrated to make them easier to control. No wonder no sports teams want that name!
· They were known for carrying large loads.
· They were compliant and humble.
· They existed to make it easier for others.
· They lived to serve.
· They were animals that were sacrificed by the High Priest

Let me go back to the key verse in Mark.

Mark 10:45 – NLT – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

That verse echoes the role of the Servant of the Lord found in Isaiah. Listen to this passage, thinking of the Servant as an ox. The characteristics I just listed.

Isaiah 53:2-12 – NLT – “My Servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. (oxen aren’t good looking. No one says, ‘that girl is beautiful, she’s a real ox’) He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped (like an ox) so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him (the beast of burdens) the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb (or an ox) to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was led away. (like an ox) No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in His hands. When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, my righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear (carry, like an ox) all their sins. I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier, because He exposed Himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore (carried) the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

Mark takes great pains to describe the sacrifice that Jesus took on our behalf. Remember “He GAVE His life as a ransom FOR MANY!”

Jesus was born…to die…for you

Now, hear these verses through the image of Jesus being our OX:

THAT is the prayer of a suffering and willing Servant. One who came to “GIVE His life as a ransom for MANY!”

Jesus was born…to die…for you

Mark 14:64b-65 – NLT – “‘Guilty!’ they all cried. ‘He deserves to die!’ Then some of them began to spit at Him, and they blindfolded Him and beat Him with their fists. ‘Prophesy to us,’ they jeered. And the guards slapped Him as they took Him away.”

Mark 15:15b – NLT – “Pilate ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned Him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.”

Doesn’t that remind you of:

Isaiah 53:5b - NLT – “He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped (like an ox) so we could be healed.”

Jesus was born…to die…for you

Then the soldiers took some time before crucifying Him. They called out the whole regiment of soldiers to watch as they dressed Him in a royal robe, drove a crown of thorns on His head. Then they saluted Him and taunted Him, and struck Him on the head. Wait, what was ON His head. They struck Him on the crown of thorns. They spit on Him. They mocked Him…
Doesn’t that point back to the Suffering Servant in:

Isaiah 53:7a – NLT – “He was oppressed and treated HARSHLY, yet He never said a word.”

AND THEN they took off all of it, the royal robe, the crown of thorns, put His own clothes back on Him and led Him LIKE an ox to the slaughter, to the cross, where they nailed Him. Doesn’t that sound like verses 7 and 8?

Isaiah 53:7b-8a – NLT – “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was led away.”

And as He hung there AS the sacrifice for your sin and my sin, He cried out in a loud voice:

Mark 15:34b – NLT – “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

And I believe that the answer to that question is found in Isaiah 53!

Isaiah 53:8b-10a – NLT – “But He was struck down FOR the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants.”

Jesus was born…to die…for you

Why was He abandoned? Why did He have to SUFFER? Because, “His life was made an offering for YOUR sin!!” It all points back to the theme verse of Mark.

Mark 10:45 – NLT – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to GIVE His life as a RANSOM for many.”

Jesus was born…to die…for you

That sacrifice was seen by others as well.

Ephesians 5:2b – NLT – “He loved us and OFFERED Himself as a SACRIFICE for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

The author of Hebrews adds:

Hebrews 9:28a – NLT – “so also Christ was OFFERED (like an OX) once for all time as a SACRIFICE to take away the sins of many people.”

But here’s the question: DO YOU BELIEVE HIM? Do you believe that He died in YOUR place? That He took YOUR SINS? That He paid the price for YOUR salvation by sacrificing His life?

Peter, the one who is believed to have been the source for Mark, wrote this:

And then Peter quotes Isaiah and applies it to Jesus.

· By His wounds, you are forgiven.
· By His wounds, you are saved.
· By His wounds, you are made whole.

Jesus was born…to die…for you

He Who was born the KING of all KINGS surrendered His ‘rights’ and ‘privileges’ to SUFFER…as a SERVANT…as a SACRIFICE… FOR YOU! THAT is the GREATEST GIFT that can EVER be given to you or for you! BUT THAT gift does you no practical good, unless you receive the gift BY BELIEVING Him. We open that gift BY FAITH.

Do YOU believe THAT? Would you like to receive that gift that the SUFFERING SERVANT has given for you? He is the BEST GIFT EVER! Talk to Him right now. Tell Him that you BELIEVE and want to RECEIVE Him as your Lord and Savior.

If you are already a follower of Jesus, here is the application for you. Jesus, the Son of God, the King of all kings, laid down His rights FOR our benefit and washed the disciples feet. After He did so, Jesus says, “ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

That idea fits so well our theme word for 2020. BECOMING. Our job as a follower of Jesus is to BECOME more like Him. In today’s message, that means we need to lean in and BECOME MORE of a servant. To lay down our preferences and SERVE others. It’s a major part of BECOMING more like Jesus.