The CEB Blog - Christ, the Faithful Servant

Christ, the Faithful Servant

“And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11). 

Imagine the voice of God booming from the sky, shaking the hearts of the onlookers as He declared His pleasure in His Son, Jesus! Matthew, Mark and Luke were inspired by the Holy Spirit to use the same word to describe God’s pleasure in Jesus as He spoke from Heaven that day, the word eudokesa. This Greek word comes from a combination of two words, eu, which means to be well or right, and dokeo, which means to suppose, account or determine. In this brief moment at the inauguration of Jesus for public ministry, God in Heaven let the world know Jesus had His upmost approval, His divine delight and His royal recommendation to introduce the world to Him. Jesus Christ came to serve mankind, and He did so faithfully. 

This Fall, we at Bogard Press are eager to study with you through the gospel of Mark. The study is entitled, “Christ, the Faithful Servant” and will cover the entire book. The aim for the quarter is to help students recognize that true greatness lies in manifesting the spirit of a servant. This we will learn from observing the servant’s heart and the actions of Jesus. 

Modern culture has devalued the mindset of a servant. Self-promotion at the expense of others is a mindset not only embraced by secular culture, but also by the Christian sub-culture. This is nothing new, as even in Jesus’ day, it was common for rulers to desire opportunities to “exercise lordship” and “authority” over others. The counter-cultural approach to leadership in God’s kingdom, though, would require the followers of Jesus to understand that “whosoever will be great…shall be servant of all,” since Jesus Himself came “to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45). 

This Fall, we will learn that the greatest leaders choose to serve others, following the example of Jesus Christ. We pray God’s churches embrace servant-leadership in their pursuit of Christlikeness. May the people of God enlarge His kingdom through the love of Christ, making Him “well pleased” (Mark 1:11). 

Mark Clements 

Editor in Chief 

Mark.Clements@bogardstore.org