| We Believe - Four Aspects Of Jesus |
In each of the four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — we are given four similar yet different accounts of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry. Each is a unique angle and reveals a special aspect of Jesus.
The King
Matthew’s account begins by tracing Jesus’ ancestry to King David and Abraham. God’s promise to both these men was that the promised Messiah would come from among their descendents. In every word and deed recorded, Jesus is portrayed as the majestic fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, and His identity as King is the inevitable conclusion.
The Servant
In Mark’s account, Jesus is portrayed as a Man constantly on the move, serving, ministering and working, instantly responsive to the needs of the people and to the leading of the Spirit. From the start to the end of this book, we see Jesus in the role of the perfect Servant. Even in the last verse of Mark, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven, He continues the work that He began when He was on earth.
Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.
The Man
Luke’s account not only traces Jesus’ earthly ancestry all the way back to Adam, the first man, but also tells us of Jesus’ childhood and the lives of his earthly family. In this way, Luke establishes Jesus’ humanity. The moving description of His suffering and temptation to forego the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane shows both His humanity as well as His perfection.
Luke 22:42
… “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
He remained obedient and willing even though He knew the agony He would face — His stress was so intense that He sweated “great drops of blood”. (Luke 22:44)
Jesus lived the only perfect and sinless human life that was and ever will be. He went through every temptation and experienced everything known to mankind so that He could identify with us completely. In this way, He was the perfect substitute for mankind, the perfect sacrifice to redeem us from sin.
God
Jesus’ divinity is established from the beginning of John’s account.
John 1:1–3, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John records no genealogy because Jesus as God has no beginning and no end. And this book contains multiple records of Jesus’ “I am” declarations, for example, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), “I am the door” (John 10:9), and “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). This is significant because in Exodus 3:14, God declared His name to Moses as “I am who I am”.
- NCC
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