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Scripture Reading: Mark 1:35; 3:20-21; 6:30-31, 34; 8:1-10
In this chapter we will 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 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 showed us by His living on the earth the life that was within Him. In the Gospel of Luke the Lord revealed 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 may be 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: “Rising very early in the morning, while it was still night, He went out and went away to a deserted place, and there He prayed” (1:35). 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 that God had found a person on the earth whose character was fit for God’s service. In other words, this book demonstrates 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 that 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 that He not only cared for the crowd, but He also thoroughly discerned and understood the whole situation. Furthermore, 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 recorded 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 so 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.
In the apostle Paul’s writings in his Epistles concerning the Lord Jesus, we can actually see the writer himself. Though all of Paul’s Epistles concern Christ, they allow us to see Paul. I do not think that the Epistles of Peter need to be designated as such. By reading them, one can immediately recognize their writer. The same is true of Paul’s writings. We can see the apostles from the Epistles they wrote, because it was Christ whom they bore, and it was Christ who lived through them. Moses saw the vision of fire burning on the thornbush. All the Epistles by the apostles were written according to this principle. On the one hand, Christ used Paul as His upholder, putting Himself on Paul. On the other hand, Paul lived out Christ. Because of these two points, each time they spoke concerning Christ, the apostles could not avoid being seen.
There are two lines in the Bible. One line concerns the upholding of Christ, and the other, the living out of Christ. To live out Christ is a matter of life, whereas to uphold Christ is a matter of character. With every apostle there are the matters of character and life. With regard to Paul’s character, he was used by Christ; he bore Christ, and Christ was upheld by him. As to life, Paul took Christ as his life; he lived in Christ, and Christ lived in him. Thus, when we read the Epistles of Paul, it is not difficult to see that some matters in them are related to character and some to life. For example, Paul says, “What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of meekness?” (1 Cor. 4:21); he also says, “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I myself do not burn?” (2 Cor. 11:29); and, “When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned” (Gal. 2:11). These words reflect a certain character. On the other hand, Paul says, “Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:10), and also, “We all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit” (3:18). These words refer to life. In certain parts of the Epistles of Paul we find his character as a servant of God: strong, responsible, serious, intolerant of errors, honest, willing to rebuke others to their face. In other places we see the very life that he lived. We should not have only life without a proper character; neither can we have only a good character without life.
One day in Manila, during a car ride with some brothers to the countryside, we saw an elegant Catholic cathedral situated on a small hill. The brothers brought me into the place for a visit. When I entered, I saw several nuns dressed in white, kneeling. They were motionless and appeared unreal until I looked carefully. They were so adept in the practice that they did not move even a little. We watched them for a long time before one stood up. We were transfixed as we observed the way she walked. Such serenity and composure would be impossible to imitate. As she went forward to get a Bible, her stride, posture, and movements commanded our utmost respect and admiration. What marvelous conduct! If I had not known the Lord, I would have resolved that day to join Catholicism. I believe that if some unbelievers were to see those nuns and us, they would surely conclude that we Christians are not as respectable as the Catholics. However, those who know Christ would realize that such conduct was not life; it was a developed character at best. A good character devoid of life is of no value. But life without a proper character is equally useless. Regardless of how much we know about Christ, we cannot minister Christ without a proper character.
What kind of work are we planning to do? Do we expect to do a work that is valuable and weighty or a work that is shallow? In the Lord’s service there is the need not only of the knowledge of the Lord but also of a character that upholds the Lord. The Bible requires that the elders be grave. Is this a matter of character or of life? It is too clear that this is a matter of character and not of life. One person may be clearly saved but still frivolous. Another may oppose the Lord Jesus yet be serious in his character. If these two people were to stand up and speak to a crowd, which one would gain the confidence of the people? It would be the opposer. Why? Because he is sober. We can immediately realize from this illustration that our usefulness in the Lord’s hand is based on our character and that it takes our character to minister life. Obviously, without life nothing is ministered, but without a proper character, life still cannot be dispensed.
Admittedly, we are short in life, but I feel strongly that there is a severe, even desperate, lack in our character. For example, according to my observation, some young brothers are totally unlearned in manners. In their contact with people they seem to have no sense of who is older and who is younger. They consider showing respect as shameful and politeness as undemocratic. They care little whether the person in their presence is a school principal or a dean. Be assured that such people are finished; they cannot serve the Lord.
Young brothers, in the dormitory where you live, are you polite toward your schoolmates? Although I did not visit you every day, based on my limited observations, I know how you live. Please forgive me for saying that you do not have the proper character at all. I admit that you may not fight or quarrel; I also dare say that your character has not been built up. To build up your character, you must keep the rules governing which bed you should sleep in, where you should hang your clothes, and where you should store your suitcase. You must abide by the rules of the school. You may think that these are small matters, but if you are not exercised in these things in your daily life, you will be absolutely useless to God. You will lack the character of rule keeping. You may freely throw your shoes under another’s bed and hang your shirt on his bedpost, and his vest may somehow turn up in your area. Believe me, this kind of person can never do a work.
Rule keeping is on the passive side. Positively, we need to be polite. We should rush to do the unpleasant jobs and let others do the easy ones. This is not life; it is merely the sign of a good character. But if such a character is not built up in us, we cannot hope to serve the Lord properly. If you are not a regulated person, your preaching will likewise be undisciplined. If you are disorderly, what you preach will also be disorganized.
Brothers, in serving the Lord, character is no less important than life. Without a proper character, you have no way to do a work. Life is your material, and character is your technique. A carpenter cannot make anything without wood; but this does not mean that he can make something as long as there is wood. The saw may be useful in the hand of another but not in yours. The ax is useful to others, but in your hand it only ruins the wood. You do not have a particular character simply because you have never practiced. As a rule, if you are about to go through a door and a younger brother wants to do the same, you should let him go first. If you are carrying a basin and some water happens to spill on your roommate’s bed, you must wipe the waterdrops quickly and look for an opportunity to apologize to him. I do not recognize this as life, yet if you desire to serve the Lord, you must be particular about your character. The character within you enables you to be disciplined in your service to the Lord.
Let me further illustrate the difference between character and life. Consider a sister who loves to gossip, talks a great deal, and is always unhappy with others. Such a condition indicates a shortage in life, not in character. Another sister may rarely speak or become angry, because both her tongue and her flesh have received the dealing of the cross. However, she is sloppy in her living and inconveniences those around her. When others murmur, she is not angry and does not blame them. This sister may be excellent in life, but she lacks one thing — a proper character. This example shows the difference between the aspect of life and the aspect of character.
Nevertheless, we must realize that life and character are not independent of each other. Life can influence our character, and on many occasions it can even replace our character. But character cannot affect life or substitute for life. Often the spirituality of a spiritual person becomes his character and replaces his character. This was the case with the Lord Jesus. The character of the Lord Jesus was almost an expression of His life. We may say that the aspects of the Lord’s character, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, were the expression of His life. In other words, much of His life was also His character.
However, we cannot say that character is life, for even an unbeliever has his character. For example, the sobriety of a certain person is part of his character, not his life. The spirituality of a spiritual person, which issues from his abiding in the Lord, can make him sober. The character of a Christian should not merely be character. We should not only display outward sobriety, thoroughness, and consideration for others, with no life inwardly. We must have both life and character. In fact, we should go one step further: our life and our character should be blended as one. Although character does not equal life, life can become a great part of our character. I am polite because I live in Christ; I am also sober because I live in Christ. I can be careful because Christ is my carefulness, and I can be regulated because Christ is my regulation. Life and character have become one in me.
In the beginning the person who loves the Lord often seeks after life. Gradually, he realizes that it is his character that limits his dispensing of the Lord to others. Then he changes the way he conducts himself; that is, he begins to develop his character. At first this kind of character building is mostly man-made. As he grows in the Lord and the life in him becomes strengthened, his character is slowly brought into life. Eventually, the life within him is mingled with his outward character. At this point his outward sobriety comes from his inward life. His outward politeness and orderliness are also issues of the life within him. His character is constituted predominantly with the inward element of life. This was true of our Lord when He was on the earth, and it must have been true of Paul. Today our need before the Lord is to pay attention to the fact that in serving the Lord, without life we have nothing to minister to others. Likewise, if we only have life but lack the proper character, we have no way to minister. In the Lord’s service there is the need for life as well as the proper character. Therefore, we must thoroughly build up our character and our human conduct.
