Mark One

Mark gives us the ministry of the Lord. His account is brief and there are few events which are not recorded by Matthew and Luke. Nevertheless, what a gap there would be in our view of the Savior's life and work here below if we did not have the gospel of Mark!
In none of the other gospels do we have a more characteristic manner of presenting what is given us. In none do we have such graphic, vivid life-touches of our Master, not only what He said and did, but how He looked and felt. Besides, there is the evident design of drawing our attention to His gospel-service. All the incidents chosen and the peculiar mode in which they are handled will be found to bear upon this weighty and affecting theme: the Lord God as the Servant in lowly, faithful ministration of the gospel here below.
The very opening verses illustrate this. "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. The voice of one crying," etc. We at once enter on the great business the Holy Spirit had in hand There is no blowing of trumpets to usher in the king in due style and title. This has its just place in Matthew, where the descent traced from Abraham and David, along the chosen royal line of Solomon too, so admirably agrees with God's object there.
The circumstances before and after His birth follow, all carrying out the same end of presenting Jesus as the true and blessed Messiah of Israel. Luke and John, it could be readily shown, were endowed by the Spirit with equally striking and suited wisdom for maintaining the aim of their gospels respectively.