To those who knew him, Jesus must have seemed just an ordinary man, gifted with special power. The Jews expected the Messiah to be someone heroic, like King David, who would restore them to their former glory. Yet if they had read Isaiah’s account of the suffering servant, they might have got a different picture altogether. Isaiah, perhaps more than any of the prophets, seems to have drawn a very clear picture of the Saviour. Today’s reading was written when the people of Judah were held captive in Babylon, thus the servant might well represent the people of Israel; but in the New Testament he becomes the fulfilment of the promise to the chosen people in Christ.
In Mark’s account Jesus is beginning to prepare his disciples for his Passion. First of all he asks them about his identity. Peter, like Martha (John 11:27), recognises him as the Christ. However it is obvious that he has no idea of the implications of what he has declared. When Jesus talks about what is going to happen to him, Peter is shocked. Being a Christian is a challenge, which he will find out later on.
St James points out that being a passive believer is not enough. His letter gives an outline of what it is to be a Christian. Jesus is to be found in each of his brothers and sisters, and if we are to serve him we must serve them.