"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

The theme of Mark's gospel is serving, and this is the key verse. Jesus was Lord at His birth, but He voluntarily and temporarily laid aside the exercise of His attributes as God and gave His life in selfless, sacrificial living for others. His life is history's greatest example of a servant's heart. In His service, He faced, amongst other things, hunger, sleep deprivation, rejection by His own people, denial by Peter, and betrayal by Judas. Had He not died by crucifixion, He surely would have died from total exhaustion. His last act of sacrificial service was to give His life on the cross in substitutionary death for all man's sin. Only Jesus Christ could die for our sins because He alone was equal in value to the debt owed God.