The prophet Ezekiel is describing the vision he had of a “living creature” in Ezekiel 1:10. “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side: and they four had the face an eagle.”
Later, the Church took the four faces described by the prophet and distributed them among the four Evangelists, giving Matthew the face of a man, Mark the face of a lion, Luke the face of an ox and John the face of an eagle. This was according to a resemblance of the gospel brought by each disciple and the thing symbolized by each face.
These faces symbolize four traits of character that are required of a person to serve others.
The face of a man illustrates humanity. True humanity reaches downward to those below us in rank or ability or opportunity. It reaches upward to those above us and reaches outward to those around us. True humanity is without selfish living. It will transcend the bounds of kinship, friendship or even race.
The face of a lion symbolizes courage. Courage is the willingness to endure for the sake of some end in view. Courage is admired by the man in low estate as well as the man in high esteem. Courage is not always a heroic action. Sometimes it is a decision made. Moses said to the children of Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, and fear not, nor be afraid of them.”
The next face is that of an ox, which represents work, drudgery and patient perseverance. The ox plods along never hurrying, never worrying and seems perfectly content with his lot in life. He has learned to toil. The last face is the face of an eagle. This face symbolizes aspiration. This is the energy in the soul that lifts one to broader horizons. It has nobler conduct and recognizes and loves ideals.
The life that aspires not beyond the line of material things is poverty-stricken. We are here to see the beauty of God’s creation. We are here to think thoughts after Him and to feel the workings of His love in our hearts. Have the stars, trees and rivers no message for us? Has nature stopped its appeal to our senses? There are creations of arts, literature, history, patriotism and many more. Rome did not fall because of lack of wealth.
Rome fell because of lack of ideals. The society cared for nothing but food and games and became idle. They desired physical comfort and entertainment. The ideals of a people are the gods that give security. The moment they depart from God, ideals depart. Life sinks below the line that is called life; it becomes merely existence like the life of a brute.