John the Baptist Prepares the Way
Mark 1:2 “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”
it
is written... A phrase commonly used in the New Testament to
introduce Old Testament quotes (7:6; 9:13; 14:21, 27; Matt. 2:5; 4:4,
6-7; Luke 2:23; 3:4; John 6:45; 12:14; Acts 1:20; 7:42; Romans 3:4;
8;36; 1 Cor. 1:31; 9:9; Gal. 3:10; 4:22; Heb. 10:7; 1 Peter 1:16).
in the prophet... In Isaiah, Mark’s quote is from two Old Testament passages (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1), which probably explains the reading the Prophets found in some manuscripts. The gospels all introduce John the Baptist’s ministry by quoting (Isa. 40:3; Mat. 3:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23)
Behold I send... The 1st Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Mark (Mar. 1:2; Mal. 3:1). Next, Mar. 1:3. John was the divinely promised messenger, set to prepare the way for the Messiah. In ancient times, a king’s envoys would travel ahead of him making sure the roads were safe and fit for him to travel on, as well as announcing his arrival.
Greek: angelos, messenger. Used of both men and angelic beings.
We could go through and list the prophecies in the Old Testament. The prophecies of Jesus Christ began in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 and went through most of the books in the Old Testament.
The greatest number were in the books of the prophets such as: (Isaiah 9:7; 7:14; Micah 5:12; Daniel 9:25; Jeremiah 31:15; Deuteronomy 18:15; Psalms 110:4; Zechariah 9:9 or Zechariah 11:12). There are many more, too numerous to mention. In fact, that is a study just in itself.
The specific prophet meant above however, was Malachi. The Scripture which confirms this is:
Mal. 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”
In (Mat. 17:12”, we see that Jesus said that John the Baptist was the messenger spoken of. This messenger’s job was not to elevate himself, but to prepare the way for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way.
Introduction:
The Preparation for Jesus’ Public Ministry
Mark’s brief introduction presents three preparatory events that are necessary for a proper understanding of Jesus’ life-mission: the ministry of John the Baptist (Mark 1:2-8), Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:9-11), and Jesus’ temptation (Mark 1:12-13). Two recurring words bind this section together: the desert (erēmos Mark 1:3-4, 1:12-13) and the Spirit (Mark 1:8, 1:10, 1:12).
Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist
John’s Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Mark began by putting his account in its proper scriptural context. Aside from Old Testament quotations by Jesus this is the only place Mark referred to the Old Testament in his Gospel.
Mark 1:2 blends Exo. 23:20 (lxx) and Mal. 3:1 (Heb.), and Mark 1:3 is from Isa. 40:3 (lxx). Mark adopted a traditional understanding of these verses so he could use them without explanation. In addition, he emphasized the word way (hodos, lit., road, highway), an important theme in Mark’s explanation of discipleship (Mark 8:27; 9:33; 10:17, 10:32, 10:52; 12:14).
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