Mark 1:2-3 - The Fulfillment of the Prophet

Mark 1:2-3

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’”

Message: The Fulfillment of the Prophet

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word immediately used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Mark begins his gospel in a different way than Matthew, Luke and John. Matthew and Luke give lengthy accounts of the birth of Christ. John goes all the way back to eternity. Mark, however, simply gives an Old Testament quote. That said, Scripture, at this time, was primarily the Old Testament and in this quote Mark links the Old Testament with his writing showing that Jesus is continuing the old covenant community.

Mark combines 3 Old Testament messianic texts: Exodus 23:20 (1526-1446 BC), Isaiah 40:3 (739-681 BC), Malachi 3:1 (538-333 BC)

Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

By themselves, these passages are interesting. The Exodus verse, "angel" has been said to be Moses but also the Messiah or Christ as a messenger sent to rescue people. Isaiah 40:3 is a verse quoted by John in John 1:23 ascribing it to himself as the "voice." Now, as a reminder, this book of Mark is written between 57 and 59 AD, so it is 20 years since Jesus' death. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. And this Malachi verse is speaking of someone preparing the way of the Lord, the Lord Jehovah. In other words, Mark is proclaiming immediately that John is preparing the way for Jehovah God or God. Personal, I think THE central issue in all of religious history is whether Jesus is God. And right now, 2 to 3 verses into his book Mark is saying "John is coming and preparing the way for the Lord - for God - for Jesus." 

John is the Messenger who will prepare the Lord's way.  He is linking the exodus or the deliverance of God's people, or to say it another way, the exodus follows the Babylonian exile and the final atonement for sin, and all things will consummate in the Christ: Jesus is coming to His temple, our God is coming on the highway. And John is showing the way and introducing Jesus who will come.  

And yet, Mark uses the present tense in talking about this. He is sure of it. 

Promise: We need to be grounded in the study of the Old Testament. Jesus is Coming. His way is being prepared. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the clarity of Your Word. Thank you for coming as you have and showing us that you are consistent with the message of the Scripture. Continue to give me understanding of Your Word as I study it.

Study Question: did God use anyone in your life to help you understand Jesus? When I was 15, God used several people - he provided people from church that came and visited me; he provided a pastor at a church gathering and he used a friend that was 17, 2 years older than me -- all of them helped me to understand Jesus for the first time and who he was and what he did for me. Who did God use in your life?