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Mark 1:1-3
The introduction of the gospel of Mark is the announcement that prophecy has been fulfilled in the telling of a coming Savior as Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 declaring,
“Behold, I send My messenger before
Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before
You.” [Malachi 3:1].
“The voice of one crying in the
wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.’” [Isaiah 40:3 (NKJV)]
It is also important that we notice the words of Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This gospel does not begin as does Genesis and John in declaring “In the beginning” as in the beginning of time, but “The beginning” as in the beginning of the gospel/good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is equally important that we realize and understand that this is not an announcement of the coming of our Savior Jesus, but of the coming of the one who will be the messenger of the gospel/good news; the one who will announce His coming to the world to prepare the world for His coming.
This is the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning a messenger who will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
The Gospel of Mark is believed to be the first written account of the events of the life and ministry of Jesus. Many scholars believe that The gospel of Matthew and The Gospel of Luke utilized The Gospel of Mark as a guide to prompt their own memories of their accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. Many scholars also believe that The Gospel of Mark is actually/or could be named The Gospel of Peter as Mark was Peter’s aid during the life and ministry of Jesus, and most likely documented the events that are recorded in the rightly named Gospel of Mark.
Dear LORD,
Please prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for this action-packed adventure of The Gospel of Mark as we learn about the good news of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Please open our eyes and ears to hear You speaking to us and give us understanding of Your Word and of the meaning of our need for a Savior. And most of all LORD, please help us to realize, understand, and accept Jesus in our hearts through Your Holy Spirit, and profess with our mouths that You have raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). In Jesus name I pray, amen.