Mar 1:2-3 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 1:2-8: 1:2-8 This account is not primarily about John the Baptist, the messenger, but about the one he announces as “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1 ). Summary for Mark 1:2-3: 1:2-3 Mark includes Old Testament prophecies to support his account of the Good News about Jesus Christ. John the Baptist’s role as the prophetic messenger reveals that Jesus is the promised Lord—Christ, the Son of God. • Isaiah: Mark follows the Jewish practice of mentioning only the most prominent of the sources that make up the quotation (Mal 3:1 ; Isa 40:3 ).

Summary for Mark 1:2-8: 1:2-8 ^a This account is not primarily about John the Baptist, the messenger, but about the one he announces as “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1 ^b).
Summary for Mark 1:2-3: 1:2-3 ^c Mark includes Old Testament prophecies to support his account of the Good News about Jesus Christ. John the Baptist’s role as the prophetic messenger reveals that Jesus is the promised Lord—Christ, the Son of God.

• Isaiah: Mark follows the Jewish practice of mentioning only the most prominent of the sources that make up the quotation (Mal 3:1 ^d; Isa 40:3 ^e).
1:3 ^f John the Baptist was the voice shouting in the wilderness for people to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. In Isaiah, this prophecy refers to the coming of the Lord, the God of Israel. Here it refers to the Lord Jesus (see 12:35-37 ^g). The early church called itself “the Way,” probably in reference to this promise (see Acts 9:2 ^h; 19:9 ⁱ, 23 ^j; 22:4 ^k; 24:14 ^l, 22 ^m; cp. Acts 2:28 ⁿ; 18:25-26 ^o; Rom 2:20 ^p; 2 Pet 2:2 ^q, 21 ^r).