Mark 1
John the Baptist prepares the way
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
Mark begins with no account of Jesus' birth. After a one-line heading, he introduces John, a prophet-like figure who baptizes crowds from Judea and Jerusalem in the Jordan River and announces that someone mightier is coming after him.
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Scripture connection · Quotation
Mark 1:2–3 quotes Malachi 3:1 · Isaiah 40:3 · Exodus 23:20
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.
Malachi 3:1 · KJV The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3 · KJV Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Exodus 23:20 · KJV Mark opens by combining Malachi and Isaiah. Many ancient manuscripts introduce both as from 'Isaiah the prophet'; the KJV follows manuscripts that read 'the prophets'.
What does this mean?
'Gospel' (WEB 'Good News') translates the Greek euangelion, a word also used in the Roman world for public announcements such as an emperor's birthday or victory. 'Christ' is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew 'Messiah', meaning 'anointed one'. 'Remission' (KJV) means forgiveness. A 'girdle' (KJV) is a belt; the 'latchet' is a sandal strap, and untying sandals was a slave's task.
Historical context
John's camel-hair clothing and leather belt recall the prophet Elijah, described the same way in 2 Kings 1:8. The Jewish historian Josephus also describes John as a popular preacher who baptized. Some early manuscripts of verse 1 lack the words 'the Son of God'.
Why does it matter?
The book names no author; second-century tradition linked it to Mark, a companion of Peter. Many scholars think it is the earliest of the four Gospels, written around 65–75 CE.
Editorial notes, not scripture.
Told in all four Gospels
Matthew 3:1–12
John the Baptist prepares the way
How Matthew tells it
Only Matthew gives John the same opening message Jesus later preaches (4:17). Matthew aims John's 'offspring of vipers' warning at Pharisees and Sadducees; Luke addresses it to the crowds and adds John's practical advice to tax collectors and soldiers. Mark's account is the briefest, and in John's Gospel the Baptist denies being the Messiah or Elijah.
Continue reading in Matthew →Luke 3:1–20
John the Baptist prepares the way
How Luke tells it
Only Luke dates John's ministry by the rulers of the day, records his instructions to crowds, tax collectors and soldiers, and extends the Isaiah quotation to "all flesh." He addresses the whole crowd as "vipers" (Matthew: Pharisees and Sadducees) and reports John's imprisonment here, before Jesus' baptism.
Continue reading in Luke →John 1:19–28
John the Baptist's testimony
How John tells it
John's Gospel gives no description of the Baptist's clothing or diet and no preaching of repentance or judgment. Instead an official delegation from Jerusalem questions him, and he explicitly denies being the Christ, Elijah or "the prophet". Where the other Gospels apply Isaiah's words to him in their own narration, here he applies them to himself.
Continue reading in John →How Mark tells it
Mark has no birth or childhood story and opens directly with John. His John says nothing of judgment by fire, axes or chaff and gives no moral instruction, as he does in Matthew and Luke; his message is wholly about the mightier one to come. Only Mark has John say he is unworthy to 'stoop down' to untie his sandals.