Charles Ellicott Commentary Mark 1

The beginning of the gospel.—The opening words are interesting as presenting a transition stage in the history of the word Gospel, between its earlier sense, meaning generally the “good news” of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35), and the later sense, as a book recording the main facts in our Lord’s life and work. In 1 Corinthians 15:1 and 2 Timothy 2:8, where it clearly includes a narrative of some kind, we have an instance of a similar transition.

The Son of God.—This also is significant regarding the Church’s faith at the time when St. Mark wrote. He, of whom he speaks, was not a prophet or righteous man only, but was, in the highest sense that could be attached to the words, the Son of God. If we think of St. Mark as reproducing St. Peter’s teaching, we cannot fail to connect the words, thus placed in the very title of his Gospel, with the Apostle’s confession in Matthew 16:16.

In the prophets.—The better manuscripts give the more accurate reference, “in Esaias the prophet.” On general grounds, however, it seems more probable that the general reference should have been specialised by a transcriber than the reverse. With one exception, and that very doubtful as to its genuineness (see Note on Mark 15:28), this is the only quotation from a prophet made by the Evangelist himself in this Gospel. The fact that St. Mark wrote for Gentiles furnishes a partial explanation of his silence in this respect, as compared with the other Gospels. (See Introduction.)

Behold, I send my messenger.—See Notes on Matthew 11:10-11.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness.—See Note on Matthew 3:3.

John did baptize.—No other Gospel passes so abruptly, so in medias res, into the actual work of the Forerunner. There is no account of the birth or infancy of our Lord, as in St. Matthew and St. Luke; none of the pre-existence of the Son of Man, as in St. John. St. Mark is here, as elsewhere, emphatically the Evangelist of action.

(On the rest of the verse, see Notes on Matthew 3:1.) The special phrase “baptism of repentance”—i.e., the sign of repentance, that which was connected with it, and presupposed it—meets us in Luke 3:3 and Acts 19:4. In the former passage we also find “forgiveness of sins” as the result of the baptism; and we cannot doubt, therefore, that then, as always, repentance was followed by forgiveness, even though the blood which availed for that forgiveness (Matthew 26:28) had not yet been shed.

There went out unto him...—See Note on Matthew 3:5. Note St. Mark’s use of the term in the river of Jordan, as writing for those who were not familiar with the topography of Palestine.