Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 1:2

"Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way." — Mark 1:2 (ASV)

Mark cites the OT to show that any true understanding of the ministry of Jesus must be firmly grounded there. “It is written” underscores a strong belief in the unchanging authority of the Scriptures. The quotations that follow are from Mal 3:1 (though it differs in reading “your way” instead of “the way before me,” allowing for a messianic interpretation of this passage) and Isa 40:3.

Mark brings together these OT texts in a striking way. He cites God’s promise of a messenger “to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20), i.e., through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Isaiah 40:3 looks forward to the coming of another messenger “in the desert,” who will go before the people of God in a second Exodus to prepare for the revelation of God’s salvation in Christ.