Mark 1:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

John, the final prophet, serves as the Evangelist who marks the inception of the Gospel of the Son of God, as the conclusion of the Old Testament heralds the commencement of the New Testament. The testimony of the Forerunner draws from two prophetic voices: from Malachi, who states, ‘Behold I send My angel, and he shall prepare the way before Me’ (Malachi 3:1), and from Isaiah, who proclaims, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness’ (Isaiah 40:3), among others. These utterances reflect the communication from God the Father to the Son. The Forerunner is referred to as an angel due to his celestial and nearly non-corporeal existence, as well as his role in heralding and directing attention to the anticipated Christ.

John's baptism reflected his own righteousness, embodying a purity that was characteristic of humanity. However, he received a unique grace from the Lord, allowing him to stand before the Divine Judge, directing attention toward Him and fulfilling the prophecy: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3).

At the outset of the Gospel, we hear the declarations of the holy prophets alongside the One they recognized as the Lord God—the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—who fulfilled His promise by sending His angel ahead. This angel was John, who, in the spirit and power of Elijah, proclaimed in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’ Thus, it is evident that none of the prophets preached about a different deity; they all conveyed the message of the same God, albeit under various names and titles.

John's mission was to prepare the way for the Lord, who would soon appear in human form, ensuring that His paths were made straight. What exactly are these paths? They represent the thoughts of humanity, as well as the feelings and aspirations of the heart. To embrace the Lord, one must possess a mindset conducive to such acceptance; it is essential to have a willing heart and humble emotions. This was how the Archangel Gabriel conveyed to the righteous Zacharias, the father of the Forerunner, the purpose of this ministry when announcing the Forerunner's conception and birth. The Archangel said, "He (the Forerunner) will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall come before Him in the spirit and strength of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the unruly to the righteous, to present to the Lord a people ready" (Luke 1:17).

It is acknowledged that the Son of God addressed Moses, instructing the people, “Behold, I send My angel before your face,” referring to the presence of the people. “He will guide you along the way and lead you to the land that I have prepared for you; follow him and listen to his voice, and do not be rebellious, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My Name rests upon him.” It was Joshua, not Moses, who was chosen to guide his people into the promised land. He is referred to as an angel due to the numerous wonders he would perform—miracles reminiscent of those performed by Jesus, son of Joshua, as you have read—and because of his role as a prophet to declare God's will.

John emerged from the wilderness wearing peculiar attire. He refrained from all interactions with people, avoiding towns, villages, gatherings of men, and even sharing meals. Thus, it is written: "and was in the deserts until the day of his appearing to Israel," and also: "had garments of camel's hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey." It is no surprise that many were astonished to behold a man with hair reminiscent of the Nazarene sent from God, possessing a divine presence, dressed in unusual clothing, who suddenly appeared from the wild and after preaching retreated once more into obscurity—unrecognized and solitary; he neither ate nor drank nor engaged with the crowds. Consequently, they questioned whether he was truly human. After all, how could he be a man if he required no sustenance? Hence, they speculated that he might have been an angel, the very one foretold by the prophet.

While John the Evangelist begins his Gospel with the eternal genesis of the Son of God and the Word, Matthew traces it through His earthly lineage via His mother, and Luke commences at the conception of the Forerunner and Baptist. In contrast, Mark initiates his narrative with references to those who foretold the coming of the Forerunner. Notably, Mark's introduction to his Gospel is simple and concise, immediately declaring Jesus Christ as the Son of God: “The beginning,” he states, “of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” He cites the prophetic words, “Behold, I send My angel,” and others. But why are these prophetic declarations the starting point of the Gospel?

In the fifteenth year of Tiberius's rule, specifically in the year 779 since Rome's foundation, John, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, emerged from his wilderness after receiving divine inspiration, ready to proclaim a call to repentance across the regions surrounding the Jordan River. The Evangelists unanimously recognize that John was sent by God. Divine communication came to him while he was in the wilderness (Luke 3:2). Luke articulates John's commissioning, while John himself writes about him, stating that there was a man who was sent from God named John, who was not the Light but came to testify about the Light (John 1:6, 8). Mark initiates his account with a reference to Malachi's prophecy about John, asserting that God would send His messenger to prepare the way.

As stated in Scripture, the phrase draws attention to the significance of the prophets, who acted as remarkable messengers of God's truths, revealing future happenings through a unique divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). The Evangelist connects this reference to John the Baptist with the words of two ancient prophets, Malachi and Isaiah, thus using the term "prophets" in the plural form. The prophecy from Malachi (Malachi 3:1) points to John the Baptist, as acknowledged by the Lord Jesus Himself (Matthew 11:10). By referring to the forerunner as an angel, it highlights his angelic, almost ethereal existence and his role in proclaiming and signaling the arrival of the Messiah. John prepared the way for the Lord, readying the hearts of the Jewish people through baptism to receive Christ (Theophylact).