What does Mark 1:1-8 mean?

¹ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; ² As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. ³ The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁴ John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. ⁵ 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. ⁶ 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; ⁷ 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. ⁸ I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. (Mark 1:1-8 KJV)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

We may observe here what the New Testament is—the divine testament, to which we adhere above all that is human; the New Testament, which we advance above the old. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1).

1. It is the gospel; it is God’s word, faithful and true (Re 19:9; Re 21:5; Re 22:6). It is a good word, worthy of full acceptance; it brings us good news.
2. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the anointed Savior, the promised and expected Messiah. It is called his not only because he is its author and source, but because he is the subject of it, and it is all about him.
3. This Jesus is the Son of God. That truth is the foundation on which the gospel is built, and which it is written to prove; for if Jesus is not the Son of God, our faith is in vain.

The New Testament is also in direct connection with the Old and is consistent with it. The gospel of Jesus Christ begins, and continues, just as it is written in the prophets (Mark 1:2); for it says nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would happen (Acts 26:22). This was important for convincing the Jews, who believed the Old Testament prophets were sent by God and should have shown that belief by welcoming the fulfillment of their prophecies. But this is helpful for all of us, because the harmony between the Old and New Testaments confirms their shared divine origin.

Quotations here are taken from two prophets—Isaiah, the longest, and Malachi, the latest (over three hundred years apart)—both speaking about the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the ministry of John.

Malachi, in the final words of the Old Testament, spoke clearly (Malachi 3:1) about John the Baptist, who was to introduce the New Testament: “Behold, I send my messenger before your face” (Mark 1:2). Jesus himself referenced this and applied it to John (Matthew 11:10), God’s messenger, sent to prepare the way for Christ.

Isaiah, the most gospel-focused of the prophets, began the gospel part of his prophecy with this: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3; Mark 1:3). Matthew also referenced this (Matthew 3:3). From these two combined, we can observe:

1. Christ, in his gospel, comes among us with grace and authority.
2. The world’s corruption must be cleared to make room for him.
3. When God sends his Son into the world—or into a heart—he prepares the way first, so the purpose of his grace won’t be blocked. Only those convicted of sin and humbled by it are ready to receive his comfort.
4. When crooked paths are made straight—when wrong thinking is corrected and wayward affections are set right—then there is room for Christ’s comfort.
5. His way is prepared in a wilderness, because this world is like one, just as Israel passed through the wilderness to Canaan.
6. God’s messengers of conviction and warning are truly his, sent and recognized by him, and should be received as such.
7. Those who are sent to prepare the Lord’s way in such a wild, chaotic world must speak boldly, lifting their voice like a trumpet.

The New Testament began with John the Baptist; before him, only the law and the prophets revealed God’s word. But then the kingdom of God began to be preached (Luke 16:16). Peter traces things from the baptism of John (Acts 1:22). The gospel did not begin with Jesus’ birth, because he took time to grow in wisdom and stature—not as late as his public ministry either, but about six months before, when John started preaching the same message. His baptism marked the dawn of the gospel day.

In John’s lifestyle, we see the beginning of a gospel spirit: self-denial, discipline, and disregard for worldly comforts—foundations of the gospel in any soul (Mark 1:6). He wore camel’s hair, not soft clothing; he was girded with leather, not gold; his food was locusts and wild honey. The more we detach from the body and rise above the world, the more prepared we are for Christ.

In John’s preaching and baptizing, we find the beginnings of gospel teaching and practice:

1. He preached the forgiveness of sins, the key gospel blessing, showing people they needed it and that it could be found.
2. He preached repentance as the path to forgiveness, calling people to change their hearts and lives, turn from sin, and return to God. Forgiveness was promised only on these terms (Luke 24:47).
3. He preached Christ, urging people to expect his arrival and to hope greatly in him. This was pure gospel preaching (Mark 1:7-8).

Like a true gospel minister, John preached:

1. Christ’s greatness—that though John was among the greatest born of women, he didn’t consider himself worthy even to untie Jesus’ sandals. He worked to honor Christ and lead others to do the same.
2. Christ’s power—though he came after John in time, he was far mightier, able to baptize with the Holy Spirit, to give the Spirit of God and guide the hearts of people.
3. Christ’s promise—those who repented and were forgiven would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, purified by his grace and comforted by his presence.

All who received John’s message and submitted to his instruction were baptized with water, as was Jewish custom for welcoming converts—symbolizing repentance and reformation (our duty), and God’s forgiveness and cleansing (his promise). This would later become a gospel ordinance, foreshadowed by John’s use of it.

In the results of John’s ministry, and the disciples he baptized, we see the beginning of a gospel church. He baptized in the wilderness, avoiding the cities; yet people came from all Judea and Jerusalem—city and countryside alike—and were baptized by him. They committed to him as disciples and to his teaching, confessing their sins. He admitted them, and baptized them. Here was the beginning of the gospel church, the early morning dew of its youth (Psalm 110:3). Many later became followers of Christ and preachers of his gospel—this tiny mustard seed became a tree.