The Nugget:
Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mar 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mar 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (KJV)
Mar 1:1 THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD.
Mar 1:2 As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.”
Mar 1:3 “A voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.’ ” (EMTV, English Majority Text Version)
Mar 1:1 The beginning of the evangel of Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of YHVH;
Mar 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mar 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of YHVH, make his paths straight. (RNKJV, Restored Names King James Version)
Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mar 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,
Mar 1:3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'” (ESV, English Standard Version)
Mar 1:1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mar 1:2 The prophet Isaiah wrote, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way for you.”
Mar 1:3 “A voice cries out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'” (GW, God’s Word translation)
Mar 1:1 This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mar 1:2 It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet, “I am sending my messenger to get the way ready for you.
Mar 1:3 In the desert someone is shouting, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.’ “
My Comment:
When I was the sponsor of the Comparative Religions Club at Cass Technical High School the Jewish students invited a Rabbi to speak to the club. The Rabbi made the claim that belief that Jesus was God was a later development in Christian doctrine and was not taught in the earliest Gospels, though the teaching appears much later in the Gospel of John.
I pointed out to the Rabbi and the students that all three synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke affirm the Deity of Christ. Mark in his Gospel of Mark does so right in the very first chapter at Mark 1:3 where he cites Isaiah 40:3,
Isa 40:3 The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God. (ASV, American Standard Version)
This verse is cited by all of the Gospel writers as a prophecy of the Messiah, and applied it to Jesus. This verse affirms the Deity of the Messiah, for it is Jesus in the New Testament record of whom it is written of John the Baptist that he was given the task to “Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.” That One for whom he was to prepare the way is Jehovah. This is one of many instances where the New Testament applies to Jesus what was said in the Old Testament of Jehovah.
Though the title “Son of man” is not used in this passage, the fact that the title “Son of man” is taken from Daniel 7:13, 14 and is applied to Jesus by Jesus Himself affirms the truth of the doctrine of the Deity of Christ.
Dig deeper by studying the notes and cross references as given in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for Mark 1:2,
Mark 1:2
written. Mar 9:12, Psa 40:7, Mat 2:5; Mat 26:24; Mat 26:31, Luk 1:70; Luk 18:31.
in. Note: Several MSS., the Syriac, Persic, Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, Vulgate, and Itala versions, and several of the fathers, have, “by Isaiah the prophet,” which should probably be adopted. See the parallel texts, and note on composite quotations at Mat 27:9 note.
prophets. FS171E13, +Gen 46:7. The plural is used because it is a composite quotation (CB). %+Mar 7:6, +Mat 27:9 note. Isa 40:3, Mal 3:1, Joh 6:45.
Behold. FS92G, +Luk 4:18. >Mal 3:1, +*Neh 9:6, Psa 110:1, Isa 40:3, Mat 11:10, *Luk 1:15, 16, 17; *Luk 1:76; *Luk 7:27; *Luk 7:28, Act 2:34, 35, 36.
I send. Mat 11:9, 10, 11, Joh 3:28.
before thy face. Use of “face” denotes a real, visible presence (Peters, Theocratic Kingdom, vol. 2, p. 351). As the quoted prediction is as fully applicable to the Second Advent as it is to the first, this proves Christ’s Second Coming will be literal, personal, and visible. *Eze 20:35, Amos 9:4, Mat 11:10; +*Mat 16:27 note. Mat 18:10; +*Mat 24:3 note, Mat 24:30, Luk 1:76; Luk 2:31; Luk 7:27, +*Joh 1:51 note. +*Act 1:11, *1Co 13:12, *1Jn 3:2, +*Rev 1:7.
Dig deeper still by studying the cross references and notes for Isaiah 40:3 as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:
Isa 40:3 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
The voice. Note: The idea, observes Bishop Lowth, is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition, especially through desert countries, sent harbingers to prepare for their passage, and pioneers to open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments. The officers appointed to superintend such preparations the Latins call stratores (See Diodorus’s account of the march of Semiramis, lib. ii). Deut 4:12, Song 2:8, >Mat 3:1, 2, 3, >Mar 1:2, 2, 3, 4, 5, >Luk 3:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, >Joh 1:23.
of him. *Mal 4:5; *Mal 4:6, Mat 11:10, 11, 12, Mar 9:12, Joh 1:6; Joh 1:31, Act 18:25.
that crieth. Isa 40:6, Rev 14:7.
wilderness. Isa 35:1; Isa 42:11, Song 8:5, +*Jer 31:2.
Prepare. T1893, Isa 35:8; Isa 54:17; Isa 62:10, 11, *Mal 3:1; Mal 4:5, 6, >Mat 11:10, *$Mar 1:2, 3, 4, Luk 1:16; +*$Luk 1:17; Luk 1:76. 77; >Luk 7:27, *Joh 1:19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.
the Lord. Heb. Jehovah; applied repeatedly to Jesus the Messiah in the New Testament, showing that in Scripture, Jesus is identified as Jehovah. +*Neh 9:6, Psa 24:7; Psa 24:10, **Joh 5:23; *Joh 8:24, *1Co 12:3 note. +*1Pe 2:3 note.
make. Isa 11:15, 16; Isa 43:19; Isa 49:11, Psa 68:4, These words are ascribed to Isaiah by the Holy Spirit in Mat 3:3; Isa 42:1, 2, 3, 4 is so ascribed in Mat 12:17, 18, 19, 20, 21; Isa 53:1 in Joh 12:38, Rom 10:16; Isa 53:4 in Mat 8:17; Isa 53:7, 8 in Act 8:32, 33, Isa 61:1 in Luk 4:18, 19. These statements of Scripture itself as to the authorship of this portion of this book are sufficient to settle the issue for all who accept Scripture as the Word of God.
straight. Jer 31:9, Heb 12:13.
desert. Heb. arabah, +Deut 11:30. +*Amos 6:14, Mat 24:26.
highway. Isa 7:3; +Isa 11:16; Isa 19:23; Isa 35:8; Isa 43:19.
our God. +Psa 47:2, +Hab 3:3, +*Luk 24:44.