Lent · First Sunday in Lent · Year B
Mark 1:9-15
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
February 14, 2027
Overview & Insights
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” (Mark 1:3)
This passage is the “prologue” to Mark (cf. John 1:1–18), and the purpose is to inform the reader about the primary truths in the book, especially the identification of Jesus. In the rest of the book we will see the primary groups (disciples, crowds, leaders, demons) wrestle with the truths that we, the readers, know from this prologue: Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God who has come to bring God’s final kingdom to reality and fulfill all the hopes of the Old Testament. By centering the action on John the Baptist as the forerunner and on Satan as the primary opponent, Mark also introduces us to the conflict and polar oppositions occasioned by Jesus. The passage is framed by Jesus’s Son of God status, stated at the outset (1:1) and confirmed by the very voice of God (1:11). This prologue is framed (introduction, vv. 1–3; conclusion, vv. 14–15) with the gospel, the arrival of God’s kingdom with Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.
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Commentary
Commentary on Mark 1:9-15 Working Preacher
This is the exact First Sunday in Lent gospel in the RCL Year B, so the Luther Seminary commentary fits the baptism and wilderness testing directly.
Mark 1:9-15 - Center for Excellence in Preaching Center for Excellence in Preaching
Scott Hoezee's Reformed preaching commentary on Jesus among the wild beasts and the arrival of the kingdom.
Wild Beasts SALT Project
SALT's ecumenical commentary reads the wilderness testing as the threshold of Jesus' public ministry.
First Sunday of Lent, Cycle B Sunday Connection Loyola Press · Sunday Connection
Catholic background and reflection questions on baptism, temptation, and repentance.
Temptation, Wild Beasts, and Angels Sermons That Work · Episcopal Church
An Episcopal sermon keyed to Mark's terse account of the forty days in the wilderness.
Mark 1 Commentary: John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik walks the whole chapter, from the baptism and the voice from heaven to the call to repent and believe.
Mark 1:9 Commentaries BibleHub
Classic commentators compared side by side on the baptism and testing of Jesus.
Background & Word Study
The Beloved Tested Son Left Behind and Loving It
D. Mark Davis parses the Greek of Mark's baptism and wilderness scene word by word.
The baptism, temptation, and preaching of Jesus in Mark 1 Psephizo · Ian Paul
Ian Paul's Anglican close reading of how Mark compresses baptism, testing, and proclamation.
The Church Fathers
Sermons & Reflections
Questions preachers ask
Who is John the Baptist in Mark's opening?
John is the wilderness voice who fulfills Isaiah, baptizing for repentance and pointing past himself: one is coming, mightier than he, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
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