Advent Season · Year B
Second Sunday of Advent
3rd Sunday before Christmas · December 6, 2026
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
Mark 1:1-8 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary commentary reading Mark's opening as the dawn of a new era, with John the baptizer preparing the way for the stronger one to come.
Mark 1:1-8 Center for Excellence in Preaching
A Reformed commentary on how Mark's spare, urgent prologue reaches back to Isaiah to frame Advent as a summons to prepare.
Prince of Peace SALT Project
An ecumenical commentary unpacking euangelion as good news that outranks Caesar, and John's handoff of leadership to Jesus.
Gospel Reflection, Second Sunday of Advent (B) Word on Fire · Bishop Barron
A Catholic reflection on why 'the beginning of the gospel' was politically charged, empire-defying language in the Roman world.
Comfort, Comfort Sermons That Work · Episcopal Church
An Anglican homily for Advent 2 (B) preaching Isaiah's word of comfort alongside John's wilderness cry.
Mark 1 Enduring Word · David Guzik
A verse-by-verse evangelical commentary tracing John's baptism of repentance and the promise of baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Classic commentaries on Mark 1 BibleHub
A classic aggregator stacking Gill, Barnes, Ellicott, and other public-domain commentators on Mark 1 verse by verse.
Background & Word Study
A Beginning of the Gospel Left Behind and Loving It
Greek working-translation notes flagging the missing verb and article in 'a beginning of the gospel' and the textual question over 'Son of God.'
The beginning of the gospel in Mark 1 Psephizo · Ian Paul
An exegetical essay on Mark's prologue and how it braids together Isaiah, Malachi, and Exodus.
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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