It recounts the proclamation of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus Christ, his temptations and the beginning of his ministry in Galilee.

Some older manuscripts (such as Codex Koridethi (Θ; 038), Minuscule 28) omit "Son of God", but Swedish theologian Tommy Wasserman through research concludes that the omission was accidental.

[12] Henry Barclay Swete's Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, pages 456–457 states:[13] St Bede remarks on the contrast between Mark's opening verse and Matthew's first verse, where Jesus is described as "Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham".

[14] In the Greek texts of Mark edited by Westcott and Hort, Samuel Prideaux Tregelles and the Society of Biblical Literature, the prophecies quoted are described as being written "ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ" (en tō Ēsaia tō prophētē, "in the prophet Isaiah"), as they are in manuscripts B, D, L, Δ and א,[17] whereas the Textus Receptus reads "ἐν τοῖς προφήταις" (en tois prophētais, "in the prophets") in line with many other ancient manuscripts and patristic writings.

[19] Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer suggests that the reference to Isaiah is authentic but it was a "mistake of memory".

[17] The quote appears to be a composite from the books of Exodus (23:20), Malachi (3:1) and Isaiah (40:3),[20] linking the gospel of Jesus with a fulfillment of the "Old Testament".

[21] In more detail, it appears Mark has taken part of Exodus 23:20 of the Septuagint: ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου (Brenton Ex 23:20: "behold, I send my angel before thy face") and combined it with part of Malachi 3:1 of the Septuagint: ἐπιβλέψεται ὁδόν (Brenton Mal 3:1: "survey the way") to create Mark 1:2 in the Westcott-Hort Greek NT: ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου.

The following quote of Isaiah 40:3 is specifically from the Septuagint,[23] compare Brenton Isa 40:3: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God."

one calleth: 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make plain in the desert a highway for our God."

or the NRSV 40:3: "A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

This section of Isaiah is about the return journey home from the Babylonian captivity and was a passage Jews often used as a way of expressing the help of God.

[19] Thus John is linked to Isaiah as well and once again Mark equates the lord of this passage, Yahweh, with Jesus.

[24] Mark describes John's activities, preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins and baptising in the Jordan River.

He says he wore camel hair, a leather belt, and survived on locusts and wild honey.

Lutheran pietist Johann Bengel makes the point that "capital cities are [often] not readily wont to follow a new institution [a new mode of life preached for the first time]".

[27] John tells them "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

Some have speculated that this event may have been a story that has its origins in the Early Christian practice of baptism, although Franciscan theologian Robert J. Karris [37] argues that this is unlikely.

They follow him and then soon come upon James and John (whom he will name the Sons of Thunder in 3:17), who also quickly join the group, "they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men".

Kilgallen argues that historically this calling was not so sudden, with perhaps a prior meeting, but Mark has shortened it for extra effect to emphasize total devotion to Jesus.

Karris argues this shows they had money and a high probability of being educated, with a knowledge of the Jewish Bible.

They then bring Simon to Jesus, who gives him the Aramaic name Cephas, meaning Rock (Peter).

Gathering disciples (students) and teaching are thus the first part of what Jesus does to proclaim the kingdom of God.

The scribes would answer questions in a traditional, official manner, see also Pharisaic Principles and Values.

Parallels in Hellenistic cultural stories of exorcisms differ in that they usually involve an associated disease, which is not the case here.

John P. Meier sees a clear distinction between these incidents and descriptions of magicians at the time.

By this time word has spread and the people have brought the sick and possessed for Jesus to heal, which he does.

Mark says πρωι εννυχον λιαν (prōi ennycha lian, "very early, it being yet night",[57] a complicated description of time employing three adverbs).

Bruce Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek NT postulates a possible "confusion between similar words in Aramaic (compare Syriac ethraham, "he had pity," with ethra'em, "he was enraged")."

Perhaps more likely, H. A. G. Houghton from the University of Birmingham speculated in "The Latin New Testament: A Guide to its Early History, Texts, and Manuscripts" that the mistake stemmed from a copyist misreading of the Latin word "miseratus", which means "pity", as "iratus", which means "anger".

This is the first of many times in Mark that Jesus unsuccessfully tries to conceal his workings by telling people to keep what he has done a secret.