SUMMARY
Malachi announces that God is sending “my messenger to prepare the way before me” (3:1).
ANALYSIS
All four New Testament Gospels interpret the “messenger to prepare the way before me” as referring to John the BaptistJohn the Baptizer was the forerunner of Jesus the Messiah, preaching a gospel of repentance and preparing the way of the Lord.. Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 at the beginning of his Gospel as an announcement of John’s ministry (Mark 1:2), though he attributes this to IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time.. In MatthewA tax collector who became one of Jesus' 12 disciples. 11:10 and LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. 7:27, JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. himself quotes Malachi 3:1 to describe John.
