When I watch Marvel movies with my kids, we’re always on the hunt for Easter eggs, those glaring references or subtle nods to other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) properties. Some references are so blatantly obvious that viewers can pick up on the connections immediately. Subtle references often require multiple viewings. Easter eggs are the tissue that binds each Marvel movie to the MCU’s larger story.
In a similar way, New Testament authors embedded Easter eggs in their writings. They allude to the Old Testament 3,000 to 4,000 times. For example, the book of Revelation only quotes the Old Testament on a few occasions (1:7; 2:27), but it alludes to the Old Testament more than 500 times. Allusions may be common, but what are they? And what difference does spotting one make for our understanding of a New Testament passage? Let’s answer these questions by looking closely at John the Baptist’s enigmatic statement in Mark 1:7.
What Is an Allusion?
An allusion is an indirect reference to a previously written body of literature. New Testament authors usually make such indirect references to the Old Testament by employing a few unique words that correspond to a specific passage. One often ignored allusion is found in Mark 1:7, where the evangelist underscores Jesus’s identity as the “Holy One” who intends to cleanse creation and humanity. He does this by alluding to the burning bush narrative in Exodus 3.
Easter eggs are the tissue that binds each Marvel movie to the MCU’s larger story. In a similar way, New Testament authors embedded Easter eggs in their writings.
When we turn to the first page of Mark’s Gospel, we encounter John the Baptist, one of the most significant yet enigmatic characters in the Gospels. His fiery language, bizarre diet, and itchy attire make sense once we locate his identity within the line of Old Testament prophets. Like the famed prophet Elijah, John prepares Israel for the Lord’s arrival by calling for repentance (Mark 1:6; see 2 Kings 1:8; Zech. 13:4).
But one of John’s statements about his relationship to Jesus often stumps readers: “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals” (Mark 1:7–8, CSB, emphasis mine; cf. Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:27).
John’s language underscores his status as a servant, one who isn’t worthy to loose the straps of his master’s sandals. But John may also have in mind a significant Old Testament passage. The Greek verb for “untie” (lyō) is paired with “sandal” (hypodēma) only in the Greek (Septuagint) translations of Exodus 3:5 and Joshua 5:15. Mark is alluding to these earlier stories. His Easter egg should clue us into connections between this passage and the larger biblical narrative.
Old Testament Use of the Old Testament in the New
In the Septuagint translation of Exodus 3, God appears to Moses in the burning bush. Moses attempts to approach the bush, but the Lord commands him to “untie (lysai) your sandal (hypodēma)” because Moses is on “holy ground” (v. 5, my translation). Since the Lord dwells in the fiery bush, Moses must remove anything unfit for God’s presence. As T. Desmond Alexander suggests, removing one’s sandals may have been a precedent for Israelite priests who ministered barefoot in the temple. Moses’s actions at the burning bush are repeated in Joshua 5:15 where the angelic figure commands Joshua, Moses’s successor, to “untie” (lysai) his “sandal” (to hypodēma) because he’s standing in the “holy” promised land (my translation).
Taken together, Mark’s allusion is a case of the use of the Old Testament (Ex. 3:5) in the Old Testament (Josh. 5:15) in the New Testament (Mark 1:7). Why might John the Baptist be subtly alluding to Exodus and Joshua?
The allusion brings Jesus’s identity into focus. Mark shows us that Jesus resembles Moses, Joshua, and Yahweh. Jesus is like the figures of Moses and Joshua because he wears sandals that need to be removed. Recall that the name “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of “Joshua” (Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:31). Yet the allusion demonstrates Jesus is also Yahweh in the flesh. Jesus isn’t merely reminiscent of Yahweh, though. Jesus is Yahweh, and John is unworthy to loose Jesus’s sandals because every place Jesus stands is “holy ground.” Everywhere he steps in Mark’s Gospel is a holy sanctuary because where Jesus goes, so goes God’s presence. As Ezekiel predicted, the end-time temple would be the “place for the soles of [Yahweh’s] feet” (Ezek. 43:7, CSB).
Everywhere Jesus steps in Mark’s Gospel is a holy sanctuary because where Jesus goes, so goes God’s presence.
Later in Mark 1, a demon-possessed man claims Jesus is the “Holy One of God” (v. 24). Here, Jesus begins to cleanse creation and fill it with God’s glory. Though a common Jewish perception was that “the land of Israel is holier than all lands” (Mishnah Kelim 1.6), nothing could be further from the truth. Israel and her land were in dire need of ritual cleansing. Sin had infested the cosmos (Gen. 3:1–7). Israel’s idolatry resulted in ritual and moral defilement. A holy God cannot dwell in the presence of an unholy people, but through Jesus’s incarnation, obedient life, and atoning death on the cross, God’s people receive a once-for-all ritual and moral cleansing.
What Difference Does It Make?
What practical difference does Mark’s allusion to Exodus 3:5 make? How does it affect our daily walk with Christ? First, we must read the New Testament expectantly. We should expect to find Old Testament allusions on every page of the New Testament. Remember, there are thousands of them!
If we read Mark 1:7 narrowly, we’ll miss the Old Testament connection and fail to see Christ in a new light. We’ll fail to learn that Jesus is intent on cleansing humanity and creation for the presence of a holy God. Creation and humanity must be fit, or sanctified, for God’s glory. What Jesus began at his first coming will be completed at his second coming when all creation will dwell with God in a holy cosmic temple (Rev. 21:1–22:5).
Second, part of reading expectantly is becoming familiar with the whole Bible, not just the broad contours. We must learn how the microstories of Israel’s history make up the macrostory of redemption. When we watch the Marvel movies over and over, we discover new Easter eggs. In the same way, when we fill our minds with Scripture, we’ll inevitably see new and exciting connections.
Cross-references also help us discover allusions. The publishers of all the major English translations produce excellent reference editions; and G. K. Beale and Don Carson edited the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, a project that examines all the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament and many prominent allusions.
Reading the Bible with an eye toward allusions takes additional effort. But it will increase our understanding of the Scriptures and grow our love for Christ.
The Gospel Coalition