So… How does he reconcile the beginning of the Gospel of Mark?

Mark 1:2-3

“As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”’,”

In Richard Hays book, “Reading Backwords”, he states this…

“In the very beginning of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1:2-3), already contains a major clue about the divine identity of Jesus. Mark weaves together citations of Malachi 3:1, Exodus 23:20, and Isaiah 40:3 to portray John the baptizer as the messenger sent by God as a harbinger of the new exodus and the restoration of Israel. John’s message prepares the way for “one who is more powerful” who is soon to come. Jesus’s mysterious identity is strongly suggested by Isaian language that Mark cites: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Isaiah 40:3). In Isaiah 40, there can be no question that “the Lord” is the Lord God of Israel. The full citation from Isaiah 40:3 reads, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” The emphasis in Isaiah’s prophetic vision lies on “the return of Yahweh’s actual presence” as the cause of deliverance. Already in the opening lines of Mark’s Gospel, an implicit claim about Jesus’ divine status is made.”

To me, this makes sense.