GOSPEL OF MARK - CHAPTER 15
The Trial in Front of Pilate 15:1-15
v1 As soon as morning came, the chief priests met with the other leaders and the scribes and the whole Sanhedrin. They made a decision. They tied Jesus up and they led him away. They handed him over to Pilate. v2 Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is as you say.’ v3 The chief priests accused Jesus of many things. v4 Pilate asked Jesus again, ‘Are you not going to answer? See how many things they accuse you of.’ v5 But Jesus still did not reply. So Pilate was astonished. v6 At the feast he used to let one prisoner go free. The people could ask for the one that they wanted. v7 Now there was a man in prison called Barabbas. He was there among people who had fought against the Romans. These people had murdered while they fought.
v8 The crowd came. And they asked Pilate to do what he usually did. v9 Pilate replied, ‘Do you want me to set the king of the Jews free for you?’ v10 He knew why the chief priests had handed Jesus over. It was because they were jealous. v11 But the chief priests persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas instead. v12 Then Pilate said to them, ‘What shall I do with the man whom you call the king of the Jews?’ v13 The crowd shouted, ‘Fix him to a cross!’
v14 Pilate said to them, ‘Why, what wrong things has he done?’ But they shouted even louder, ‘Fix him to a cross!’ v15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd. So he let Barabbas go free for them. He ordered his soldiers to strike Jesus many times with terrible whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to fix him to a cross.
Commentary
Verse 1
The Sanhedrin had complete authority over religious matters. But the Romans did not allow them to kill anyone. The Roman who governed Judea was Pontius Pilate. He ruled during the years 26-36 AD. He ruled from the town called Caesarea. He had come from Caesarea to Jerusalem with his soldiers for the Passover feast. The Jewish crowds at Passover remembered how Moses had led their ancestors to freedom from Egypt. The crowds might become so excited that they might cause trouble. They might begin to fight in order to gain freedom from Roman rule.
The Sanhedrin could not say that Jesus spoke evil words against God. They knew that Pilate would not listen to that. They had to decide how to accuse Jesus of a political crime. They said, ‘Jesus caused people to oppose the Romans. He said that they should not pay their taxes to the Romans. He said that he was the Jewish Messiah, a king’ (Luke 23:1-2). Pilate realized that the Jewish leaders hated Jesus. Otherwise, they would not accuse him to a Roman.
Verse 2
Pilate asked Jesus if he was king of the Jews. He was King, but not in a way that Pilate would understand the word ‘king’. He was a king of love, not a king of a political kingdom.
Verses 3-5
The chief priests continued to accuse Jesus. Pilate was astonished that Jesus did not say anything in reply. But any answer that he gave would be no use. Jesus knew that.
Verse 6
In an effort to gain support from the Jews, Pilate allowed one prisoner to go free at Passover time.
Verse 7
There were some men in prison after a recent attack on the Romans. Among them was Barabbas. He had murdered during the attack, but he may have been a hero among the Jews.
Verses 8-9
Pilate knew that Jesus had not done anything wrong. So, he asked if he should set free Jesus, ‘the king of the Jews’.
Verse 11
The crowd would include people who supported Barabbas. There were probably other people whom the priests had paid to shout against Jesus. People in a crowd often do things that they would never do on their own.
Verse 12
Pilate asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus. That was not a wise question. He should have made the decision himself, and set Jesus free. But perhaps he expected the crowd to support Jesus.
Verses 13-14
The crowd demanded that Pilate should kill Jesus on a cross. He protested that Jesus was not guilty. But they insisted, ‘Fix him to a cross.’
Verse 15
Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, because he was afraid. He was afraid that he would be in trouble. He was already in trouble with the Jews for several reasons.
1. When he became ruler, he ordered the Roman army flags to go into Jerusalem. He had to remove them after the Jews complained.
2. He had used Temple money to improve the water supply to Jerusalem.
3. People blamed Pilate for the death of Jews from Galilee while they were in the Temple (Luke 13:1-4). The Jews said that Pilate would not be loyal to Caesar if he set Jesus free (John 19:12). They were suggesting that they could make him lose his job. So, Pilate set free a criminal and he ordered the death of an innocent man.
‘Barabbas’ means ‘son of a father’. The name might mean that he was like his father in character. Jesus was ‘the Son of the Father’. He showed what God is like. Barabbas showed hate. Jesus showed love.
The Romans tied sharp pieces of bone and metal to a leather whip. Then they hit a man’s bare back with it. It was such a cruel punishment that men sometimes died after it. Or they became mad.
They Killed Jesus on a Cross 15:16-41
Death on a cross was only for slaves, or for people who were not Roman citizens. Jesus would have seen young men die on crosses near Nazareth when he was a boy.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus 15:16-20
v16 The soldiers took Jesus away into the ruler’s palace. They called together the whole band of soldiers. v17 Then they put a purple coat on him. They made a crown of thorns to put on his head. v18 They began to greet him, ‘Welcome, king of the Jews.’ v19 They were striking him on the head with a stick. They were spitting on him. They went on their knees as if they were showing him honor. v20 When they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple coat. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out in order to kill him on a cross.
Commentary
Verse 16
Pilate’s soldiers lived in the ruler’s palace with him.
Verse 17
The Jews had accused Jesus of saying that he was a king. The soldiers knew that. So, they had their fun. They pretended to give him honor as a king. A soldier’s old red coat would look like the purple coat that the great ruler in Rome wore. They had made the crown out of small very sharp branches from a tree and it would hurt his head. However, it is possible that they put the crown on his head with the points away from his head. Then they were imitating the crown with beams of light like the sun. The rulers in Jesus’ time had their pictures with crowns like that on coins.
Verse 18
The words, ‘Welcome, king of the Jews’, were like the greeting that people gave to the great ruler in Rome, ‘Welcome, Caesar’. The soldiers knew that the Jews did not have a king. So they were insulting both Jesus and the Jews.
Verse 19
Matthew tells us that they put a stick in Jesus’ hand. It looked like the special stick that showed a king’s authority. The king would carry it in ceremonies (Matthew 27:29). Then they hit him with it and they spat at him. They pretended to give him honor. They went down onto their knees, as men did in front of important people.
Verse 20
The soldiers had made fun of Jesus as a joke. They did not know that they were telling the truth. Jesus was a king. He is still a king.
The Soldiers Fix Jesus to His Cross 15:21-28
v21 Simon from Cyrene was passing by. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. He was coming in from the country. The soldiers forced him to carry the cross. v22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha. The word ‘Golgotha’ means ‘The place of the Skull’. v23 They offered Jesus wine that they had mixed with myrrh. But he did not take it. v24 They fixed Jesus to the cross. Then they shared out his clothes. They played a game of chance. In that way they decided what each soldier should get. v25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they fixed him to his cross. v26 They fixed a notice above him. It showed the crime of which the rulers accused him. The notice said, ‘King of the Jews’. v27 They killed two thieves on crosses at the same time as Jesus. One thief was on a cross at his right side. And the other one was on a cross at his left side. [v28 The scripture came true that said, ‘They counted him among sinners.’]
Commentary
Verse 21
Jesus was on his way to die on a cross. So he should have carried the short beam part of the cross himself. The soldiers may have thought that Jesus could not walk with it. Jesus may have been weak because they had whipped him. Simon was from Cyrene in North Africa. He may have been a worker out in the country. His sons Alexander and Rufus may have been well-known Christians in Rome. Paul mentions a Rufus in Romans 16:13. Simon’s experience when he carried the cross may have caused him to become a disciple. It is even possible that he is the same person as ‘Black Simon’. ‘Black Simon’ was a leader in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1).
Verse 22
‘Golgotha’ was called ‘the Skull’, perhaps because they killed people on crosses there. It may have been a hill with the shape of a skull.
Verse 23
Jesus was going to die on a cross. A mixture of wine and myrrh was a drug that some women from Jerusalem offered to such a person. It would help to make the pain a little less terrible. Jesus refused it. He wanted to be aware of what was happening.
Verse 24
The soldiers had to stay there because friends might have tried to rescue the men on crosses. The Romans allowed their soldiers to keep a prisoner’s clothing. Each soldier had one piece of Jesus’ clothing. They had to choose who would have the outer coat. They played a game of chance in order to do that (John 19:23-24). Mark’s readers would remember the words in Psalm 22:18. ‘They divided my clothes among them. They played a game for my clothing.’
Verse 26
The notice ‘the King of the Jews’ was there to show a ‘crime’. But it was showing the truth about Jesus. The priests complained to Pilate, but he refused to change it (John 19:21-22).
Verse 27
All his life, Jesus had been the friend of sinners. On the cross, he was still with sinners. The thieves were in the places that James and John had asked for (10:37).
[Verse 28] is in some copies of Mark’s book. The words are from Isaiah 53:12.
Many People Make Fun of Jesus 15:29-32
v29 The people who passed by shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads and they said, ‘Ah! So you would destroy the Temple and build it again in three days! v30 Save yourself and come down from the cross!’ v31 In the same way, the chief priests and scribes made fun of him among themselves. They said, ‘He saved other people. He cannot save himself. v32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel (the Jewish people), come down now from the cross. When we see that, we will believe.’ Those who were hanging on the crosses next to Jesus also made fun of him.
Commentary
Verse 29
Jesus suffered physical pain on the cross. But he also suffered the cruel laughter of people who were passing by. The priests and even the thieves next to him laughed at him too.
Jesus’ enemies said that he had insulted God. Now people insulted Jesus. They also said, ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this Temple that people have made with their hands. After three days, I will build another one” ’ (14:58). If he had the power to do that, then he would have the power to come down from the cross.
Verses 31-32
The priests said that Jesus had saved other people. They spoke the truth when they said that. Jesus had rescued people from diseases and evil spirits (1:34). He had saved a man by forgiving him (2:5-10). The priests demanded a sign, as the Pharisees had (8:11). He should prove that he was the Messiah by a miracle. They would believe that he was the Messiah then. Jesus could have saved himself but he would not. By his suffering, he was showing God’s love for everyone. Also, he was making it possible for God to forgive us. People believe in him now because he did not come down from the cross. The thieves were in the same situation as Jesus. They realized that he was different from them. And so they laughed at him.
The Death of Jesus 15:33-41
v33 At noon, there was darkness over the whole country. It lasted until three o’clock. v34 At three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ This means, ‘My God, my God, why have you left me alone?’ v35 Some people were standing near. And they heard what Jesus said. They said, ‘Look, he is calling for Elijah!’ v36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a stick. And he gave it to Jesus to drink. He said, ‘Wait! Let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ v37 Jesus gave a loud cry and he took his last breath. v38 The Temple curtain tore in two, from top to bottom.
v39 The Roman officer was standing in front of Jesus. He heard Jesus’ cry. And he saw how he died. He said, ‘This man really was the Son of God.’ v40 There were some women there who were watching from a distance. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome were among them. v41 In Galilee, they had followed Jesus and they had taken care of his needs. There were many other women there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.
Commentary
Verse 33.
God may have used a natural cause to make the darkness. It may have been a dust storm that God caused. It could not have been because the moon stopped the light from the sun at the time of the Passover. Passover is always when the whole of the moon is shining. But, in the Old Testament, darkness is a sign of God’s judgment (Amos 5:20; 8:9). Jesus had said, ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12). The darkness was a sign that God’s punishment was coming on human sin. And Jesus had linked himself with human sin. ‘For us, God caused him to be sin who knew no sin’ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Verse 34
Jesus’ words in Aramaic came from Psalm 22:1. For the first time ever, Jesus felt that something separated him from God. God had left him because of our sin. This was a terrible time. As a man, he knew the feeling of despair that people sometimes suffer. There is therefore no human feeling that Jesus does not understand. But Jesus was suffering so that God could forgive people. He was like the servant in Isaiah’s poem who suffered on behalf of other people (Isaiah chapter 53). Jesus felt the darkness of being cut off from God. That is what sin causes. Those who ask God to forgive them in Jesus’ name will not stay in the darkness. They will live ‘in the light’ with him (1 John 1:7).
Jesus may have remembered the rest of Psalm 22. ‘God has not hidden his face. He has heard when he cried out to him’ (Psalm 22:24).
Verses 35-36
Someone thought that Jesus was asking Elijah to rescue him. There was a tradition that Elijah would come to the help of good people in trouble. The man who offered Jesus the drink of the soldiers’ cheap wine was curious. He wanted to know whether Elijah would come.
Verse 37
The loud cry was probably the cry of ‘It is finished’ that John recorded (19:30). That meant that Jesus had completed God’s work.
Verse 38
The curtain in the Temple separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Only the priest could go into the Most Holy Place. He went in once every year in order to pray. He prayed that God would forgive him and all the Jews. The curtain tore as a sign that people could now approach God themselves, because of Jesus. Jesus is the Chief Priest. The sacrifice that he offered was himself. The death of Jesus was a sacrifice that nobody needed to repeat every year. He opened the way to God by his death, which he offered once for all time (Hebrews 10:11-12).
Verse 39
The Roman army officer had probably seen many men die. But he realized that the death of Jesus was different. He said that Jesus was ‘the Son of God’. The officer was a Gentile. His words were a sign that Gentiles would be part of the Christian church. ‘Son of God’ were the words with which Mark began his Gospel (1:1).
Verses 40-41
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John were at the cross (John 19:25). Mark writes about Mary Magdalene. She came from Magdala, on the west coast of Lake Galilee. Mary, who was the mother of James the younger and Joses, was there too. Salome was the mother of James and John. She was probably the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They were all witnesses at the death of Jesus.
Joseph from Arimathea Buries Jesus 15:42-47
v42 Evening came. It was the day of Preparation, the day before the Sabbath. v43 Joseph from Arimathea was a respected Jewish leader. He was waiting for the kingdom of God. He had the courage to go to Pilate and to ask for the body of Jesus. v44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He sent for the Roman officer. And he asked him if Jesus had died. v45 He heard from the officer that Jesus was dead. Then he allowed Joseph to have the body. v46 Joseph bought some good cloth for the body. He took the body down from the cross and he wrapped it in the good cloth. He laid Jesus in a cave that his men had dug out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the grave. v47 Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where Joseph had laid Jesus.
Commentary
Verse 42
The day when Jews prepared for the Sabbath was Friday. The Sabbath began at sunset on Friday, about six o’clock. Then it was against the Jewish law to do physical work.
Verse 43
Joseph came from a town that was 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. He was a member of the Sanhedrin. He had remained silent. Or he had no opportunity to change the decision to kill Jesus. The Romans left bodies on crosses to warn other people. But God’s rules meant that a man’s body should not stay on a cross after sunset (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Joseph was being fairly brave. People would know now that he was a friend to Jesus. That might have been dangerous for Joseph. Joseph also risked the possibility that Pilate might refuse his request.
Verses 44-45
Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly. But the Roman officer was able to support Joseph’s request. Mark shows clearly that Jesus died. Some people want to deny the resurrection. So they say that Jesus did not really die. But Pilate, the Roman officer, Joseph and the women all knew that Jesus did suffer actual death.
Verse 46
Joseph had little time between Jesus’ death at three o’clock and the beginning of the Sabbath at six o’clock. John says that Nicodemus helped him (John 19:38-40). The grave was a large cave that men had dug out of the rock. It belonged to Joseph and it had never had a body in it before (Matthew 27:60). He used a heavy stone to roll across the entrance.
Verse 47
The women knew which cave Joseph had put Jesus in. They intended to return after the Sabbath in order to anoint Jesus’ body.
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