English · ASV

Mark 15

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Jesus Delivered to Pilate 1–15

1
And straightway in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. ​
2
And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering saith unto him, Thou sayest. ​
3
And the chief priests accused him of many things.
4
And Pilate again asked him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they accuse thee of.
5
But Jesus no more answered anything; insomuch that Pilate marvelled. ​
6
Now at the feast he used to release unto them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. ​
7
And there was one called Barabbas, lying bound with them that had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. ​
8
And the multitude went up and began to ask him to do as he was wont to do unto them.
9
And Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
10
For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up.
11
But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. ​
12
And Pilate again answered and said unto them, What then shall I do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13
And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14
And Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out exceedingly, Crucify him.
15
And Pilate, wishing to content the multitude, released unto them Barabbas, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. ​

The Mockery of the King 16–20

16
And the soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Prætorium; and they call together the whole band. ​
17
And they clothe him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they put it on him; ​
18
and they began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19
And they smote his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20
And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the purple, and put on him his garments. And they lead him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion 21–32

21
And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. ​
22
And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
23
And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. ​
24
And they crucify him, and part his garments among them, casting lots upon them, what each should take. ​
25
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. ​
26
And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ​
27
And with him they crucify two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left.
28
Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.
29
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ha! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30
save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31
In like manner also the chief priests mocking him among themselves with the scribes said, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reproached him. ​

The Death of Jesus 33–41

33
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. ​
34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ​
35
And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah.
36
And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down.
37
And Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. ​
38
And the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. ​
39
And when the centurion, who stood by over against him, saw that he so gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. ​
40
And there were also women beholding from afar: among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; ​
41
who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women that came up with him unto Jerusalem.

The Burial 42–47

42
And when even was now come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, ​
43
there came Joseph of Arimathæa, a councillor of honorable estate, who also himself was looking for the kingdom of God; and he boldly went in unto Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. ​
44
And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45
And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
46
And he bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ​
47
And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Mark 15

Verse 1

delivered him to Pilate — The council had already judged him 'guilty of death' (Mark 14:64), but could not carry out the sentence: 'It is not lawful for us to put any man to death' (John 18:31). The morning consultation hands him to the governor, as Jesus had said, 'shall deliver him to the Gentiles' (Mark 10:33).

Verse 2

Thou sayest it — Jesus' answer to 'Art thou the King of the Jews?' neither denies the title nor takes it in the sense Pilate meant. To Pilate he said, 'My kingdom is not of this world' (John 18:36); Paul says Christ 'before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession' (1 Tim 6:13).

Verse 5

Pilate marvelled — Jesus' silence before the accusers (vv.3–4) is that of the lamb in Isa 53:7: 'he openeth not his mouth'. Pilate marvels (thaumazo) here, and marvels again in v.44 that Jesus is already dead.

Verse 6

one prisoner, whomsoever they desired — The release belonged to the Passover: 'ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover' (John 18:39). The multitude had begun 'to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them' (v.8), which sets the choice that follows.

Verse 7

Barabbas — He lay bound among those 'that had made insurrection', and Mark says he 'committed murder' in it. Luke 23:19 names 'sedition and murder'; John 18:40 calls him 'a robber'. The noun 'them that had made insurrection with him' (sustasiastes, fellow-insurgent) is found nowhere else. Peter later charges the people with desiring 'a murderer' (Acts 3:14).

Verse 11

moved the people — 'Moved' is anaseio, to shake up, to stir. It occurs only here and in Luke 23:5, where the accusers say of Jesus, 'He stirreth up the people'. Matthew gives the same act as 'persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas' (Matt 27:20).

Verse 15

willing to content the people — The Greek idiom is to do enough for the crowd. 'Scourged' is phragelloo, found only here and in Matt 27:26. Jesus had foretold it, 'they shall mock him, and shall scourge him' (Mark 10:34), and Isa 50:6 says, 'I gave my back to the smiters'.

Verse 16

Praetorium — Praitorion is a Latin word for the governor's residence; the KJV renders it 'common hall' (Matt 27:27), 'judgment hall' (John 18:28) and 'palace' (Phil 1:13). 'Band' is speira, a body of soldiers such as 'the Italian band' of Acts 10:1.

Verse 17

purple — Porphyra, the royal colour: 'purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian' (Judg 8:26). The soldiers dress him as a king, and the salute 'Hail, King of the Jews!' follows (v.18); John adds that he came forth 'wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe' (John 19:5).

Verse 21

Simon a Cyrenian — Cyrene lay in Libya (Acts 2:10), and Cyrenians had a synagogue in Jerusalem (Acts 6:9). 'Compel' is angareuo, to press into service, the word of 'whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile' (Matt 5:41). Only Mark names his sons; Paul greets 'Rufus chosen in the Lord' (Rom 16:13).

Verse 23

mingled with myrrh — Smurnizo, to mix with myrrh, is found only here. Matthew writes 'vinegar to drink mingled with gall… he would not drink' (Matt 27:34). The refusal sits beside his word at the supper, 'I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day' (Mark 14:25).

Verse 24

casting lots upon them — Ps 22:18 says, 'They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.' John cites it when the soldiers 'made four parts' of the garments and cast lots for the coat, 'that the scripture might be fulfilled' (John 19:23–24).

Verse 25

the third hour — Mark marks the crucifixion by hours: the third here, the sixth when the darkness comes (v.33), the ninth when he cries out and dies (vv.34–37). The hours are those of the day, as in Acts 2:15, 'it is but the third hour of the day'.

Verse 26

superscription — Epigraphe, the word of the coin's 'image and superscription' (Mark 12:16). Luke says it was written 'in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew' (Luke 23:38). Mark gives the charge alone, the title Pilate asked about in v.2 and the soldiers used in mockery in v.18.

Verse 28

numbered with the transgressors — Isa 53:12 says 'he was numbered with the transgressors', and here he is placed with the two thieves of v.27. Jesus had quoted it on the night of his arrest: 'he was reckoned among the transgressors… the things concerning me have an end' (Luke 22:37).

Verse 32

Christ the King of Israel — The chief priests with the scribes (v.31) join two titles in mockery, and ask for a sign 'that we may see and believe'. Those crucified with him join in; Luke records that one of them rebuked the other and asked to be remembered in his kingdom (Luke 23:39–43).

Verse 33

darkness over the whole land — The darkness lasted from the sixth hour to the ninth. Amos 8:9 says of the day of the Lord, 'I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.' Luke adds that 'the sun was darkened' (Luke 23:45).

Verse 34

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani — Aramaic, the first words of Ps 22:1; Mark translates them. Enkataleipo, 'forsaken', is the verb of 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee' (Heb 13:5). The bystanders mishear the cry as a call for Elias (vv.35–36).

Verse 37

gave up the ghost — Ekpneo, to breathe out, used in the New Testament only here, in v.39 and in Luke 23:46, where the loud voice says, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit'. Jesus had said of his life, 'No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself' (John 10:18).

Verse 38

the veil of the temple was rent — The veil 'shall divide… between the holy place and the most holy' (Ex 26:33). 'Rent' is schizo, used in Mark only here and at 1:10, where 'the heavens opened'. Hebrews calls the way into the holiest 'through the veil, that is to say, his flesh' (Heb 10:20).

Verse 39

Truly this man was the Son of God — The centurion, a Roman, answers on seeing 'that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost'. Mark opens with the title (Mark 1:1) and the Father's voice (Mark 1:11). Kenturion is a Latin word used by Mark alone, in vv.39, 44 and 45; Matthew writes 'Truly this was the Son of God' (Matt 27:54).

Verse 40

women looking on afar off — When 'they all forsook him, and fled' (Mark 14:50), these women remained, watching from a distance. Mary Magdalene is the one 'out of whom went seven devils' (Luke 8:2). Salome and the two Marys appear again at the tomb (Mark 16:1); 'the less' is mikros, small.

Verse 42

the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath — Prosabbaton, the fore-sabbath, is found only here. The law required that one hanged on a tree not remain 'all night upon the tree' but be buried 'that day' (Deut 21:23); John notes that the bodies were not to remain on the cross on the sabbath (John 19:31).

Verse 43

an honourable counsellor — Bouleutes, a member of the council, used only here and in Luke 23:50. Luke adds that he 'had not consented to the counsel and deed of them' (Luke 23:51). He 'waited for the kingdom of God', as Simeon and Anna waited (Luke 2:25, 38), and 'went in boldly' (tolmao, dared) to ask for the body.

Verse 46

rolled a stone unto the door — Isa 53:9 says, 'he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death'; Matthew calls the tomb Joseph's 'own new tomb' (Matt 27:60). The 'fine linen' is sindon, the word for the cloth in Mark 14:51–52. The stone is what the women ask about in 16:3.

Verse 47

beheld where he was laid — The two Marys saw the place, and in 16:1 they come back to it with spices. Mark thus names the same witnesses at the death (v.40), the burial and the empty tomb. 'Beheld' is theoreo, to watch attentively.