Mark15

Jesus is brought before Pilate, who, despite finding no fault in him, yields to the chief priests and the multitude's demand to release Barabbas instead. Jesus is then scourged, mocked by soldiers, and led to Golgotha where he is crucified between two thieves. After a period of darkness, Jesus cries out and gives up the ghost, prompting the temple veil to be rent and a centurion to confess his divine sonship. Joseph of Arimathaea subsequently requests and buries Jesus' body in a rock-hewn sepulchre.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1
Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Yeshua, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. ​
2
Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “So you say.” ​
3
The chief priests accused him of many things.
4
Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!”
5
But Yeshua made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled. ​
6
Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. ​
7
There was one called Barabbas, bound with those who had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. ​
8
The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them.
9
Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to 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 release Barabbas to them instead. ​
12
Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
13
They cried out again, “Crucify him!”
14
Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!”
15
Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Yeshua, when he had flogged him, to be crucified. ​

The Mockery of the King

16
The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. ​
17
They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. ​
18
They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
19
They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him.
20
When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21
They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. ​
22
They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, “The place of a skull.”
23
They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he didn’t take it. ​
24
Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take. ​
25
It was the third hour, and they crucified him. ​
26
The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ​
27
With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left.
28
The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “He was numbered with transgressors.” ​
29
Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days,
30
save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
31
Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He can’t save himself.
32
Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him insulted him. ​

The Death of Jesus

33
When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. ​
34
At the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ​
35
Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”
36
One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down.”
37
Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit. ​
38
The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. ​
39
When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” ​
40
There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Miriam Magdalene, and Miriam the mother of Jacob the less and of Yosi, and Shalom; ​
41
who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

The Burial

42
When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ​
43
Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for the Kingdom of God, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Yeshua’s body. ​
44
Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long.
45
When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46
He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ​
47
Miriam Magdalene and Miriam, the mother of Yosi, saw where he was laid. ​

Study Notes for Mark 15

Verse 1

The Sanhedrin held a formal consultation in the morning to ratify their night trial and ensure the proceedings were legal before delivering Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate, as only Rome could authorize capital punishment.

Verse 2

Jesus’ affirmation ('Thou sayest it') is a qualified acceptance of the title 'King of the Jews,' acknowledging the truth of the claim while rejecting the political and military definition Pilate assumed.

Verse 5

Jesus’ silence fulfills prophetic expectation (Isa. 53:7) and demonstrates his sovereign willingness to submit to the Father’s plan, astonishing the seasoned Roman governor.

Verse 6

The custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover highlights the crowd’s ultimate rejection of the Messiah, setting up the critical choice between Jesus and Barabbas.

Verse 7

Barabbas was a revolutionary and murderer, symbolizing the violent resistance to Rome. The crowd’s choice of this rebel over the peaceful Christ underscores the tragic substitutionary nature of the event.

Verse 11

This verse emphasizes the active manipulation by the chief priests, who incited the populace to demand the release of Barabbas, ensuring Jesus’ execution.

Verse 15

Pilate’s decision was driven by political expediency ('willing to content the people'), prioritizing Roman order and his own career over justice. Scourging was a brutal beating often intended to bring the victim near death.

Verse 16

The Praetorium was the Roman governor’s official residence. The 'whole band' refers to a cohort or detachment of soldiers, gathered to participate in the humiliation of Jesus.

Verse 17

The soldiers mock Jesus by dressing him as a parody of royalty (purple robe, crown of thorns, mock salute), fulfilling the humiliation prophesied for the suffering servant.

Verse 21

Simon is identified by his sons, Alexander and Rufus, suggesting these men were known figures in the early Roman Christian community. Carrying the crossbeam (patibulum) was the condemned man's burden.

Verse 23

The wine mingled with myrrh was a narcotic intended to dull the intense pain of crucifixion. Jesus refused it, choosing to face the full suffering consciously.

Verse 24

The casting of lots for Jesus’ garments directly fulfills the prophecy found in Psalm 22:18, highlighting the divinely ordained nature of the events.

Verse 25

Mark’s specific mention of 'the third hour' (9:00 AM) fixes the timeline for the start of the crucifixion.

Verse 26

The inscription (titulus) stated the charge against the condemned. 'THE KING OF THE JEWS' was a political charge of sedition, confirming the reason for execution under Roman law.

Verse 28

This verse explicitly connects Jesus’ crucifixion alongside criminals to the prophecy in Isaiah 53:12, confirming that the Messiah would be 'numbered with the transgressors.'

Verse 32

The taunts reflect the ultimate theological challenge: if Jesus is the powerful Christ, he should save himself. Salvation, however, required him to remain on the cross and endure suffering.

Verse 33

The supernatural darkness lasting three hours (from noon to 3:00 PM) signifies divine judgment and mourning, recalling Old Testament prophecies of the Day of the Lord (Amos 8:9).

Verse 34

This cry, a quotation of Psalm 22:1, expresses the profound spiritual abandonment Jesus experienced as he bore the sin of humanity, facing the Father's wrath.

Verse 37

Jesus 'cried with a loud voice' before dying, suggesting his death was not simply due to exhaustion, but a voluntary yielding of his spirit in full control.

Verse 38

The tearing of the temple veil (which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies) symbolizes the immediate access to God now available through Christ’s finished sacrifice, abolishing the old covenant system.

Verse 39

The centurion, a Gentile Roman officer, provides the first human confession of Jesus’ divine identity in the passion narrative, contrasting sharply with the failure of the disciples.

Verse 40

The presence of these faithful women contrasts with the disappearance of the male disciples. They serve as crucial, faithful witnesses to the death and subsequent burial.

Verse 42

The 'preparation' refers to Friday, the day before the Sabbath. Jewish law required the body to be interred before sundown (6:00 PM).

Verse 43

Joseph of Arimathaea, a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, risked his reputation and safety by publicly associating with the executed 'King of the Jews,' demonstrating unusual courage and faith.

Verse 46

The burial in a rock-hewn tomb was typical for the wealthy. The sealing of the tomb ensures that the resurrection, when it occurs, cannot be explained away by theft or interference.

Verse 47

The women’s witnessing of the exact location of the burial is crucial, establishing them as the necessary witnesses for the subsequent discovery of the empty tomb.

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