Mark 15

Verdict (Mark 15:1)

The final decision was not surprising. They voted to find Jesus guilty. However, since a death sentence wasn’t allowed under Roman law, they sent Jesus to the Roman governor for his consent. Part of the decision was likely to come up with a charge that the Roman governor would agree deserved death (Psalm 2:2). Blasphemy was not a charge the Romans considered wrong, and if they brought only that one, Pilate would throw the case out.

The Trial Before Pilate (Mark 15:2-5)

Pilate questioned Jesus about the charge brought to him. The charge of Jesus being a king was the one most disturbing to him and the only one Pilate focused on. He directly asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews.

Jesus agrees that what Pilate said was true.

The Jewish leaders begin protesting harshly. They charge Jesus with many things, but what amazes Pilate is that Jesus doesn’t defend himself against their accusations. Pilate asks why he doesn’t respond. Seeing how many accusations are made against him must indicate that there was cause behind their charges. Yet, Jesus did not respond to him either, which surprised Pilate.

It would have been a small matter for Jesus to defend himself against the charges successfully, but such a defense would not accomplish the purpose he came into this world to accomplish (John 12:23-28). Nor was there a need for Jesus to respond. The leaders were making accusations. They were not witnesses to any wrong. If Pilate was interested in upholding justice, he should have thrown the case out of his court.

Offer to Release Barabbas or Jesus (Mark 15:6-11)

The Romans had a custom of releasing one man before the Sabbath. The crowds gathering began calling for him to continue the tradition this year.

Since Pilate wanted to release Jesus, he offered the Jews two choices. He selects a man named Barabbas, a leader of a rebellion who was being held on murder charges. Pilate thought that Barabbas was so evil that the Jews would easily prefer Jesus over Barabbas. He knew that Jesus was brought to him because of their envy and not because Jesus had done anything wrong. But he also tweaked the Jews by asking if they wanted him to release their king. To his surprise, the Jews called out that they wanted Barabbas released, the crowd being encouraged in that selection by the leading Jews.

Demand that Jesus be Crucified (Mark 15:12-15)

Pilate asked the crowd what they wanted done with their king, and they shouted, "Crucify him!" Pilate then asked why they were so set against Jesus, but the response was even stronger: “Crucified him!”

Wanting to calm the crowd, Pilate ordered Barnabas' release, had Jesus scourged, and then sent Jesus off to be crucified. The scourging was customarily a part of Roman crucifixion as it increased the suffering of the person hung on a cross.

Mistreatment by the Guards (Mark 15:15-19)

The soldiers were not content with just the scourging. They called together the whole cohort, about 400 to 600 soldiers. They made a mockery of Jesus, stripping him of his clothing, placing a crown woven from thorns on his head, and putting a purple robe on him. They hailed him as the king of the Jews and then proceeded to strike him. They struck him on the head with a reed, driving the thrones into his scalp, and spat on him. The Romans had no love for the Jews, and they found this brutality an amusing way to strike back where they could not.

Led to Golgotha (Mark 15:20-23)

After they mocked Jesus, the soldiers took the purple robe off him and put his own garments back on. You should keep in mind that Jesus was scourged just before the robe was placed on him, so the changing of clothing would cause additional pain and damage.

They led him away to be crucified. The Romans pulled a man named Simon from Cyrene from the spectators, forcing him to carry the cross. It was the right of soldiers in the Roman army to impress anyone they chose into service (see Matthew 5:41). It is unknown if Simon took on the entire burden or helped ease it. However, it is important to know the extent of Jesus’ sufferings, that he couldn’t carry a load without aid. Though Jesus was the Son of God, he wasn’t superhuman. He suffered the limitations of human flesh (Hebrews 2:9-15).

Simon was the father of two sons, Alexander and Rufus. This implies that these two men were known to others, most probably in the Christian world. Paul mentions a Rufus in Romans 16:13 and an Alexander in I Timothy 1:20. Luke mentions an Alexander in Acts 19:33. Whether these are the sons of Simon is unknown.

The place of execution was called “the Place of the Skull” in Greek or Golgotha in the Hebrew tongue. The English name “calvary” is derived from the Latin word for skull. Death sentences occurred outside city limits because of an Old Testament law (Numbers 15:35-36).

The soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with bitter spices (gall and myrrh), but Jesus refused to drink it. “This mixture of sour wine mingled with gall and myrrh was intended to dull the sense of pain of those being crucified or otherwise severely punished. The custom is said to have originated with the Jews and not with the Romans. Jesus declined it because it was the Father's will that he should suffer. He would not go upon the cross in a drugged, semi-conscious condition.” [J. W. McGarvey, The Fourfold Gospel, p. 724]. By this, we learn that even though he was suffering, Jesus chose to experience his torture and death fully. Nothing was held back. Recall that when Peter tried to defend Jesus during the night, Jesus stopped him and pointed out that he could have done so if he wanted to prevent this (Matthew 26:52-54). Jesus always had options. Men were not forcing the Son of God to the cross, though it might appear so on the surface (Hebrews 5:7-9). Jesus wasn’t looking forward to death; he wasn’t eager to meet death, but he understood the necessity of dying. When he went, he faced it fully, taking nothing to even dull the pain.

Just Before the Sixth to Ninth Hour (Mark 15:24-33)

You will notice that Mark’s account states that Jesus was crucified at the third hour of the day (Mark 15:25). Yet John’s account mentions that the final sentence was delivered about the sixth hour of the day (John 19:14). Three accounts agreed that darkness covered the land from the sixth to the ninth hour (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). There are a few things to note which will make an apparent difference harmonize.

1. People did not have watches in those days. Days were divided into four quarters: third hour, sixth hour, and ninth hour being the dividing lines. A day started at dawn (roughly 6 a.m.), the third hour of the day started about mid-morning (roughly 9 a.m.), the sixth hour started at noon, and the ninth hour started at mid-afternoon (roughly 3 p.m.). Most of the time, this is as close as most people kept time. Thus, the third hour of the day could go from mid-morning to about noon (or roughly 9 a.m. to noon).
2. John’s account only says it was about the sixth hour when Pilate sat in judgment. Just before noon would still be about the sixth hour while technically in the third hour of the day segment.

I’m inclined to believe that Mark’s account tells us that the crucifixion, including the preparation, started during the third hour of the day, and John’s account tells us it began in the latter part of that period as it was approaching noon.

Pilate had written an inscription to be placed on the cross. The charge of Jesus’ “crime” was written in three languages: Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that all passing by would know who was dying on the cross. Each gospel account gives a slightly different wording of what was on the sign.

• Matthew says, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37)
• Mark says, “The King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26)
• Luke says, “This is the King of the Jews.” (Luke 23:38)
• John says, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19)

There is no contradiction here; we have different accounts reporting to different audiences. The charge was written in three different languages; thus, the charge written in each language would likely not translate to Greek in precisely the same manner. Pilate likely dictated the inscription in Latin, his language, and a scribe added the other translations. John probably gives us the complete statement, translated from Latin. Mark tends to abbreviate his account, so he probably gave us just the essence of the charge. A full translation of the Latin text to Greek would take many more characters than the Latin, so the scribe likely abbreviated his translation, and Luke copied it for us. Matthew most likely gives us the translation of the Hebrew, and it is possible that it was also abbreviated a bit. Yet, the critical point is that they all proclaimed that Jesus was the King of the Jews.

They crucified the Lord along with two thieves, having placed Jesus and the thieves on crosses, one thief on each side with Jesus in the center. This fulfilled a prophecy in Isaiah 53:12.

Those passing by were hurling abuse at Jesus, wagging their heads, and taunting him. If he was really who he claimed and as powerful as he claimed, then why couldn’t he just come down from the cross? The Jewish leaders challenged Jesus to prove his kingship by coming down from the cross. They taunted him with his claims of being close to God, so why hasn’t God rescued him? To them, it was clear that Jesus remained on the cross because he claimed to be the Son of God, so God had abandoned him. What temptation Christ bore on our behalf! He could come down from the cross and destroy these men and the world he created (Colossians 1:15-17). However, we see Jesus’ commitment to God’s plan by staying where he did not want to be. He demonstrated wondrous love toward these miserable sinners and us (I Peter 2:21-24; 3:13-18; 4:12-19).

From about the time of Pilate’s judgment against Jesus at about noon to three o’clock in the afternoon, darkness was covering the land. One might think it was referring to a solar eclipse, but if so, it lasted far longer than most. The other problem is that the Jewish calendar is lunar-based. Since the Passover is halfway through the month, the moon is full for the Passover each year. It would not be in the proper position to cause an eclipse. Albert Barnes notes, “Phlegon, a Roman astronomer, speaking of the fourteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, which is supposed to be that in which our Saviour died, says that 'the greatest eclipse of the sun that was ever known happened then, for the day was so turned into a night that the stars appeared.'” Whether this was the same eclipse or not can only be speculated.

The ninth hour (Mark 15:34-36)

At the ninth hour (about 3 o’clock in the afternoon), Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani?” which is translated as “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus understood that to be forsaken, apparently forgotten by God, is the worst thing that could be suffered (Psalms 42:9-11). The spelling in Mark’s account is different from Matthew’s account. Mark’s account follows the pronunciation of the words in the Aramaic dialect common in Galilee. Matthew records the Hebrew spelling of words said.

When the Jews taunted Jesus, they unknowingly quoted Psalms 22:6-8. At the end of his life, Jesus responded by quoting the beginning of that same Psalm. It is not a cry of despair but a declaration of trust. He had been left (or forsaken) to the power of his enemies, but even then, he would trust God’s judgment.

Some bystanders heard him but thought he was calling out for Elijah. Though it was a loud cry, the misunderstanding causes us to realize that Jesus was weakening. The strength in his voice was fading. And thirst was overwhelming him. One of the bystanders got a reed, stuck a sponge on it, dipped it in a vessel of sour wine (vinegar), and put it in Jesus’ mouth. He was interested in seeing whether Elijah would answer and rescue Jesus.

Jesus’ Death (Mark 15:37-41)

Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. He died, but it was of his own free will. At Jesus's death, the temple's veil was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

The centurion, standing in front of Jesus, saw what was happening. He noted, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” Notice that it was Romans, not Jews, who came to the correct conclusions. He saw that Jesus was the Son of God.

At some distance, Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joses), and Salome watched the events. Mark notes that they were among a number of women who served Jesus as he traveled through Galilee and traveled with him to Jerusalem. Interestingly, Mark mentions women as witnesses because, in Jewish culture, women could not testify in a trial.

Burial (Mark 15:42-47)

With the Passover starting at sundown, the body had to be put into a grave while it was still daylight. Once the Sabbath began, no work could be done, including the burial of a loved one.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin council and a secret follower of Christ, gathered the courage to approach Pilate and request Jesus’ body. Arimathea is believed to be another name for the city of Rama in the tribe of Benjamin. Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead, but after summoning the centurion in charge and finding out Jesus had been dead for a while, Pilate granted the request.

Joseph was a rich man who brought fine linen cloth to wrap Jesus’ body. Jesus' body was placed in a tomb that Joseph owned that was in a nearby garden, evidently because there was no time to locate another. The tomb was brand new and had not been used for other burials. Grave tombs located in gardens were where the rich buried their dead; thus, another prophecy was fulfilled (Isaiah 53:9). A large stone was rolled across the opening to seal the tomb. The fact that the tomb was new is vital to remember. There can be no mix-up over a body that disappeared. Being a tomb cut in rock meant there was no access to the tomb but through the entrance.

The women at the cross observed the preparations. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joses, are mentioned in particular. There can be no claim that when the women returned on the first day of the week, they went to the wrong tomb.