Mar 15:1
And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.: Pilate was the Roman governor over this province. He was based out of Caesarea but was in Jerusalam probably because of the Passover. He was likely staying in King Herod's castle. This was probably around 6AM. Quick recap:
1. Mat 26:47-56 Arrest in Gethsemane (Late Night, Likely Around Midnight). He was taken to Annas, the prior High Priest.
2. Joh 18:12-13 Trial Before Annas (Late Night/Early Hours, Possibly Around 1:00 AM). After this trial, Jesus was sent bound to Caiaphas, the current high priest (Joh 18:24).
3. Mat 26:57-68, Mar_14:53-65 Trial Before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Early Morning, Around 2:00-3:00 AM)
4. Luk 22:66-71 Formal Condemnation by the Sanhedrin (Dawn, Around 5:00-6:00 AM). Jesus was found guilty, bound, and delivered to Pilate.
5. Joh 18:28-32 Delivery to Pilate (Early Morning, Around 6:00 AM)
Mar 15:2
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”: It appears that although the Sanhedrin convicted Jesus of blasphemy, they brought Jesus to Pilate on charges of treason against Rome. This is why Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. Jesus answering like He did is the same as when we say today, "You tell me."
Mar 15:3
And the chief priests accused him of many things.: It seems like Pilate wasn't convinced of the treason, so the Sanhedrin started accusing Jesus of all kinds of stuff. None of it was true, of course, but the priests weren't about to let the truth stop them from getting what they wanted.
Mar 15:4
And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”: This is partly the fulfillment of Isa 53:7, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." But there is a greater principle at play here. The Preacher's Homiletical explains that "[w]hen speech was useless, He was silent." My Mom used to say, "If you have nothing useful to add, don't say anything." While this is a partial fulfillment of prophecy, we should try to emulate this behavior in our lives.
Mar 15:5
But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.: "Pilate was amazed because he saw no fault in Jesus, and since he had taken Jesus aside to question Him privately—holding the power of life and death—any normal person would have tried to defend themselves, yet Jesus remained silent."
Mar 15:6
Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.: This was the Passover feast. Notice the wording here. This was something that Pilate did. It was a good gesture, and understandable considering how upset the Jews were with Roman rule.
Mar 15:7
And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.: This was a brilliant move by Pilate. Here was a man in prison guilty of treason and murder, the crime which he knew Jesus was not guilty of. He would offer to release Barnabas, a man guilty of the crime Jesus was obviously not guilty of - but being charged with - hoping that their sense of rationality would cause them to do the right thing.
Mar 15:8
And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.: The people wanted Pilate to release a prisoner, as was his custom every year on Passover.
Mar 15:9
And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”: I don't know why Pilate worded it this way, but he may have been trying to appeal to the people's fond memories of encounters with Jesus. He had been with them for three years preaching and doing good works, and the people had hailed him as King only a short time ago (John 12:13, "So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'"). More plausibly, Pilate may have been appealing to the people's sense of injustice. Calling Jesus 'King of the Jews' while He stood beaten and shackled, despite having committed no crime, was likely meant to highlight the absurdity of the situation and provoke a reaction from the crowd.
Mar 15:10
For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.: Besides trying to appeal to the people's memories of Jesus, or their sense of injustice, it is also some sort of dig at the religious leaders. It is very probable that Pilate was emphasizing Rome's complete control, showing that Rome had the power of the life and death over the King of the Jews.
Mar 15:11
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.: This is the mob mentality in action. These priests had control over who could go to the temple, and so had tremendous influence. When they began to rail against Jesus, the people followed. The people didn't even care that the false charge against Jesus was treason, and that they were advocating for the release of a man guilty of the very charge.
Mar 15:12
And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”: I believe Pilate says this because of the triumphal entry, where the people hailed Jesus as King (Joh 12:13).
Mar 15:13
And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”: Mobs can't be reasoned with. I lived the last four years with the world in a sort of mob mentality concerning COVID. The irrationality of the so-called solutions didn't matter. Just as these people then cried out, "Crucify him!" the people today were yelling, "Get the shot!" or, "Put on a mask!"
Mar 15:14
And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”: There are so many similarities to what we went through with COVID and how this mob behaved toward Jesus. Rationality didn't matter, truth didn't matter, and when the crowd was asked why, they just shouted louder.
Mar 15:15
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.: With the threat of revolution constantly present, Pilate took the path of appeasement with the Jews, releasing Barabbas, then scourging and crucifying Jesus. He did this, knowing that Jesus was guilty of nothing. What a disgusting display of cowardice. Scourging is absolutely brutal. It's such a short mention here, but this deserves some explanation. This wasn't just a beating, or whipping. The Romans used a flagrum (a whip that had embedded metal objects designed to hook into the flesh, so when the soldiers would pull the whip back to them, it would rip off chunks of flesh and skin). People often died from this scourging. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be beaten so severely that He'd be unrecognizable (Isa 52:14).
Mar 15:16
And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.: I think this verse gives solid evidence that Pilate was staying in Herod's Palace, but some still argue that he was staying in the Antonia Fortress. After reading this verse, their evidence is pretty weak at best. The word translated here as battalion is usually translated something like "the whole group." The NET translation is cohort, which is around 500-600 soldiers.
Mar 15:17
And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.: I doubt there was 500 involved with mocking Jesus, but there were around 500 soldiers. They were probably there to keep the peace. There would have been a group assigned to escort Jesus and this group did these horrible things. Keep in mind also that Jesus had just been scourged. His whole body was an open wound. The depths of human depravity have no bounds.
But out of all of this horrific evil, God brings good. Little did these soldiers know, this was the beginning of the coronation of the Kingdom of God! As earthly kings are coronated, so Jesus is dressed in purple and given a crown.
Mar 15:18
And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”: This was like a mock coronation, but little did they know, they were actually coronating Jesus's kingdom. They were mocking, but ironically were fulfilling a spiritual truth. This was the coronation of the Kingdom of God! Jesus's kingdom was not of this world (Joh 18:36). They put the crown on Him in the previous verse, and now are hailing Him King of the Jews.
Mar 15:19
And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.: Continuing with their mockery, they hit him with a reed. This reed was explained in Mat 27:29 as a mock scepter. They kneeled down in fake homage to Jesus, not knowing that they were actually performing the coronation of Jesus's kingdom.
br />Mar 15:20
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.: The final part of the coronation was to lead a procession and put Jesus on His throne. Yes, the cross was Jesus's throne. This is why Pilate, under guidance of the Holy Spirit, insisted on placing a placard with "King of the Jews" on it, even after the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to change the wording. Jesus was coronated as the King of the Jews and His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, but not of this world. He will return and set up an earthly kingdom for 1000 years, but for now, His kingdom is the Church, ruled by His Word, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Mar 15:21
And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.: We don't know why Simon was coming in from the country, but he could have been gathering wood for the feast. Alexander and Rufus were known throughout the church, and are spoken of in Act 19:33 and Rom 16:13. When Jesus had been turned over to the soldiers, they had scourged Him, and He was so weakened that He couldn't carry His own cross.
Mar 15:22
And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).: Historians are mostly in agreement that Golgotha was where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is today. This church was built on the location that Constantine identified as Golgotha in 326 AD. There's another more recent proposal (19th century) is that Golgotha was located where The Garden Tomb is today. It's more widely accepted that Golgotha was located where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is, but we can't be 100% certain which is correct.
Mar 15:23
And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.: The soldiers offer this drink to Jesus, but earlier He had said (Mar 14:25) "Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." Also, this would have dulled Jesus's senses. It was a pain killer, and Jesus wanted to be fully aware so He could bear the weight of the sins of the world on His shoulders.
Mar 15:24
And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.: This is a direct fulfillment of Psalm 22:16-18 "For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. This prophecy was written around 800 years before Christ!
Mar 15:25
And it was the third hour when they crucified him.: There is an apparent contradiction here between Mark and John. Mark says that Jesus was crucified in the third hour (9AM) and Joh 19:14 says Jesus was still before Pilate at about the sixth hour (12PM). This controversy is solved when you realize that John was using the Roman time (the day starts at midnight, the same as ours) and Mark was using the Jewish time. The sixth hour using the Roman method would have placed Jesus in front of Pilate at around 6AM. John also isn't precise, but says that it was about the sixth hour.
Mar 15:26
And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”: The Sanhedrin had brought Jesus up on charges of treason, but Pilate found no fault in Him. Pilate tried to release a man from prison who was actually guilty of treason and murder in an effort to appeal to the people's sense of justice, but they were whipped into a mob frenzy by the priests and would have none of it. In response, Pilate placed a placard over Jesus's head saying "The King of the Jews," directly shaming the Sanhedrin. Jesus wasn't guilty of anything, and Pilate knew it. The religious leaders had even asked Pilate to change the wording, but Pilate said no. He was making a two-fold declaration here. One, Jesus was being crucified for something He wasn't guilty of, and two, that Rome had the power to raise and kill kings if they so wished. Pilate was making it clear that Rome was sovereign. But ironically, by Pilate doing so, he completed the coronation of Jesus's kingdom, placing Jesus on His throne of the cross.
Mar 15:27
And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.: Jesus was crucified with two robbers in fulfillment of prophecy. Isaiah 53:12, "Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."
Mar 15:28
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "He was numbered with the transgressors": This is another verse that doesn't exist in the ESV translation. It is included in their translation notes, so I pasted their translation here.
Mar 15:29
And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,: This is irony. They were heading to the temple to celebrate the Passover, but they mocked and taunted the real Passover lamb on the cross. The scorn and derision is another fulfillment of prophecy. Psa 22:7-8, "All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Mar 15:30
save yourself, and come down from the cross!”: Jesus could do this, but He chose not to. He willingly put the sins of the world on Himself for us.
Mar 15:31
So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.: This is quite disgusting. These priests and scribes had been witnesses to, or had heard of the miracles Jesus performed. They weren't just saying these things, but recalling Jesus saving others, such as the man with the withered hand (Mar 3:1-6), the bent over woman (Luk 13:10-17), the man with dropsy (Luk 14:1-6), and the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda (Joh 5:1-18). These wonderful works were done on the Sabbath and these so-called religious leaders were more worried about the letter of the law than the spirit of the law and doing good.
Mar 15:32
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.: Throughout the gospels, we don't see any mention by anyone except Jesus of the Messianic prophecies saying that the Messiah must suffer. It's like nobody had heard of them, and everyone focused on the prophecies where the Messiah would set up an earthly kingdom. That's what these taunts were about. They were saying, "If you're really the Christ, come down and set up your earthly kingdom!" But if He did come down from the cross, His plan for salvation would have been cancelled. We had better thank Jesus for staying up there.
Mar 15:33
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.: Jesus had already been hanging on the cross for three hours, from 9AM to 12PM. At 12PM, the sun was darkened for three hours. This could not have been a solar eclipse. They don't last that long, at most fifteen minutes. ChatGPT says that there are historical references to this darkening outside the Bible:
- Phlegon of Tralles (a Greek historian from the 2nd Century) - "In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad [roughly A.D. 32–33], there was a great eclipse of the sun, greater than had ever been known before, and night came on at the sixth hour of the day [noon], so that stars actually appeared in the heavens." (Phlegon, Chronicles)
- Tertullian (An early Christian writer, around A.D. 200) - "At the moment of Christ’s death, the light departed from the sun, and the land was darkened at noonday; which wonder is related in your own annals and is preserved in your archives to this day." (Apologeticum, 21)
Mar 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”: This verse is often used to claim that Jesus wasn't God. The claim is that Jesus has a God, so how can He be God? First, this is a direct fulfillment of Psa 22:1, "... My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?" Psalm 22 is a prophecy that the Messiah would suffer. Jesus points us directly to it to show that He was the Messiah. Second, people don't understand the trinity. Our God is three separate persons that share the same essence. The nature of eternity leaves only room for one God. You can't have more than one thing that's infinite. The three separate persons all share the same essence, and can commune with each other. Jesus talking to the Father, even though He's God Himself is perfectly fine. When Jesus was begotten (there was no point in time where this happened, since He shares the same essence of God), He lowered Himself to a human state forever (Php 2:6-8). Jesus didn't just show up on earth in human form, He took on humanity forever (Heb 7:24-25). There's only one God, but there are separate roles. How is this possible? I have no idea. There are just some concepts that are beyond human comprehension.
Mar 15:35
And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”: The word used here for Elijah in the Greek is Elias. A lot of the commentaries say that the bystanders were saying this maliciously, but it is possible that they misunderstood Jesus.
Mar 15:36
And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”: Giving Jesus sour wine was to fulfill the Psa 69:21 prophecy, "... for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink." The reed was hyssop, the same material used to spread the blood on the doorposts for Passover (Exo 12:22). Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover lamb, having died once for all (Rom 6:10). Whether or not these people actually thought Jesus said Elijah is irrelevant, but it's clear this person here is mocking Jesus.
Mar 15:37
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.: With the sour wine, and hyssop reed fulfilling the remaining prophecies, Jesus now dies. Jesus died willingly, as He had previously said in Joh 10:17-18, "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Mar 15:38
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.: The greek word used here is καταπέτασμα which means "From a compound of G2596 and a congener of G4072; something spread thoroughly, that is, (specifically) the door screen (to the Most Holy Place) in the Jewish Temple: - vail." This curtain specifically refers to the curtain of the Holy of Holies. With the tearing of this vail, God was telling us that the separation between the Father and us is removed (Heb 10:19-20). We can now symbolically enter the Holy of Holies for direct access to the Father.
Mar 15:39
And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”: For me, reading this description of how Jesus died, it wasn't immediately apparent why this centurion would react this way, but here's what I found from the commentaries:
- After hanging for so long, people would normally be so weak when they died that they would not have the strength to yell loudly
- Mat 27:51-54 says that not only was the veil torn in two and the sun was darkened, but graves were opened and saints came into the city!
- It's likely that he heard the many things Jesus said on the cross: Luk 23:34, "And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”; Luk 23:42-43, "And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
- Luke tells us that Jesus gives up His spirit (Luk 23:46), demonstrating that He had control over His life, and the centurion saw it.
Combine all of this, and it's clear why the centurion realized Jesus was God.
Mar 15:40
There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.: Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus who had seven demons cast out (Luk 8:2). She likely came to Jerusalem after hearing about the arrest of Jesus from one of the disciples. Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses was another disciple of Jesus. She also likely came when she heard. Salome was the mother of the sons of Zebedee, or as Jesus nicknamed them, the Sons of Thunder (Mar 3:17).
Mar 15:41
When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.: These ladies had been ministering to Jesus when He would visit Galilee. They were all devoted followers for various reasons, but when they heard of Jesus's arrest, they followed Him, even when His closest followers abandoned Him.
Mar 15:42
And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,: Everything had to be prepared the day before the Sabbath because it wasn't legal to do any work on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders wanted the body taken down before sundown because the Sabbath was on Saturday starting on Friday night. They didn't care that they lied and had Jesus crucified for a false charge of treason, but pretended to be concerned about not working on Sabbath. Jesus suffered, died and was buried on Friday. That's why we call the Friday before Easter, Good Friday.
Mar 15:43
Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.: Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, but he did not condone their decision (Luk 23:51). He was wealthy and also a secret follower of Jesus (Joh 19:38). Paying Jesus respect, he sought to place Jesus's body in a nice, unused tomb. There could be no mistaking who was buried there.
Mar 15:44
Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.: Crucifixion was supposed to be a long and agonizing death. Jesus died in six hours. There are many records showing that people could hang for days, so this doesn't seem like a strange reaction.
Mar 15:45
And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.: The Jewish leaders just wanted Jesus's body taken down, and Joseph was one of the Sanhedrin, so there were no objections.
Mar 15:46
And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.: This linen shroud still exists today and is displayed as the Shroud of Turin at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. Here's a short twenty minute video from LA Marzulli giving an overview of this shroud. This shroud is proof of the crucifixion. The shroud's authenticity is heavily disputed of course, but it clearly records an imprint of a crucified man by no means that anyone can duplicate.
The stone rolled in front of the tomb was huge, around two tons, about six feet in diameter. To move that stone would have required multiple people.
Mar 15:47
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.: For Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses, see notes on Mar 15:40. These ladies hadn't left Jesus. They were witness of His death, His burial, and Mary Magdalene is graciously the first to see Jesus after His resurrection. She has a wonderful testimony of deliverance, hearing and believing the teachings of Jesus, becoming a follower, witnessing His death and suffering on the cross, and His resurrection. Interesting that this is the same testimony that we Christians attest to today.
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