Mark 15
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
15:1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Israel was a tribute nation to Rome. They did not have authority to execute the death penalty. Therefore, the Sanhedrin needed Pilate and the Roman government to condemn Jesus to death.
15:2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.”
The other gospels record that Jesus confirmed Himself as the King of the Jews, but His kingdom was “not of this world.”
15:3 Then the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly.
Pilate did not want a riot, which could cause him to lose his Roman position of authority. He had to take these accusations seriously.
15:4 So Pilate asked him again, “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!”
Jesus was silent as a lamb before its slaughter, just as predicted in Isaiah 53.
15:5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
Pilate was a Roman Judge. He had most likely never met a man who refused to defend himself.
Jesus and Barabbas
15:6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people, whomever they requested.
Pilate was looking for a political strategy which would get him out of this situation.
15:7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection.
Barabbas was an Aramaic name, meaning “son of the father”. Jesus was the actual “Son of the Father.” Barabas was a murderer and a traitor to his own people. He was the last man that the Jews would want to set free.
15:8 Then the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom.
Pilate made this offer to keep the crowds on his side. Every Passover, he would set a Jewish prisoner free.
15:9 So Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?”
Pilate figured that they would never choose Barabbas.
15:10 (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.)
Pilate knew that the priests were jealous of the popular teaching and healing ministry of Jesus.
15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas instead.
At 9 AM in the morning, most of the Jewish nation was at home preparing for the Passover. They did not even know that Jesus was arrested. This crowd was the hostiles that the chief priests brought with them.
15:12 So Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call king of the Jews?”
Pilate was a judge of Rome. Rome prided itself in ruling all cases blindly with justice for all. The Roman judge did not ask the accusers to make judicial decisions against the accused. This was a breach of Roman Law.
15:13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
The hostile witnesses wanted Jesus crucified.
15:14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!”
Pilate was the Roman judge. He could not find Jesus guilty of any crime. Jesus should have been released.
15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Pilate was a cheap politician. He craved power more than righteousness. He feared the people more than God. He had the chance to declare Jesus as the Creator God of the universe, but instead, he ordered God to be stripped naked, humiliated, and crucified.
Jesus is Mocked
15:16 So the soldiers led him into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) and called together the whole cohort.
The Roman soldiers were ruthless killers who had wives and concubines at home and homosexual lovers on the battlefield.
15:17 They put a purple cloak on him and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 15:18 They began to salute him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” 15:19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him.
The soldiers of the satanic world system mocked the Creator God of the universe.
15:20 When they had finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
The soldiers mocked the true King of the universe. Jesus could have blinked them out of existence, but He tolerated their abuse upon Him.
The Crucifixion
15:21 The soldiers forced a passerby to carry his cross, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus).
The Hebrew word for SImon is Σιμων (Simon), which comes from the Hebrew name שִׁמְעוֹן (Shim'on) meaning "he has heard."
Cyrene was an important coastal city of North Africa which possessed a large Jewish population (Acts 2:10). Simon was either an immigrant living near Jerusalem or a pilgrim who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.
Alexander and Rufus were the two sons of Simon. Paul greeted them in his Romans letter, so there is a strong possibility that Simon was converted by this event (cf. Rom. 16:13).
15:22 They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which is translated, “Place of the Skull”).
The location of this hill is uncertain. The modern tourist location may or may not be the correct location.
15:23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
The wine mixed with myrrh was a drug to deaden the pain of the cross. Jesus was offered myrrh at His birth and at His death. Jesus refused the drug, because He wanted His senses completely awakened while He was taking on the sins of the world.
15:24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, throwing dice for them, to decide what each would take.
None of the gospel writers gave the gory details of the crucifixion, although modern preachers love to dwell on them. The only article that Jesus had of value was His purple cloak, which was given to Him by Roman soldiers in order to mock Him. The soldiers gambled for them, just as predicted by the prophets.
15:25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
This was the time of the morning sacrifice on Passover.
15:26 The inscription of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews.”
The crime of the criminal was nailed above the crucified criminal. The crime of Jesus was that He was “the King of the Jews”. The other gospel writers recorded that the religious leaders asked to change the sign to “He said that He was the King of the Jews.” Pilate refused their request.
15:27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus was crucified with two other criminals. “He was numbered with the transgressors,” just as Isaiah 53 predicted.
15:28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
This verse was not found in the Westcott-Hort manuscript, but it was found in the Textus-Receptus. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53.
15:29 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 15:30 save yourself and come down from the cross!”
Jesus could have come off the cross easily and taken revenge upon His tormentors, but He did not say a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, just as Isaiah 53 predicted
15:31 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law – were mocking him among themselves: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!
Satan did not want Jesus to die on Passover, because Jesus would fulfill Bible prophecy.
15:32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.
The other gospels recorded that both of these outlaws mocked Jesus, but one changed his mind and was told that he would be with Jesus in Paradise.
Jesus’ Death
15:33 Now when it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
The Greek historian Thallus mentioned this darkness as an eclipse. However, the Jewish Passover season was during the time of the full moon, so the solar eclipse was impossible. As God the Father poured out the sins of the whole world upon His own beloved Son, He turned out the lights so that no one could observe the process. If the Holy Spirit refused to record the gory details, then pastors should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
15:34 Around three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
This was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 22:1, which was written 1000 years before Jesus was born.
15:35 When some of the bystanders heard it they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!”
It was predicted in Malachi that Elijah would precede the Messiah. Elijah will return before the Great Tribulation to prepare Israel for the Second Coming of Jesus. The Jews save a chair for Elijah on every Passover.
15:36 Then someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to take him down!”
This was a fulfillment of Psalm 69:21, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
15:37 But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last.
Man cannot control when he dies, but Jesus can.
15:38 And the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Only God can tear the temple curtain from top to bottom. The tearing of the temple curtain meant that Jesus was the last Passover lamb. His blood removed sin forever. The way to atonement was now open to all.
15:39 Now when the centurion, who stood in front of him, saw how he died, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
This was an experienced Roman commander. He had seen many crucifixions. He knew that this was a supernatural event. He declared that Jesus was the Son of God.
15:40 There were also women, watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
There were more women at the crucifixion than disciples.
15:41 When he was in Galilee, they had followed him and given him support. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were there too.
These women supported Jesus when He was in His Galilean ministry.
Jesus’ Burial
15:42 Now when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council, who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were the only two Sanhedrin believers listed in Scripture.
15:44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He called the centurion and asked him if he had been dead for some time.
It usually took days to die on the cross. Jesus breathed out His last on His own volition. No one could take His life away. Even Pilate was surprised that Jesus died so early.
15:45 When Pilate was informed by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
Pilate gave the body to Joseph. Why? Because the prophets predicted that Jesus would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53).
15:46 After Joseph bought a linen cloth and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone across the entrance of the tomb.
The body of Jesus was wrapped in a linen cloth and placed in a cave. A two hundred pound rock was rolled over the entrance.
15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was placed.
There were no men at the burial of Jesus. There were only these two women. Jesus was God who had died, but He had very few mourners.