Mark 15
Jesus before Pilate
And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
At dawn the council binds Jesus and hands him over to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate asks whether he is the King of the Jews; Jesus answers ambiguously and then says nothing more, to Pilate's amazement. Offered the release of a prisoner, the crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, chooses Barabbas, a rebel, and shouts for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate frees Barabbas, has Jesus flogged, and hands him over to be crucified.
What does this mean?
'Thou sayest it' (KJV) or 'So you say' (WEB) is a non-committal reply, neither a denial nor a plain yes. 'Insurrection' means rebellion. 'Scourged' means flogged with a whip of leather straps, a brutal punishment that usually preceded crucifixion. 'Willing to content the people' (KJV) means wanting to satisfy the crowd.
Historical context
Pontius Pilate governed Judea from about 26 to 36 CE; an inscription found at Caesarea calls him prefect. Only the Roman governor could order a crucifixion, and 'King of the Jews' was a political charge of rebellion against Rome. The custom of releasing a prisoner at the festival is known only from the Gospels, and historians debate it.
Why does it matter?
The irony is pointed: a man jailed for insurrection goes free, while Jesus is crucified as 'King of the Jews', the title that runs through this chapter. Mark portrays Pilate as yielding to pressure; the ancient writers Philo and Josephus describe him as harsh.
Editorial notes, not scripture.