Mark 15 · KJV
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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.

The soldiers mock Jesus

And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Prætorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

Roman soldiers take Jesus into the governor's headquarters, call together the whole cohort, dress him in purple, put a crown of thorns on him and salute him mockingly as King of the Jews. They beat him and spit on him, then put his own clothes back on him and lead him out to be crucified.

What does this mean?

The 'Praetorium' was the governor's residence and headquarters. A 'band' (KJV) or 'cohort' was a Roman unit, nominally of about 600 soldiers. 'Platted' means wove. 'Hail' echoes the salute given to the emperor, 'Hail, Caesar'. 'Worshipped' (KJV) here means paid mock homage.

Historical context

Purple dye was very expensive and associated with royalty; Matthew calls the garment a scarlet robe, perhaps a soldier's cloak. The Jerusalem Praetorium was probably Herod the Great's former palace, though some suggest the Antonia fortress beside the temple.

Why does it matter?

The mock coronation fulfils Jesus' prediction that he would be mocked, spat on and flogged (10:34). For Mark's readers, the soldiers unwittingly proclaim the truth: Jesus is a king, though not the kind they imagine.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

The crucifixion

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

The soldiers force a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, to carry Jesus' cross to Golgotha. They offer Jesus wine mixed with myrrh, which he refuses, then crucify him and divide his clothes. The charge above him reads 'THE KING OF THE JEWS'. He is crucified between two bandits, and passers-by, the chief priests and even the men crucified with him mock him.

  • Scripture connection · Allusion

    Mark 15:24 echoes Psalm 22:18

    They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
    Psalm 22:18 · KJV

    Mark describes the soldiers dividing Jesus' clothes in words that echo Psalm 22 without citing it.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation · presented as fulfilled

    Mark 15:28 quotes Isaiah 53:12

    Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
    Isaiah 53:12 · KJV

    This verse is absent from many early manuscripts and is omitted or footnoted in most modern translations. The same quotation appears in Luke 22:37.

What does this mean?

'Golgotha' is Aramaic for 'skull', as Mark explains; 'Calvary' comes from the Latin equivalent. The 'third hour' is about 9 a.m. The 'superscription' is the placard stating the charge. 'Thieves' (KJV) or 'robbers' can also mean insurgents. 'Railed on' means insulted; wagging heads was a gesture of scorn.

Historical context

Cyrene was a city in North Africa, in modern Libya, with a large Jewish community. Executions took place outside the city by a road, where passers-by would see. The condemned often carried the crossbeam to a stake already standing at the site. Verse 28 is not found in the oldest manuscripts of Mark.

Why does it matter?

Mark describes the crucifixion itself in a few words, without dwelling on the suffering. Naming Simon's sons suggests that Mark's readers knew them. The mockers' taunt, 'he saved others; himself he cannot save', unwittingly states a theme of the Gospel (8:35; 10:45). At Jesus' right and left are not James and John (10:37) but two condemned men.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in all four Gospels

How Mark tells it

Only Mark names Simon of Cyrene's sons, Alexander and Rufus. Mark says Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh and refused it (Matthew: mixed with gall, which he tasted), and alone gives the time as the third hour. Mark's inscription is the shortest. Both bandits mock Jesus, unlike Luke's penitent criminal, and Jesus speaks no words in this scene.

The death of Jesus

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out in Aramaic, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Bystanders think he is calling Elijah; one offers him sour wine. With a loud cry Jesus dies. The temple curtain is torn from top to bottom, and the centurion, seeing how he died, says, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!' Women followers watch from a distance.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    Mark 15:34 quotes Psalm 22:1

    My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
    Psalm 22:1 · KJV

    The opening line of Psalm 22, given in Aramaic and translated. The psalm moves from lament to trust.

What does this mean?

The 'sixth hour' is noon and the 'ninth hour' about 3 p.m. 'Vinegar' is sour wine, a cheap drink of ordinary soldiers and labourers. 'Gave up the ghost' (KJV) means died; 'ghost' is older English for spirit. A centurion commanded about a hundred soldiers. 'James the less' may mean 'the younger' or 'the small'.

Historical context

The temple 'veil' was a curtain — either the inner one screening the Most Holy Place or the outer one at the sanctuary entrance. Mark mentions only now that these women had followed and supported Jesus in Galilee.

Why does it matter?

Interpreters read the torn curtain as judgment on the temple, as opened access to God, or both; it echoes the heavens 'torn' at Jesus' baptism (1:10). The centurion, a Gentile executioner, is the first human in Mark to call Jesus 'Son of God', the title with which the book began (1:1). The women, the only followers present, will witness the burial and the empty tomb.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in all four Gospels

How Mark tells it

Mark gives Jesus' cry in Aramaic ('Eloi'; Matthew has 'Eli') and records no other words from the cross, unlike Luke and John. Mark has no earthquake or opened tombs (Matthew). His centurion responds to the way Jesus died, calling him 'the Son of God' (Luke: 'a righteous man'). Only Mark names Salome among the watching women.

The burial of Jesus

And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

As evening approaches on the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected council member, boldly asks Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate, surprised that Jesus is already dead, confirms it with the centurion and grants the request. Joseph wraps the body in linen, lays it in a tomb cut from rock and rolls a stone against the entrance, while two of the women watch.

What does this mean?

'The preparation' (KJV) is the day of preparation before the Sabbath — Friday. An 'honourable counsellor' (KJV) is a respected member of the council. 'Craved' means asked for. A 'sepulchre' is a tomb.

Historical context

Arimathea was a town in Judea whose location is uncertain. Romans often left crucified bodies on display, but Jewish law required burial before nightfall (Deuteronomy 21:22–23), and the Sabbath, beginning at sunset, ruled out such work. Rock-cut tombs closed by a large stone are well known from first-century Jerusalem.

Why does it matter?

The burial confirms that Jesus truly died, and the women's watching prepares for their return to the same tomb. Mark says that Joseph was 'waiting for the kingdom of God', but does not call him a disciple.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in all four Gospels

How Mark tells it

Only Mark tells of Pilate's surprise that Jesus had died so soon and his checking with the centurion. Mark says Joseph went in 'boldly' and bought the linen. Matthew calls Joseph rich, a disciple and the tomb's owner; John adds Nicodemus and many spices. Mark names the watching women as Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

Chapters

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16

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Reading

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Appearance

Verse numbersSmall numerals within the text
About Mark