The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus Foretold

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 1:1) Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

Luke was a physician and a friend and contemporary of the apostle Paul.  He is said to have written both the books of Luke and Acts.  He was also the only non-Jew to write in the New Testament, at least the only one clearly identifiable as non-Jew.  Luke began his gospel account by acknowledging that many others had undertaken the task of writing about Jesus.

(2) Even as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word; (3) It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus, (4) That you might know the certainty of those things in which you have been instructed.

Luke further acknowledged that those others who had written about Jesus and had handed down their accounts were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.  As Luke had a perfect understanding of all things about Jesus from the very first, surely inspired by the Holy Spirit, he felt he should write his own gospel account in chronological order.  He wrote his account to Theophilus, and also his book of Acts was addressed to him.  The Bible never specifies exactly who Theophilus was, but he apparently was a student of Christianity and Luke wanted him to know the full story of Jesus and the early church to confirm the things he had been taught.

(5) There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the course of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke began his account telling about the priest Zacharias who ministered during the reign of Herod.  When the priests became so numerous they could not all minister at the altar at once, they were divided into 24 courses, each one of which officiated for a week.  Zacharias was of the course of Abijah.  His wife was Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron.

(6) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous people following God's commandments and laws, and were said to be blameless, that is, no visible external fault was found in them.

(7) And they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

Zacharias and Elizabeth had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and at this time they both were well advanced in age.

(8) And it came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, (9) According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

The course of Abijah was the eighth course in order called to perform its priestly duties, and when it came Zacharias's course's turn to minister in the temple, the priests apparently cast or drew lots to determine which priest would do what, and Zacharias's lot was to burn incense.

(10) And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.

A multitude of people had gathered outside the temple at the time of incense to pray.

(11) And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

There appeared to Zacharias an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense in the holy place of the temple.

(12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

No explanation being needed, Zacharias was afraid when he saw the angel.

(13) But the angel said to him, "Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son and you shall call his name John."

The angel told Zacharias not to be afraid, for he was just bringing him a message.  He told Zacharias his prayer had been answered, although it was certainly not a prayer he presently prayed being in advanced age, but it was always an intense desire of Jews to have children so that their name would not die out.  The angel told him his wife Elizabeth would bear a son and he was to call his name John.

(14) "And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth." 

Zacharias and Elizabeth would be joyful at the birth of a son, and many of their friends and relatives would rejoice with them.  However, it likely meant much more than that, that their son would grow to be a joyful honor to his family and many people would rejoice that he had been born as he would surely become a blessing to all mankind.

(15) "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb."

The angel continued to detail how Zacharias's son would be great before the Lord and regarded by God as such.  He would be a man who never drank wine or any strong intoxicating drink but would be "high" on the Holy Ghost only.  The angel said he would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth, but even before while in his mother's womb, as we will later see in scripture.

(16) "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."

The angel told Zacharias that his son John would be the reason many people turned back to their Lord God in repentance.

(17) "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

The angel continued; John would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah.  From the prophecy in Malachi 4:5, the people expected the prophet Elijah to come before the Messiah, and Jesus would later tell His disciples that Elijah had indeed come before Him in the form of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:12-13).  John would come to reconcile those who were in quarrels with and grudges against others close to them, and to turn the hearts of obstinate sinners to the true wisdom of the just who were righteous before the Lord.  He would prepare them the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3).

(18) And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years."

Zacharias asked the angel how he would know what the angel said was true because it did not seem possible since he and his wife were both old in age.

(19) And the angel answering said to him, "I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and is sent to speak to you and to show you these glad tidings."

The angel answered Zacharias and identified himself as the angel Gabriel who was sent to him with a message from God containing glad tidings of which Zacharias should have been joyful and thankful.

(20) "And you will be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed because you did not believe my words which shall be fulfilled in their season."

The angel Gabriel declared that Zacharias would be made "dumb" and unable to speak until what he had foretold would come to pass as he said.  Every other translation of the Bible I read translated dumb as mute but that makes it redundant as mute and unable to speak are the same thing.  It's not as if redundancy is not often the case in the Bible, but I truly believe this is meant to be "deaf" and dumb, unable to speak, as in later scripture Zacharias's friends had to make signs for him so that he would understand (Luke 1:62).

I have often wondered why Zacharias's questioning how he and his wife could have a child at their advanced age was any different than Mary questioning how it could be that she was pregnant when she had not been with a man.  I just decided that God knows the hearts and did not question it, but now seems a good time to examine both occasions.  Mary merely asked how it would be since she was a virgin and the angel told her how and she answered that she was God's handmaiden and would do as the Lord wished.  In Zacharias's case he didn't ask how this could be since he and his wife were both so old to which he might have received an answer that was said at the end of Mary's explanation, "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37).  However, Zacharias asked how he would know that this supposed angel of God was telling him the truth and he indeed received an answer that would serve to prove to him that this was indeed an angel of the Lord bringing him a prophecy.  And again, the Lord does know the heart, and in Mary's case, she was a very willing servant as soon as she understood, but in Zacharias's case, not only was he a priest who should have been more in tune to the Spirit of God, God may have known he would persevere in doubt and express it verbally, so he was struck deaf and dumb and unable to do that.

(21) And the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.

The people who had been praying outside the temple waited for Zacharias and wondered why he had been in the temple for so long.

(22) And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

When Zacharias did exit the temple, he was most likely supposed to deliver a prayer but he was unable to speak.  The people perceived that he had seen a vision for he used sign language to express what had happened.

(23) And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

When Zacharias's course or shift of administering in the temple was complete, he left the temple and went to his house.

(24) And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months, saying, (25) "Thus has the Lord dealt with me to take away my reproach among men."

Elizabeth did indeed conceive as the angel Gabriel had said, and she hid herself for five months.  She delighted in the blessing of the Lord to take away her reproach among men, because barrenness was seen as a reproach among the Jews.  Because she so delighted, I don't believe she was necessarily trying to conceal her pregnancy, but rather was retiring from public to rest and privately enjoy her blessing from the Lord.  Perhaps because it was a marvelous thing to happen to her in her advanced age, she wanted to protect her baby in her womb and just take it easy.

(26) And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

At the time of Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, the same angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth.

(27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

Continuing to describe Gabriel's newest mission, he was sent specifically to a young virgin named Mary who was betrothed to Joseph from the lineage of David.

(28) And the angel came to her and said, "Hail, highly favored, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women."

The angel came to Mary addressing her as highly favored by the Lord and blessed among women.

(29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and deliberated in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.

It seems that fear wasn't Mary's first response but rather she was bewildered and wondered what the angel's greeting to her could mean.

(30) And the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God."

The angel told Mary not to be afraid of his presence and of how he had greeted her, but reassured her that she had found favor with God.

(31) "And behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call His name JESUS."

The angel then gave Mary the prophetic message from the Lord that she would conceive and bear a child, a son, and would call His name Jesus.  This would be fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 which said, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  The name Immanuel literally meant "God is with us."  Jesus would certainly be called that.  The literal meaning of the name Jesus was "Jehovah saved."  Certainly Jesus is Savior.  He is also called Lamb of God and Son of Man.  Another mention of the prophecy of the birth of Jesus by Isaiah is found in Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."  Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be called by many names, so I don't believe he was prophesying Jesus's given name.  The angel Gabriel told Mary she would give her baby the name of Jesus.

(32) "He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David."

The angel went on to tell Mary that her Son would be great and would be called the Son of the Highest, or the Son of the Most High, as God was called, and of the Highest, more than any man or angel could ever be.  God would give her Son the throne of David, called His father because He descended directly from him.  We were told in verse 27 that Joseph descended from David, but Mary did also.  David's throne was in God's kingdom and was a symbolic type of God's spiritual kingdom of which Jesus came to fulfill on earth.

(33) "And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Mary's Son would reign on that throne of David over the house of Jacob, meaning all the descendants of Jacob from all of the twelve tribes, and His kingdom would never end.  He would reign in the hearts of His people until the end of the world and for all eternity in heaven.

(34) Then Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be seeing I know not a man?"

Mary asked the angel how it could possibly be that she would bear a child when she had never intimately been with a man.

(35) And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also that holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of God."

The angel explained to Mary that the Holy Spirit of God would come upon her and make her conceive.  Therefore her Son would also be known as the Son of God.

(36) "And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren."

Elizabeth was from the tribe of Levi and Mary from the tribe of Judah, so they must have been kin through their mothers' sides.  Perhaps as encouragement and also as confirmation that what the angel had said was true, he told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy with her son, even as impossible as that might seem in her old age.

(37) "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

The angel concluded that nothing was impossible with God.  Just as barren Elizabeth could bear a son in her old age, so could the virgin Mary bear a Son, the Son of God.

(38) And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Mary declared herself to be the handmaid of the Lord, completely submissive and obedient to His will as spoken by the angel, and the angel then left her.

This is a very long chapter, so I think this is a good stopping place for now.  The rest of the first chapter of Luke will be studied in the next post.

The Resurrection of Jesus and His Great Commission

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 16:1) And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had died on the cross and Joseph of Arimathea had placed Him in his own sepulchre hewn out of rock and had placed a large stone at the entrance.  That was on the day before the Sabbath.  Now it was after the Sabbath when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, who would seem to be the same Mary and same James mentioned in the last chapter, that is Mary the mother of James the Little, and also Salome came to Jesus's tomb with sweet spices with which to anoint Jesus.  These were the same three women the last chapter had mentioned who followed Jesus and ministered to Him.  Here they were also ministering to Him in death, a very loving gesture indeed.

(2) And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came to the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

The women came very early in the morning at sunrise to the sepulchre where Jesus had been laid.  It was said to be the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath.  Jesus had been buried on the day before the Sabbath.  When counted as authors of the Bible counted, this was the third day, the day before the Sabbath being the first, then the full day of the Sabbath, and now the day after the Sabbath.

(3) And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?"

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had seen Joseph roll the large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and knew they would not be able to move such a large stone themselves, and they asked among themselves who could move it for them.

(4) And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away; it was very large.

However, when the women reached the sepulchre, they saw that the very large stone had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb.

(5) And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side clothed in a long white garment, and they were alarmed.

The women went into the tomb and saw a young man in a long white garment sitting there, and they were greatly alarmed.

(6) And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him."

The young man, obviously an angel, told the women not to be alarmed.  He told them he knew that they were looking to see Jesus, but He was not there; He had risen.  He encouraged them to see the place where Jesus had been laid, but He was not there.

(7) "But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him as He said to you."

The angel told the women to go tell Jesus's disciples that He was going before them into Galilee and that they would see Him there just as He had told them they would.  Note that the angel said "His disciples and Peter."  This was not intended to mean that Peter was no longer a disciple, but to say especially Peter, the same Peter who had denied Jesus three times, to comfort and encourage him.

(8) And they went out quickly and fled from the sepulchre for they trembled and were amazed, neither did they say anything to any man for they were afraid.

They women ran quickly out of the tomb trembling in fear and amazement.  As they ran, they didn't say anything to anyone along the way as they were afraid.

(9) Now when risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom He had cast seven devils.

After He had risen from the dead early the first day of the week, that being the third day of His being in the tomb, He appeared to Mary Magdalene first.  She had been healed by Jesus when He cast seven demons from her.  John tells a much longer and more beautiful story about just how Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.  In short, she had gone back to the tomb and was crying because she supposed someone had taken Jesus's body away.  Jesus appeared when her back was turned and asked why she was crying.  She did not recognize Him at first, supposing He was the gardener, but when He spoke her name, she knew it was Him.

(10) She went and told them who had been with Him as they mourned and wept.

The account in John stated further that Jesus told Mary Magdalene to go to His disciples, those who had been with Him, and that is what she did, finding them weeping in mourning.

(11) And they, when they had heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, did not believe.

However, when Mary Magdalene told His disciples that Jesus was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe her, thinking her words were idle tales (Luke 24:11) of her imagination.

(12) After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

The account in Luke tells us this happened later the same day; Jesus appeared to two disciples as they walked and were going into the country.  Luke also tells us that one of the men was Cleophas (Luke 24:18), so this evidently meant that He appeared to two of His followers, disciples, but not just to His chosen twelve apostles.

(13) And they went and told it to the rest; neither did they believe them.

Those two disciples went to the rest of Jesus's disciples to tell them they had seen Him, but they didn't believe those two, either.

(14) Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at a meal, and upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He was risen.

Jesus's chosen disciples were now called the eleven, rather than the twelve, with Judas Iscariot obviously gone from them then.  His chosen disciples were gathered together where they had been eating when Jesus appeared to them.  He severely rebuked them for not believing the testimonies of those who had seen Him after He had risen.  He called out their hardness of heart, not because they were cold and unfeeling about His torture and death, but because after all He had taught them and told them about meeting them in Galilee after He had risen and even after eye-witness accounts, they still did not consider that He had risen.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that this made a most significant bit of evidence to prove that Jesus's resurrection was true and not a trick of His disciples to fool the people as has been suggested.  His very own chosen disciples had given up all hope after He died and did not expect a resurrection at all.  Even after they were told by witnesses they had seen Jesus, it still never occurred to them to accept the fact He might have risen from the dead.

(15) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Jesus then told His disciples to go forth into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, signifying there were no limitations to whom and where they preached.  They were to go out all over the world and teach the Gentiles of the world.

(16) "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be damned."

Anyone, even a Gentile from the farthest reach of the earth, who believed in the gospel of Jesus and understood and accepted His gift of salvation, and was baptized as a proof of his acceptance, would be saved, but those who refused to believe and accept Jesus's gift of salvation would be condemned.  I don't believe this damning or condemning was a punishment for not believing; it is a result of not believing.  If one doesn't accept salvation, how then can he be saved?

(17) "And these signs shall follow those who believe; in My name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, (18) They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Jesus told His disciples that certain miraculous signs would follow those who believed and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.  In His name, meaning by His will and authority, they would be able to cast out devils, speak with different languages previously unknown to them, take up serpents and drink poison with no ill effects, and lay hands on the sick and heal them.  I do believe that the key here is "in My name."  It is only by Jesus's will and authority that they would be able to do these things, and His will at this time was that more people be saved by witnessing those miracles.  Those who might perform risky acts for the sake of their own fame and glory may not be so fortunate as to have them not be hurt.  All those signs and miracles were for a time of building the church, but that is not to say that miracles don't happen today.  They most certainly do!  However, it is only by the will of God that such miracles occur, and we must be in tune to the Holy Spirit to know when it is God's will to perform a miracle.  1 Corinthians 12:11 tells us that the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts, among them being the ability to perform miracles, as He wills.  Christian missionaries often report on extraordinary miracles.  It may be that just as with the early church, miracles are used to bring certain peoples and tribes who had no prior knowledge of Jesus, to salvation in Him.  However, most of us in the world today do not need more miracles to know the truth about Jesus.  As it was said in Luke 16:31 in the parable about the beggar Lazarus and the rich man:  the rich man was tormented in hell and asked that Lazarus from the dead go and warn his family so that they might not go to hell.  Abraham told him that they had Moses and the prophets to tell them, and if they wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets, they wouldn't be persuaded even if one rose from the dead.  And we have so much more!  Jesus did rise from the dead!  We have Jesus and the knowledge of His resurrection and the testimonies of millions of people since then.  We don't need any more miracles.

(19) So then after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

After Jesus had spoken to His disciples and had commissioned them for their great work, He ascended into heaven and sat on the right hand of God.  That last part is not to be taken literally, I don't think.  To be at one's right hand is to be in the place of highest honor.  When Jesus was received up into heaven, He was exalted to the highest honor of the universe.

(20) And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The disciples went forth and preached everywhere as Jesus had commissioned them to do, and He was with them, working with them, by the Spirit of God, and confirming the word of the gospel they preached by signs and miracles.  Amen, meaning firm and trustworthy.

The Crucifixion, Death, and Burial of Jesus

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 15:1) And immediately 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.

In the last chapter and post, Jesus had been found guilty of blasphemy in a mock trial filled with false witnesses.  The next morning, after the whole council had discussed the matter among themselves, they bound Jesus and took Him to Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, and the one who had the power to inflict capital punishment.

(2) And Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He, answering, said to him, "You say it."

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus directly if He was the King of the Jews.  Jesus answered something to the effect of "as you say," meaning that He indeed was, although not the earthly temporal king Pilate and the others imagined.

(3) And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.

At that point the chief priests began accusing Jesus of all sorts of things, but He said nothing in response.

(4) And Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? Behold how many things they witness against You."

Pilate then asked Jesus another question, this time about why He answered nothing in response to all the things the chief priests testified against Him.

(5) But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Jesus still did not answer.  Pilate marveled over the fact that Jesus did not try to defend Himself.  Jesus had answered Pilate directly when he had asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews.  However, He would not get into a squabbling war against all the false accusations of the priests, and He knew it would do no good anyway, as their minds were set on putting Him to death.

(6) Now at the feast he released to them one prisoner, whomever they desired.

At the Passover Feast, the governor had a custom of releasing one prisoner, whomever the people wanted to have released.

(7) And there was one named Barabbas bound with them who had made insurrection with him who had committed murder in the insurrection.

There was at that time a prisoner named Barabbas bound with those who had committed insurrection with him, he who had committed murder during the insurrection.  It could be read that the group of insurrectionists had committed murder, not necessarily Barabbas himself, but Peter called Barabbas a murderer later in Acts 3:14.  The account in John said Barabbas was a robber.  Matthew called him notable.  It is evident he was at the very least a notorious criminal and probably a murderer.

(8) And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire him to do as he had always done for them.

A multitude of people had apparently gathered to Pilate and began crying out to him to do as was his custom every year at this time and release a prisoner.

(9) But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" (10) For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him out of envy.

Pilate answered the crowd asking if they would have him release Jesus, the King of the Jews.  Pilate realized that Jesus was innocent and that the chief priests had only brought Him to him out of envy because of His fame among the people.  Their flimsy arguments against Him had no proof, and Pilate was willing to let Jesus go free.

(11) But the chief priests moved the people that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

The chief priests moved among the people soliciting for Barabbas's release, and indeed persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas to be freed.

(12) And Pilate answered and said again to them, "What do you want then that I shall do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

The people having asked that Barabbas be freed, Pilate answered their cries and asked what then they wanted him to do with the one they called King of the Jews.

(13) And they cried out again, "Crucify Him!"

The people cried out in answer to crucify Jesus.  This had to be the rallying cry of the chief priests who incited the people against Jesus for why else would the people who had so recently hailed Him as the Son of David with shouts of "Hosanna!" now want Him crucified?

(14) Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" And they cried out more exceedingly, "Crucify Him!"

Pilate was probably quite baffled as to why the people should want Jesus crucified.  He asked the people why they wanted that, what evil had He done?  However, they just cried out all the more to crucify Jesus.

(15) And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas to them, and delivered Jesus when he had scourged Him to be crucified.

Pontius Pilate was a weak man.  He, as governor, had found no fault in Jesus, but to please the people, released Barabbas to them, then scourged Jesus and delivered Him to be crucified.  Even if it was his own custom that he release the prisoner Barabbas to the people as they requested, did he have to scourge Jesus and send Him to be crucified just because the people demanded it?  He had found no fault in Him; he could have released Barabbas and continue to hold Jesus, but he let the people take his power as governor from him.  Even though we were told in Matthew 27:24 that Pilate washed his hands before the crowd declaring his innocence of the blood of this just person, he was the one who had Jesus scourged and delivered Him to be crucified.  He was guilty of Jesus's death and a very weak man, indeed!

(16) And the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium and they called together the whole band.

The soldiers led Jesus away into the judgment hall called the Praetorium where they called together their entire company of soldiers.

(17) And they clothed Him with purple and platted a crown of thorns and put it on His head. (18) And began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

They clothed Jesus in the royal color of purple and made a crown of thorns and put it on His head.  They mocked Him as a king, but the crown of thorns added some torture as well.

(19) And they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him and bowing their knees, worshiped Him.

They struck Jesus on the head with a reed and spat on Him.  When they bowed their knees to Him, they only pretended worship; theirs was only mockery.

(20) 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.

After the soldiers had had their fill of fun at mocking Jesus, they took the purple cloth off Him and put His own clothes back on Him.  They then led Him out to be crucified.

(21) And they compelled one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross.

Interestingly, I have always believed and it is indeed taught in the Catholic Church that Jesus fell while carrying His cross, probably very much weakened by His beating and scourging, and that is why Simon was compelled to carry the cross for Him.  However, while studying this verse, I found that nowhere in scripture does it say that Jesus fell.  I didn't even see this when I studied the account in Matthew.  Matthew had stated that it was as they came out, they found Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus's cross.  My commentary at the time was that the account in John stated that Jesus had indeed carried His cross at least a little while before Simon was called.  However, it was not because Jesus had fallen.  Although He may have been wearied and weakened by His beatings, nowhere does scripture suggest that, much to my amazement, as that is what I have always been taught and believed.  The soldiers probably compelled Simon to carry the cross to prolong Jesus's agony on the cross.  They didn't want Him to die too soon and definitely not before He reached the place of His crucifixion, so they found someone and forced him to carry Jesus's cross.

I believe there is some beautiful symbology in Simon of Cyrene bearing Jesus's cross.  Simon was coming out of the country or fields, as opposed to being in the city, and he was just passing by.  He was apparently well known, if for no other reason, than because he was the father of Alexander and Rufus, who were apparently well known enough to be mentioned by name by Mark.  Why mention these names at all?  Perhaps Mark was establishing eyewitness accounts to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Simon was from Cyrene in North Africa, a foreigner.  The account in Luke says that Simon carried the cross after Jesus, behind Him.  That is a beautiful picture of discipleship, taking up the cross and following Jesus (Matthew 16:24).  Not only that, but it was given to foreigners, Gentiles, all people in the world, to have the privilege of carrying the cross and following Jesus.

(22) And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, the place of a skull.

The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, which literally meant "place of a skull."  It was a gruesome place known for its executions there and the skulls of men lay scattered about.

(23) And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, but He did not take it.

The soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but He refused it.  Matthew, in his account, called it vinegar mixed with gall, and said that Jesus tasted it and then refused to drink it.  Vinegar was a light wine that had become acidic, and gall was a word used to denote anything exceedingly bitter, and myrrh was indeed a bitter substance.  There was a custom to give this strong drink to dying criminals to make them less sensible to their sufferings.  However, Jesus refused to drink it as He was unwilling to blunt the pain of what He must do and rather chose the cup His Father had given Him to drink.

(24) And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots on them to see what every man should take.

Mark's meaning of "crucified" seems to be that they had fastened Jesus to the cross and raised it up, not that He had yet died on the cross.  The soldiers parted His garments between them, casting lots to determine who should take what.  This fulfilled a prophecy in Psalms 22:18, "They part My garments among them and cast lots on My vesture."

(25) And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

I don't believe that Mark meant Jesus was crucified at specifically the third hour of the day, 9:00 a.m., but that it was during the third hour and the entire three-hour period of the day, meaning the time between 9:00 and 12:00 noon.  The Jews divided their days into four three-hour periods, and also their nights into four three-hour periods, each beginning at 6:00.  Matthew and Luke stated it was in the sixth hour, which could have meant exactly the sixth hour, 12:00 noon, or the time between noon and 3:00 in the afternoon.  It is reasonable to suppose that Jesus was raised up on the cross about noon, perhaps a few minutes before, so as to make it in the third hour period as Mark stated, but close enough to noon that Matthew and Luke called it the sixth hour.

(26) And the inscription of His accusation was written above, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Pilate had made a sign to be placed above Jesus on the cross that read THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Pilate had found no fault in Jesus, so His only "crime" was being King of the Jews.  Perhaps it was written with a hint of mockery, as certainly many of the people who read it would take it.  Perhaps Pilate didn't even know the reason he wrote it, but God intended it as truth of the sovereign King.  Behold what the people were doing to their King who conquered death! 

(27) And with Him they crucified two thieves, one on His right hand and the other on His left.

Two thieves were also being crucified at the same time as Jesus.  They were on either side of Him with Jesus Himself in the middle.

(28) And the scripture was fulfilled which said, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."

Prophecy from Isaiah 53:12 was fulfilled which said that Jesus was numbered with the transgressors.  He was certainly no transgressor of the law, but He was counted as one and hung with thieves.

(29) And those who passed by railed against Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Ah, You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, (30) Save Yourself and come down from the cross!"

People who passed by Jesus on the cross jeered and mocked Him, shaking their heads and saying that He who could destroy the temple and build it up again in three days should save Himself and come down from the cross.  Of course, that is not exactly what Jesus had said, and little did they know He was doing just that in allowing the temple of His body to be destroyed and He would be raised again three days afterward.  Also unbeknownst to them was the fact that if He had indeed come down from that cross as He surely could have if He wanted to, His temple would not have been destroyed and wouldn't have raised again in three days, and there would be no salvation for the world He came to save, including some of their wretched souls.  Jesus died for all, but not all would accept His gift of salvation.

(31) Likewise, also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. (32) Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross that we may see and believe." And they who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

Even the chief priests and the scribes mocked Jesus, and chimed in that He saved others, but He couldn't save Himself, and if He was truly Christ the King, then He should come down from the cross and then they would believe Him.  Once again, if He had done that, then their foolish souls could never be given the opportunity to be saved.  They had seen and heard more than enough to prove Jesus was who He said He was, but they didn't want to believe.  Mark stated that the thieves crucified with Him also reviled Him.  Matthew stated as much in his account.  However, the account in Luke stated that just one of the thieves chimed in at this point saying if He was the Christ, He should save Himself and them, too.  Maybe the other had at first mocked Jesus, but more likely it was probably that the mocking one was loud and noticeable among all the ones who mocked Jesus at that particular time that it was seen as the thieves (plural) mocking, too.  Additionally, the conversation between Jesus and the one thief who did not mock Him was private and not shouted among all the other cries of "Save Yourself!"  It may not have been witnessed and known by the other Gospel authors, but it was given to Luke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to know what transpired that we might all know that we can be saved no matter what we have done and no matter what the late hour.  That one thief rebuked the other, and calling Him Lord, asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom, and Jesus told him he would indeed be with Him in paradise that very day.

(33) And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

In this case, since both ends of the time period are mentioned, I believe it is meant to be taken literally that there was darkness over the whole land from noon until 3:00 in the afternoon.  This fulfilled prophecy; Amos 8:9 said, "'And it shall come to pass in that day,' says the Lord God, 'that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day.'"  Indeed, it was a very dark time for the Jewish nation.  It might also be seen as the people extinguishing the Light and Sun of righteousness, though they never actually could.  It was that sign they were always demanding of Christ.

(34) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which being interpreted, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

The darkness that was over Christ during that time could also be seen as symbolic of the darkness of the sin of the world that was upon Him as He was offering Himself in atonement for the sin of the world.  At the end of that time period, at about 3:00 in the afternoon, Jesus cried out to God, asking why He had forsaken Him.  The light of God had been withdrawn from Jesus as He took on all the filthy sin of the world.  This was the one thing that Christ found almost impossible to bear, as He had said in His prayers in the garden at Gethsemane, being separated from God the Father.  Jesus Christ was God on earth in human form, but at this moment he was only man, separated from His Godness, so to speak, and that was a most terrible thing.  Jesus could tolerate His disciples forsaking Him, but God Himself forsaking Him was a terrible thing to bear.

(35) And some of them who stood by, when they heard it, said, "Behold, He calls Elijah!"

Whether they truly misunderstood Jesus, or used it as another taunt, some when they heard Him cry "Eloi" said He was calling Elijah.  It looked to them as if God had apparently abandoned Him, so now He cried for a saint to help Him.  Whether or not they truly believed that, I'm sure they believed it would make Him more odious to the people to suggest that.

(36) And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."

The account in John says that Jesus had actually said at that time that He was thirsty, so in response, someone lifted up on a reed a sponge full of vinegar or sour wine for Him to drink.  That actually fulfilled another prophecy in Psalms 69:21, "...in My thirst, they gave Me vinegar to drink."  The account in Matthew said that it was actually others telling the man who offered Jesus the drink to leave Him alone and they would see if Elijah would come to help Him.

(37) And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost.

Jesus then cried out loudly and gave up the ghost, His Spirit, which of course, meant He died.

(38) And the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

The temple veil separated the most holy place from the holy place and was said to be where God's presence rested.  The tearing of the veil in two might be seen as a symbol of God's leaving the building as what could be seen as prophecy in Hosea 5:14, "...I will tear and go away..."  However, as God was indeed leaving the nation of Israel at this point, the tearing of the veil in two represented to the world that because of that sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the veil separating God from the people was torn in two, and anyone was able to approach God who was covered by the blood of Jesus's sacrifice by accepting Him as Lord of his life.

(39) And when the centurion who stood opposite Him saw that He cried out and gave up the ghost, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

According to this account in Mark, it seems as if only from watching Jesus cry out loudly and then immediately die, that he was able to state emphatically that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.  Perhaps, because he had witnessed many die on the cross being crucified that he knew no one could have the energy and breath to cry out in such a loud voice immediately before they died.  Perhaps he could see it just as it was, that Jesus Himself gave up His Spirit and died, as it did not seem to be plausible to him that Jesus died naturally at that moment.  However, the account in Matthew said that it was after the centurion had witnessed Jesus at that moment and also the earthquake and other things that were done at the time like the tearing of the veil, and also other things not mentioned by Mark like the aforementioned earthquake, and rocks being broken apart and graves opened, that the centurion remarked that Jesus was truly the Son of God.  The account in Matthew also stated that other soldiers with the centurion also saw all the signs and feared and stated that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

(40) There were also women looking on from afar, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Little and of Joses, and Salome, (41) (Who also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him and ministered to Him), and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

There were many women watching Jesus on the cross from afar.  They included Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Little, so called because he might have been little in stature or because he was young, to differentiate him from other Jameses; his mother was also the mother of Joses.  Also among the women was Salome, who was most likely the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John, if the assumption that Matthew named the same three women is true:  "Among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children" (Matthew 27:56).  The three women specifically named had been followers of Jesus and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee.

(42) And now when the evening was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, (43) Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

Evening had come and it was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath, and no bodies could be left hanging on the Sabbath.  Therefore, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, likely meaning of the council of the Sanhedrin, a righteous man who looked forward to the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

(44) And Pilate marveled that He was already dead, and calling the centurion, asked him whether He had been already dead.

Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead as it is said that often those being crucified lasted days on the cross.  The fact that He died so soon and suddenly was one of the reasons the centurion in verse 39 stated emphatically that Jesus was the Son of God, as He had given up His life Himself.  Pilate called the centurion to confirm that Jesus was truly dead before he would consent to Joseph taking His body.

(45) And when he knew from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

When the centurion had confirmed that Jesus was indeed dead, he allowed Joseph to take His body.

(46) And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which had been hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre.

Joseph bought fine linen and then took Jesus's body down from the cross and wrapped Him in the linen.  He laid Him in a sepulchre that had been hewn out of a rock, his own sepulchre as the account in Matthew told us, and he then rolled a stone in front of the entrance.

(47) And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses apparently had seen Joseph take Jesus's body and followed him to the tomb, so they saw where Jesus was buried.