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.
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