Mark 15:1-34

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 ¹  and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. ²  15:2 So ³  Pilate asked him, “Are you the king ⁴  of the Jews?” He replied, ⁵  “You say so.” ⁶  15:3 Then ⁷  the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. 15:4 So Pilate asked him again, ⁸  “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 15:5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

Jesus and Barabbas

15:6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people, ⁹  whomever they requested. 15:7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection. 15:8 Then the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom. ¹⁰  15:9 So Pilate asked them, ¹¹  “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 15:10 (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.) ¹²  15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release ¹³  Barabbas instead. 15:12 So Pilate spoke to them again, ¹⁴  “Then what do you want me to do ¹⁵  with the one you call king of the Jews?” 15:13 They shouted back, “Crucify ¹⁶  him!” 15:14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, ¹⁷  after he had Jesus flogged, ¹⁸  he handed him over ¹⁹  to be crucified.

Jesus is Mocked

15:16 So ²⁰  the soldiers led him into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) ²¹  and called together the whole cohort. ²²  15:17 They put a purple cloak ²³  on him and after braiding ²⁴  a crown of thorns, ²⁵  they put it on him. 15:18 They began to salute him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” ²⁶  15:19 Again and again ²⁷  they struck him on the head with a staff ²⁸  and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him. 15:20 When they had finished mocking ²⁹  him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes back on him. Then ³⁰  they led him away to crucify him. ³¹ 

The Crucifixion

15:21 The soldiers ³²  forced ³³  a passerby to carry his cross, ³⁴  Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country ³⁵  (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus). 15:22 They brought Jesus ³⁶  to a place called Golgotha ³⁷  (which is translated, “Place of the Skull”). ³⁸  15:23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, ³⁹  but he did not take it. 15:24 Then ⁴⁰  they crucified ⁴¹  him and divided his clothes, throwing dice ⁴²  for them, to decide what each would take. 15:25 It was nine o’clock in the morning ⁴³  when they crucified him. 15:26 The inscription ⁴⁴  of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews.” 15:27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left. 15:28 [[EMPTY]] ⁴⁵  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!” ⁴⁶  15:31 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law ⁴⁷  – were mocking him among themselves: ⁴⁸  “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 15:32 Let the Christ, ⁴⁹  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. ⁵⁰ 

Jesus’ Death

15:33 Now ⁵¹  when it was noon, ⁵²  darkness came over the whole land ⁵³  until three in the afternoon. ⁵⁴  15:34 Around three o’clock ⁵⁵  Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁵⁶ 

[15:1]  ¹ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[15:1]  ² sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it being used to execute Roman sympathizers.

[15:2]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action in the narrative.

[15:2]  ⁴ sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.

[15:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “answering, he said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been modified for clarity.

[15:2]  ⁶ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership (mentioned in Matt 26:64 and Luke 22:70).

[15:3]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “Pilate asked him again, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[15:6]  ⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Coming up the crowd began to ask [him to do] as he was doing for them.”

[15:9]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Pilate answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[15:10]  ¹² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[15:11]  ¹³ tn Grk “to have him release for them.”

[15:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answering, Pilate spoke to them again.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[15:12]  ¹⁵ tc Instead of “what do you want me to do” several witnesses, including the most important ones (א B C W Δ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 892 2427 pc), lack θέλετε (qelete, “you want”), turning the question into the more abrupt “what should I do?” Although the witnesses for the longer reading are not as significant (A D Θ 0250 Ï latt sy), the reading without θέλετε conforms to Matt 27:22 and thus is suspected of being a scribal emendation. The known scribal tendency to assimilate one synoptic passage to another parallel, coupled with the lack of such assimilation in mss that are otherwise known to do this most frequently (the Western and Byzantine texts), suggests that θέλετε is authentic. Further, Mark’s known style of being generally more verbose and redundant than Matthew’s argues that θέλετε is authentic here. That this is the longer reading, however, and that a good variety of witnesses omit the word, gives one pause. Perhaps the wording without θέλετε would have been perceived as having greater homiletical value, motivating scribes to move in this direction. A decision is difficult, but on the whole internal evidence leads toward regarding θέλετε as authentic.

[15:13]  ¹⁶ sn Crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman historian Cicero called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” (Against Verres 2.5.63-66 §§163-70); Josephus (J. W. 7.6.4 [7.203]) called it the worst of deaths.

[15:15]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:15]  ¹⁸ tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”

[15:15]  ¹⁹ tn Or “delivered him up.”

[15:16]  ²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the soldiers’ action is in response to Pilate’s condemnation of the prisoner in v. 15.

[15:16]  ²¹ tn Grk “(that is, the praetorium).”

[15:16]  ²² sn A Roman cohort was a tenth of a legion, about 500-600 soldiers.

[15:17]  ²³ sn The purple cloak probably refers to a military garment which had the color of royal purple, and thus resembled a king’s robe. The soldiers did this to Jesus as a form of mockery in view of the charges that he was a king (cf. 15:2).

[15:17]  ²⁴ tn Or “weaving.”

[15:17]  ²⁵ sn The crown may have been made from palm spines or some other thorny plant common in Israel. In placing the crown of thorns on his head, the soldiers were unwittingly symbolizing God’s curse on humanity (cf. Gen 3:18) being placed on Jesus. Their purpose would have been to mock Jesus’ claim to be a king; the crown of thorns would have represented the “radiant corona” portrayed on the heads of rulers on coins and other artifacts in the 1st century.

[15:18]  ²⁶ tn Or “Long live the King of the Jews!”

[15:19]  ²⁷ tn The verb here has been translated as an iterative imperfect.

[15:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “a reed.” The Greek term can mean either “staff” or “reed.” See BDAG 502 s.v. κάλαμος 2.

[15:20]  ²⁹ tn The aorist tense is taken consummatively here.

[15:20]  ³⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:20]  ³¹ sn See the note on Crucify in 15:13.

[15:21]  ³² tn Grk “They”; the referent (the soldiers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:21]  ³³ tn Or “conscripted”; or “pressed into service.”

[15:21]  ³⁴ sn Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help (in all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution). Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon.

[15:21]  ³⁵ tn Or perhaps, “was coming in from his field” outside the city (BDAG 15-16 s.v. ἀγρός 1).

[15:22]  ³⁶ tn Grk “him.”

[15:22]  ³⁷ tn Grk “a place, Golgotha.” This is an Aramaic name; see John 19:17.

[15:22]  ³⁸ sn The place called Golgotha (which is translated “Place of the Skull”). This location is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for the Greek term κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria, from which the English word “Calvary” is derived (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).

[15:23]  ³⁹ sn It is difficult to say for certain who gave Jesus this drink of wine mixed with myrrh (e.g., the executioner, or perhaps women from Jerusalem). In any case, whoever gave it to him most likely did so in order to relieve his pain, but Jesus was unwilling to take it.

[15:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:24]  ⁴¹ sn See the note on Crucify in 15:13.

[15:24]  ⁴² tn Grk “by throwing the lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throwing dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling. According to L&N 6.219 a term for “dice” is particularly appropriate.

[15:25]  ⁴³ tn Grk “It was the third hour.” This time would have been approximate, and could refer to the beginning of the process, some time before Jesus was lifted on the cross.

[15:26]  ⁴⁴ sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

[15:28]  ⁴⁵ tc Most later mss add 15:28 “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘He was counted with the lawless ones.’” Verse 28 is included in L Θ 083 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat, but is lacking in important Alexandrian and Western mss and some others (א A B C D Ψ pc). The addition of the verse with its quotation from Isa 53:12 probably represents a scribal assimilation from Luke 22:37. It was almost certainly not an original part of Mark’s Gospel. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[15:30]  ⁴⁶ sn There is rich irony in the statement of those who were passing by, “Save yourself and come down from the cross!” In summary, they wanted Jesus to come down from the cross and save his physical life, but it was indeed his staying on the cross and giving his physical life that led to the fact that they could experience a resurrection from death to life. There is a similar kind of irony in the statement made by the chief priests and experts in the law in 15:31.

[15:31]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “with the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22. Only “chief priests” is in the nominative case; this sentence structure attempts to capture this emphasis.

[15:31]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “Mocking him, the chief priests…said among themselves.”

[15:32]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[15:32]  ⁵⁰ sn Mark’s wording suggests that both of the criminals spoke abusively to him. If so, one of them quickly changed his attitude toward Jesus (see Luke 23:40-43).

[15:33]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[15:33]  ⁵² tn Grk “When the sixth hour had come.”

[15:33]  ⁵³ sn This imagery has parallels to the Day of the Lord: Joel 2:10; Amos 8:9; Zeph 1:15.

[15:33]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “until the ninth hour.”

[15:34]  ⁵⁵ tn The repetition of the phrase “three o’clock” preserves the author’s rougher, less elegant style (cf. Matt 27:45-46; Luke 23:44). Although such stylistic matters are frequently handled differently in the translation, because the issue of synoptic literary dependence is involved here, it was considered important to reflect some of the stylistic differences among the synoptics in the translation, so that the English reader can be aware of them.

[15:34]  ⁵⁶ sn A quotation from Ps 22:1.