Mark 15:30

15:30 save yourself and come down from the cross!” ¹ 

Mark 12:31

12:31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ²  There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 1:44

1:44 He told him, ³  “See that you do not say anything to anyone, ⁴  but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded ⁵  for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” ⁶ 

[15:30]  ¹ 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.

[12:31]  ² sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[1:44]  ³ tn Grk “And after warning him, he immediately sent him away and told him.”

[1:44]  ⁴ sn The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 1:34; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, 30; and 9:9 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence concerning him and his ministry.

[1:44]  ⁵ sn On the phrase bring the offering that Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.

[1:44]  ⁶ tn Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.