FEATURES
FEATURES
MARK 15:23 | 1811
15:5 a Mk 14:61
15:9 b ver 2 15:11 c Ac 3:14 15:15 d Isa 53:6
15:16 e Jn 18:28 , 33 ; 19:9
15:18 f ver 2 15:20 g Heb 13:12
15:21 h Mt 27:32 i Ro 16:13 j Mt 27:32 ;
Lk 23:26
“ You have said so ,” Jesus re plied . 3 The chief priests ac cused him of many things . 4 So again Pi late asked him , “ Aren ’ t you go ing to an swer ? See how many things they are ac cus ing you of .” 5 But Jesus still made no re ply , a and Pi late was amazed . 6 Now it was the cus tom at the fes ti val to re lease a pris oner whom the peo ple re quested . 7 A man called Bar ab bas was in prison with the in sur rec tion ists who had com mit ted mur der in the up ris ing . 8 The crowd came up and asked Pi late to do for them what he usu ally did .
9 “ Do you want me to re lease to you the king of the Jews ?” b asked Pi late , 10 know ing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him . 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pi late re lease Bar ab bas c in stead . 12 “ What shall I do , then , with the one you call the king of the Jews ?” Pi late asked them . 13 “ Cru cify him !” they shouted . 14 “ Why ? What crime has he com mit ted ?” asked Pi late . But they shouted all the louder , “ Cru cify him !” 15 Want ing to sat isfy the crowd , Pi late re leased Bar ab bas to them . He had Jesus flogged , d and handed him over to be cru ci fied .
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
15:16-20pp — Mt 27:27-31
16 The sol diers led Jesus away into the pal ace e ( that is , the Prae to rium ) and called to gether the whole com pany of sol diers . 17 They put a pur ple robe on him , then twisted to gether a crown of thorns and set it on him . 18 And they be gan to call out to him , “ Hail , king of the Jews !” f 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him . Fall ing on their knees , they paid hom age to him . 20 And when they had mocked him , they took off the pur ple robe and put his own clothes on him . Then they led him out g to cru cify him .
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The Crucifixion of Jesus
15:22-32pp — Mt 27:33-44 ; Lk 23:33-43 ; Jn 19:17-24
21 A cer tain man from Cy rene , h Si mon , the fa ther of Al ex an der and Ru fus , i was pass ing by on his way in from the coun try , and they forced him to carry the cross . j 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Gol go tha ( which means “ the place of the skull ”). 23 Then they
blasphemy into a sufficiently political form to ensure Roman involvement . Since the Messiah was Israel ’ s king ( v . 2 ), this was not difficult , and the heightened tension at Passover and the apparently recently failed insurrection ( v . 7 ) only heightened Roman concerns . Pilate . The Roman prefect of the minor province of Judea and under the supervision of the legate of the imperial province of Syria ( see photo , p . 1758 ). 15:2 You have said so . Less direct than Jesus ’ response to the high priest ( 14:62 ), probably because what Pilate assumes and what Jesus means by the title are very different . 15:3 many things . A range of related accusations in order to give the impression of an overwhelming case . 15:5 still made no reply . See note on 14:61 . Pilate was amazed . At the contrast between the intensity of Jesus ’ accusers and Jesus ’ refusal to defend himself , especially when facing crucifixion . 15:6 release a prisoner . Amnesty to display Roman nobility to the crowds . The crowd ’ s demands will increasingly determine the outcome of the proceedings . 15:7 Barabbas . Apparently a popular hero of a local resistance group who was arrested in a recent disturbance . 15:10 self-interest . Lies behind the longstanding clash over authority ( cf . 1:22 ; 2:10 ; 3:22 ; 11:28 ), particularly given Jesus ’ popularity with the people . 15:13 Crucify . See notes on v . 24 ; 8:34 . As “ king of the Jews ” ( vv . 12,18 ) and therefore a rival to Roman authority , a guilty verdict can have only one outcome . 15:14 – 15 It is important for Mark that a more
“ neutral ” Roman official considers Jesus to be innocent of the charges . But having initiated the custom , Pilate cannot risk inflaming the crowd by ignoring the wishes of the people ( v . 6 ), even if they are manipulated by their leaders ( v . 11 ). All three parties — Pilate , the people , and the Jewish leaders — are complicit in Jesus ’ death . 15:15 flogged . A brutal torture using whips of leather thongs often tipped with pieces of bone or metal . It severely weakened the prisoner , sometimes proving fatal . crucified . See notes on v . 24 ; 8:34 . 15:16 – 20 The Soldiers Mock Jesus . The Jewish verdict was followed by violent mockery of the “ prophet ” ( 14:65 ); now the Roman sentence is followed by a violent mockery of the “ king .” 15:16 soldiers . Not Roman legionnaires but non-Jewish auxiliaries from neighboring regions . palace . Of Herod ; Pilate ’ s home while in Jerusalem . Praetorium . In this case , barracks . 15:17 – 18 purple robe . . . crown . . . “ Hail . . . !” A parody of imperial garb and salutation (“ Ave , Caesar !”). The violent elements complete Jesus ’ final prediction of his suffering at Gentile hands ( 10:34 ), recalling the sufferings of Isaiah ’ s servant ( Isa 50:6 ; cf . 8:34 ; 14:65 ). In a few short hours a Roman centurion will address Jesus in a very different manner ( v . 39 ). 15:21 – 47 The New Passover Sacrifice . In relatively short order , Jesus ’ predictions concerning his coming death are fulfilled , but ironically each stage already hints toward a very different outcome . Far transcending the conspiracies of the nations against God ’ s beloved Son ( cf . 1:11 ; 9:7 ; Ps 2:1,7 ), Jesus ’ death is God ’ s longawaited new exodus redemption ( see note on
14:24 ) whereby he finally breaks the power of sin and death that holds humanity in bondage . If , in fact , Jesus dies on Passover eve ( see note on 14:12 ), then , as John implies ( John 1:29,36 ; 19:14 ) and Paul declares ( 1 Cor 5:7 ), Jesus is indeed our new Passover lamb . 15:21 – 32 The Crucifixion of Jesus . Mark ’ s account of the crucifixion passes over Jesus ’ suffering in silence . Mark focuses instead on the truths expressed ironically in the abuse , Jesus ’ one statement from the cross , the divine signs that testify to what is really going on , and the first human confession of Jesus ’ divine Sonship . 15:21 Cyrene . An important city in Libya , North Africa , with a large Jewish population . father of Alexander and Rufus . Mentioned only by Mark . Since men are traditionally known by their fathers , Simon ’ s identification by his sons possibly suggests that they are known to Mark ’ s Roman audience ( cf . Rom 16:13 ). This implies that they and perhaps their father had become followers of Jesus as a result of this experience . forced . Occupying forces could compel ordinary citizens to carry their baggage ( cf . Matt 5:41 ). carry the cross . The condemned normally carried the crossbar , which often weighed 30 – 40 pounds ( 13 – 18 kilograms ), to the site of crucifixion . Jesus , weakened by flogging , was incapable of completing ( cf . John 19:17 ) the relatively short journey , some 328 yards ( 300 meters ), to just outside the city walls , so Simon was pressed into service . 15:22 Golgotha . Or “ skull ”; might reflect its being the site of many executions . The NT nowhere describes it as a hill . 15:23 wine mixed with myrrh . Probably
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