Chapter Text
Jesus Before Pilate
And straightway 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.
2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.
3And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
4And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing ? behold how many things they witness against thee.
5But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
6Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
9But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
10For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
11But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
12And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
15And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
17And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20And 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.
The Crucifixion
21And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
22And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
23And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
25And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
The Death of Jesus
33And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
The Centurion's Confession
39And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
The Burial of Jesus
42And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
Summary
The chief priests deliver Jesus to Pontius Pilate early in the morning. Pilate questions Him, and Jesus answers with remarkable restraint. Pilate perceives that envy motivates the accusers and offers to release Jesus, but the crowd, stirred by the priests, demands Barabbas instead.
The soldiers mock Jesus, clothe Him in purple, crown Him with thorns, and scourge Him. He is led to Golgotha and crucified at the third hour. Darkness covers the land from the sixth to the ninth hour. Jesus cries out and gives up His spirit. The temple veil is torn, and the centurion confesses Him as the Son of God. Joseph of Arimathaea buries Him.
Meaning
Mark's crucifixion account is spare and powerful, emphasizing the stark reality of what occurred. The mockery Jesus endured, including the ironic inscription King of the Jews, unwittingly proclaimed the truth. The crowds and leaders challenged Him to save Himself, not understanding that His refusal to come down from the cross was the supreme act of saving others.
The centurion's confession, Truly this man was the Son of God, is the climax toward which Mark's entire Gospel has been building. A pagan soldier recognizes what the religious leaders refused to see, fulfilling the Gospel's theme that Jesus' identity is revealed at the cross.
Background
Pontius Pilate served as Roman prefect of Judaea from 26 to 36 AD. Roman scourging used a whip embedded with bone and metal that tore the flesh and frequently proved fatal. Crucifixion was the most degrading form of Roman execution.
The third hour corresponds to approximately nine in the morning. The darkness from the sixth to ninth hour, roughly noon to three in the afternoon, was a supernatural event. The tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom signified divine action opening access to God's presence.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-5Jesus before Pilate
- vv. 6-15Barabbas released, Jesus condemned
- vv. 16-20Mocked by the soldiers
- vv. 21-28The crucifixion at Golgotha
- vv. 29-32Reviled upon the cross
- vv. 33-41Death of Jesus and the torn veil
- vv. 42-47Burial by Joseph of Arimathaea
Key Verses
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”— 15:34
Jesus' cry of dereliction quotes Psalm 22:1, expressing the agony of bearing sin's separation from the Father. It stands as one of the most theologically weighty utterances in Scripture, revealing the depth of atonement.
“And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.”— 15:38
The tearing of the temple veil — from top to bottom, by divine hand — signifies that access to God is now open through Christ's sacrifice, ending the old covenant's separation between God and humanity.
“And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”— 15:39
A Gentile Roman officer becomes the first human in Mark's Gospel to openly confess Jesus as the Son of God at His death, fulfilling Mark's opening declaration (1:1) and foreshadowing the gospel's reach to all nations.
“And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.”— 15:15
Barabbas, a guilty murderer, goes free while the innocent Jesus is condemned — a vivid picture of substitutionary atonement, where the righteous suffers in place of the guilty.
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The Son of God, silent before His accusers, scourged, mocked, and crucified as King of the Jews.
- Pilate — Roman governor who questions Jesus, finds no evident crime, yet hands Him over to be crucified to appease the crowd.
- Barabbas — An insurrectionist and murderer released by Pilate in place of Jesus at the crowd's demand.
- Simon of Cyrene — A passerby compelled to carry Jesus' cross; identified as the father of Alexander and Rufus.
- Alexander and Rufus — Sons of Simon of Cyrene, evidently known to Mark's original readers.
- The centurion — Roman officer at the cross who confesses Jesus as the Son of God upon witnessing His death.
- Mary Magdalene — Devoted follower of Jesus who witnesses the crucifixion and burial from afar.
- Mary mother of James and Joses — One of the women from Galilee who ministered to Jesus and watched His burial.
- Salome — A Galilean woman among Jesus' followers present at the crucifixion.
- Joseph of Arimathaea — An honourable member of the council who boldly requests Jesus' body from Pilate and provides a rock-hewn tomb.
Places
- Praetorium — The Roman governor's hall or palace in Jerusalem where soldiers mocked and abused Jesus.
- Golgotha — The place outside Jerusalem, meaning 'the place of a skull,' where Jesus was crucified.
- Jerusalem — The holy city where the trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus took place during Passover.
- Galilee — The northern region from which many of Jesus' women disciples had followed Him to Jerusalem.
- The sepulchre — A new tomb hewn out of rock, where Joseph of Arimathaea laid Jesus' body and sealed it with a stone.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Mark explicitly notes in verse 28 that Jesus' crucifixion between two thieves fulfilled Isaiah 53:12: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors.' The scene is saturated with echoes of Psalm 22 — the casting of lots for His garments (v.24; Ps. 22:18), the mocking and wagging of heads (v.29; Ps. 22:7), and the cry of dereliction (v.34; Ps. 22:1). The offering of vinegar (v.36) fulfills Psalm 69:21, and the rending of the temple veil signals the end of the old sacrificial order and inaugurates the new covenant access to God foretold by the prophets.
Devotional
Mark 15 confronts us with the cost of our redemption and the silence of a Savior who suffered for sins not His own. Barabbas walks free while Jesus takes his place — a picture of every believer's story.
When life feels forsaken and dark, remember the One who cried, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' He entered our deepest abandonment so we would never be truly alone. The torn veil invites us to draw near with confidence.
And notice who stood faithful at the cross: women who had served quietly, a Roman soldier awakened to truth, a councillor who finally found courage. Faithfulness often shows up when everything seems lost.
Literary Style
Passion narrative in terse, fast-moving Markan prose, marked by vivid historical detail, ironic kingship motifs ('King of the Jews' repeated), and dense allusion to Psalms 22 and 69 and Isaiah 53. Structured around three-hour intervals, it builds toward the centurion's climactic confession.