Mark 15)
1 And immediately in the morning (anytime before sunrise, while yet dark. The Lord must have been led to Pilate before our midnight, because it was "about the sixth hour" of the night when Pilate said "Behold your King" [John 19:14]. It was therefore in the night, at which time it was unlawful to try a prisoner. It was also unlawful on the eve of the Sabbath, and this was the eve of the High Sabbath) the chief priests having held a consultation (see Matt. 12:14) in association with the elders and scribes and the whole council (it was the act of the whole council), and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, (Cp. Matt. 27. Luke 23:1)
and delivered Him to Pilate.
L h 2-5. Pilate and the Lord.
i 6-13. Pilate and the People.
i 14-. Pilate and the Multitude.
h -14,15. Pilate and the Lord.
2 And Pilate asked Him (Matthew and Mark carefully distinguish between this interview with the Lord and the rulers alone, as a subsequent interview with the multitude [Luke 23:4]), "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answering said to them, "You yourself say [it]."
3 And the chief priests kept accusing Him urgently: but He answered not anything.
4 And Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Answer You nothing? behold how many things they witness against You."
5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled.
6 Now at a feast (i.e. any of the 3 great feasts) he would release to them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had been fellow insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8 And the crowd having gone up began to desire of him to do according as he had ever done to them.
9 But Pilate answered them, saying, "Are you willing that I release to you the King of the Jews?"
10 For he was beginning to know that the chief priests had delivered Him up on account envy.
11 But the chief priests vehemently stirred the crowd (as by an earthquake), that he should rather release Barabbas to them.
12 And 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?
13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. (Stoning was the proper Jewish death for blasphemy. Cp. John 18:31,32. Crucifixion was the Roman punishment for treason. Note the addresses to Pilate)
To the Council. To the People. To the Priests.
Matthew. Mark. Luke.
15:8-11.
27:17-29.
23:13-19.
27:21-23
23:20,21
15:12:14.
23:22,23
27:24,25
Then Pilate's final attempt to rescue the Lord.
27:26. 15:15. 23:24,25.
14 Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil did he do [at any time]?"And they cried out the more exceedingly, "Crucify Him."
15 And so Pilate, determining to satisfy the crowd (this is the motto of the present day, but it always ends in judgment. See Ex. 32:1 and compare with vv. 26,27. Acts 12:3 with v.23. 2 Tim. 4:3 with 1,2. So here.), released Barabbas to them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
M j 16. Place. Prǽtorium.
k 17-21. Treatment. Mockery.
j 22. Place. Golgotha.
k 23. Treatment. Bitter draught.
16 And the soldiers led Him away within the court, called Prǽtorium; and they call together the whole band. (A company bound or assembled round a standard. Lat. manipulus = a handful of hay or straw twisted about a pole as a standard: and, put for the men-at-arm gathered round it.)
17 And they clothed Him with purple (see Matt. 27:28), and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about His head,
18 And began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (See Matt. 26:49)
19 And they kept smiting Him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon Him, and bowing their knees did homage to Him.
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 the end that they might crucify Him.
21 And they compel (see Matt. 27:32) one Simon a Cyrenian, who was passing by, coming away from a field, the father of Alexander and Rufus (this may be the Rufus of Rom. 16:13), to bear His cross.
22 And they bring Him to the place Golgotha (see Matt. 27:33), which is, being interpreted, "The place of a skull."
23 And they were offering Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not. (See Matt. 27:34,48)
C T l 24. The soldiers. Parting of garments.
m 25. Time. Event at 9 a.m.
U n 26. The Indictment.
o 27,28. The 2 Robbers. Brought.
U n 29-32-. The Indictment.
o -32. The 2 Robbers. Reviling.
T m 33-38. Time. Events at noon and 3 p.m.
l 39. A soldier.
24 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. (The 2 robbers of v.27, and Matt. 27:38, not yet brought)
25 And it was the third hour [of the day] (9 a.m.), and they crucified Him.
26 And the superscription of His indictment was written down (or inscribed, as in Acts 17:23. Heb. 8:10; 10:16. Rev. 12:12. Not the writing put over His head. Matt. 27:37), THE KING OF THE JEWS. (see Matt. 27:37)
27 And together with Him they crucify two robbers (not malefactors as in Luke 23:32, who were "led with Him"); the one on His right hand, and the one on His left. (i.e. outside the "malefactors" of Luke 23:32. See also John 19:18)
28 And the scripture was fulfilled (Isa. 53:12), which said, "And He was numbered with the lawless ones."
29 And they that passed by were blaspheming Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Aha, You that destroy the Temple (see Matt. 4:5; 23:16), and build it in three days,
30 Save Yourself, and come down off the cross."
31 Likewise the chief priests also [as well as the passers by] mocking kept saying to each other with the scribes, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.
32 Let the Messiah the King of Israel (referring to the confession in v.2) descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." (Vein promise, for they did nOt believe, though He came up from the grave)
And they that were crucified with Him reviled Him. (Both the "robbers", but only one of the "malefactors", reviled [Luke 23:39)
33 And when the sixth hour was come (noon. See John 11:9), there became darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. (3 p.m. So that the darkness was from noon till 3 p.m.)
34 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 have You forsaken me?" (God did not forsake Him. He was quoting David from Ps. 22, the whole Psalm He quoted. 1000 years before it happened. Teaching us even as He was dying on the cross! See Matt. 27:47)
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, "Behold, He calls Elijah."
36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and was giving Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."
37 And Jesus having uttered a loud cry, He expired. (See Luke 23:46)
38 And the veil (see Matt. 27:51) of the temple was rent into two from above (see Luke 1:3) to the bottom.
39 And when the centurion, who stood over against Him, saw that He so cried out, and gave up the spirit, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God." (A supernatural of Divine being. Even the Roman military leader recognized the miracles which had occurred the day of the crucifixion.)
B2 V p 15:40,41. Women. Several.
q 15:42. Before the High Sabbath.
W X 15:43-45. The Body anointed.
Y r 15:46-, Fine linen bought.
s 15:-46-. Laid in the sepulcher.
t 15:-46. The stone rolled to the door.
V p 15:47. Women. Two,
q 16:1-. After the High Sabbath.
W Y r 16:-1. Spices bought.
s 16:2. Came to sepulcher.
t 16:3,4. The stone rolled away from the tomb.
X 16:5-8. The Body sought.
40 There were women also looking on from afar: among whom was Mary Magdalene (see Matt. 27:56), and Mary the mother of James junior (Divinely supplied to distinguish him from James the Apostle [cp. Matt. 13:55, 27:56]. See also Acts 12:17; 15:13. Gal. 2:12) and of Joses, and Salome (see Matt. 27:56);
41 (Who also, when He was in Galilee, used to followed Him, and ministered to Him;) and many other women which came up with Him to Jerusalem. (Unlike many of His male disciples who fled Jerusalem, the women believers stuck with Christ, until the end.)
42 And evening already had come, that is, the day before the sabbath, (i.e. the day before the High Sabbath. At evening the Passover began. Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday, and He resurrected the following early Sunday morning.)
April 3rd
43 Joseph he from Arimathaea, an honorable (in rank, as in Acts 13:50; 17:12) counselor (a member of the Sanhedrin. See Luke 23:51), who himself also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and took courage and went in to Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. (Because in the usual course the Lord would have been buried with other criminals. See Isa. 53:9. Things were getting very tough for the followers of Christ. They had been warned exactly what was going to happen to Jesus, but it must have seemed the world was crashing down around them. Joseph of Arimathaea stepped up, and boldly claimed the body of Christ. There comes a time in everyone's life, when you need to be courageous and bold. Be willing to stand up fo God, when you know you are in the right.)
44 And Pilate wondered if He were already dead (implying a hypothesis which he did not yet expect): and calling to him the centurion, he asked him whether He had been long dead.
45 And when he having got to know it of the centurion, he made a gift of the corpse to Joseph. (Joseph, being Mary's uncle, had every right to claim the body of Christ as kinsman redeemer.)
46 And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a memorial tomb which was hewn out of a rock (Gr. petra, as in Mark 16:18), and rolled a stone (see Matt. 27:60) unto the door of the memorial tomb. (Prophecy of Isaiah 53:9 was being fulfilled here.)
47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were [attentively] looking on so as to see exactly where He was laid.