Mark 15
15
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Matthew 27:11–14; Luke 23:1–4; John 18:28–38)
1Early in the morning the chief priests immediately came to a decision with the leaders and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. The whole Jewish council decided to tie Jesus up, lead him away, and hand him over to Pilate.
2Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, I am,” Jesus answered him.
3The chief priests were accusing him of many things.
4So Pilate asked him again, “Don’t you have any answer? Look how many accusations they’re bringing against you!”
5But Jesus no longer answered anything, so Pilate was surprised.
The Crowd Rejects Jesus
(Matthew 27:15–26; Luke 23:18–25; John 18:39–40)
6At every Passover festival, Pilate would free one prisoner whom the people asked for. 7There was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was with some rebels who had committed murder during a riot. 8The crowd asked Pilate to do for them what he always did. 9Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews for you?” 10Pilate knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
11The chief priests stirred up the crowd so that Pilate would free Barabbas for them instead.
12So Pilate again asked them, “Then what should I do with the king of the Jews?”
13“Crucify him!” they shouted back.
14Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15Pilate wanted to satisfy the people, so he freed Barabbas for them. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Matthew 27:27–30; John 19:1–3)
16The soldiers led Jesus into the courtyard of the palace and called together the whole troop. 17They dressed him in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown, and placed it on his head. 18Then they began to greet him, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 19They kept hitting him on the head with a stick, spitting on him, and kneeling in front of him with false humility.
The Crucifixion
(Matthew 27:31–44; Luke 23:33–38; John 19:16b–24)
20After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21A man named Simon from the city of Cyrene was coming ⌞into Jerusalem⌟ from his home in the country. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. As he was about to pass by, the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
22They took Jesus to Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23They tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but he wouldn’t take it. 24Next they crucified him. Then they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice to see what each one would get. 25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26There was a written notice of the accusation against him. It read, “The king of the Jews.”
27They crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.#15:27 Some manuscripts and translations add verse 28: “And what the Scriptures said came true: ‘He was counted with criminals.’ ”
29Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads and said, “What a joke! You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. 30Come down from the cross, and save yourself!” 31The chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings made fun of him among themselves in the same way. They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. 32Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with him were insulting him.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
(Matthew 27:45–56; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
33At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34At three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “Listen! He’s calling Elijah.” 36Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. The man said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. 38The curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom.
39When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, “Certainly, this man was the Son of God!”
40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of young James and Joseph), and Salome. 41They had followed him and supported him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there too.
Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb
(Matthew 27:57–61; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
42It was Friday evening, before the day of rest—a holy day, 43when Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and was an important member of the Jewish council. He, too, was waiting for God’s kingdom. Joseph boldly went to Pilate’s quarters to ask for the body of Jesus.
44Pilate wondered if Jesus had already died. So he summoned the officer to ask him if Jesus was, in fact, dead. 45When the officer had assured him that Jesus was dead, Pilate let Joseph have the corpse.
46Joseph had purchased some linen cloth. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in the cloth. Then he laid the body in a tomb, which had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47Mary from Magdala and Mary (the mother of Joses) watched where Jesus was laid.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Mark 15
15
Jesus before Pilate
1Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ asked Pilate.
‘You have said so,’ Jesus replied.
3The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.’
5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9‘Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?’ asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get Pilate to release Barabbas instead.
12‘What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked them.
13‘Crucify him!’ they shouted.
14‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers mock Jesus
16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to call out to him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ 19Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spat on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
The crucifixion of Jesus
21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read:
The king of the Jews.
27They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. 28#15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37. 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!’ 31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! 32Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The death of Jesus
33At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).#15:34 Psalm 22:1
35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he’s calling Elijah.’
36Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,’ he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,#15:39 Some manuscripts saw that he died with such a cry he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’
40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,#15:40 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph; also in verse 47 and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
The burial of Jesus
42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
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