Mark 15
15
Standing Before Pilate
1At dawn’s first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.
2-3Pilate asked him, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”
He answered, “If you say so.” The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.
4-5Pilate asked again, “Aren’t you going to answer anything? That’s quite a list of accusations.” Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed.
6-10It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome. As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner, Pilate anticipated them: “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him.
11-12But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas. Pilate came back, “So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?”
13They yelled, “Nail him to a cross!”
14Pilate objected, “But for what crime?”
But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”
15Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.
16-20The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade. They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thornbush on his head. Then they began their mockery: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.
The Crucifixion
21There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus’ cross.
22-24The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning “Skull Hill.” They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn’t take it. And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.
25-30They nailed him up at nine o’clock in the morning. The charge against him—the king of the jews—was scrawled across a sign. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”
31-32The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others—but he can’t save himself! Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then!” Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.
33-34At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At three o’clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35-36Some of the bystanders who heard him said, “Listen, he’s calling for Elijah.” Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37-39But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!”
Taken to a Tomb
40-41There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem.
42-45Late in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse.
46-47Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Joses, watched the burial.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Mark 15
15
Jesus Faces Pilate
1As#Mt 27:2,11–14; Lk 23:25; Jn 18:28–38 soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders,#3Jn 1 scribes,#Mt 2:4 and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests#Mk 13:9 tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.#1Tm 6:13
2So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king#Lk 19:38 of the Jews?”#Jn 19:21
He answered him, “You say so.”
3And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4Pilate#1Tm 6:13 questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” 5But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.
Jesus or Barabbas
6At#Mt 27:15–26; Lk 23:13–25; Jn 18:39–19:6 the festival#Mk 14:1 Pilate#1Tm 6:13 used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. 7There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder#Pr 1:16 during the rebellion.#Ac 23:7 8The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. 9Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king#Lk 19:38 of the Jews#Jn 19:21 for you?” 10For he knew it was because of envy#Ps 37:1 that the chief priests had handed him over. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. 12Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”
13Again they shouted, “Crucify him!”
14Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Mocked by the Military
16The#Mt 27:27–31 soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence#Jn 18:28,33; 19:9; Ac 23:35; Php 1:13) and called the whole company together. 17They dressed him in a purple#Mk 15:20; Lk 16:19; Rv 18:12 robe, twisted together a crown#Jn 19:2,5; Rv 12:1 of thorns, and put it on him. 18And they began to salute him, “Hail,#Mt 26:49; Lk 1:28; Jn 19:3 king#Lk 19:38 of the Jews!” 19They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees,#Mk 5:6; Lk 22:41; Eph 3:14 they were paying him homage. 20After they had mocked#Mk 10:34 him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him.
Crucified Between Two Criminals
They led him out to crucify him. 21They#Mt 27:32; Lk 23:26–31 forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross.#Lk 9:23 He was Simon of Cyrene,#Ac 6:9 the father of Alexander and Rufus.#Rm 16:13
22They#Mt 27:33–37; Lk 22:32–34; Jn 19:17–24 brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull#Jn 19:17). 23They tried to give him wine#Gn 9:21; Dt 7:13; Ps 4:7; Pr 3:10; Lk 5:37 mixed with myrrh,#Ps 69:21 but he did not take it.
24Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, casting lots#Ps 22:18 for them to decide what each would get. 25Now it was nine in the morning#15:25 Lit was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The inscription of the charge written against him was: The King#Lk 19:38 of the Jews.#Jn 11:36 27They#Mt 27:38,44; Lk 23:39–43 crucified two criminals#15:27 Or revolutionaries#Mk 14:48 with him, one on his right and one on his left.#15:27 Some mss include v. 28: So the Scripture was fulfilled that says: And he was counted among criminals.
29Those#Mt 27:39–43; Lk 23:35–38 who passed by were yelling insults#Ex 22:28; Mk 3:29; Rv 13:6 at#15:29 Or passed by blasphemed him, shaking their heads,#Ps 22:7 and saying, “Ha! The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,#Jn 2:19 30save yourself by coming down from the cross!”#Lk 23:26 31In the same way, the chief priests with the scribes#Mt 2:4 were mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 32Let the Messiah,#Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2 the King#Lk 19:38 of Israel,#Jn 1:49 come down now from the cross,#Lk 23:26 so that we may see and believe.”#Mk 8:11–12; 11:24; Jn 3:16; Ac 10:43; Rm 10:9; 1Pt 1:8–10 Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.
The Death of Jesus
33When#Mt 27:45–54; Lk 23:44–48; Jn 19:28–30 it was noon,#15:33 Lit the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.#15:33 Lit the ninth hour, also in v. 34#Am 8:9 34And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”#15:34Ps 22:1#Ps 22:1
35When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “See, he’s calling for Elijah.”
36Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, offered him a drink,#Ps 69:21 and said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. 38Then the curtain#Ex 26:31–33; 2Ch 3:14; Heb 6:19; 9:3; 10:20 of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he#15:39 Other mss read saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” #15:39 Or a son of God#Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2
40There#Mt 27:55–56; Lk 23:49; Jn 19:25–27 were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene,#Mt 28:1; Mk 16:1,9; Lk 8:2; 24:10; Jn 20:1–18 Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee#Mt 17:22 these women followed him and took care of him. Many other women had come up with him to Jerusalem.#Mt 23:37
The Burial of Jesus
42When#Mt 27:57–60; Lk 23:50–54; Jn 19:38–42 it was already evening, because it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who was himself looking forward#Jd 21 to the kingdom of God,#Mk 1:15 came and boldly went to Pilate#1Tm 6:13 and asked for Jesus’s body.#Lk 12:4; Jn 2:21 44Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had already died. 45When he found out from the centurion, he gave the corpse to Joseph. 46After he bought some linen cloth, Joseph took him down and wrapped him in the linen. Then he laid him in a tomb#Jn 5:28; 11:38; Ac 13:29 cut out of the rock and rolled a stone#Jn 20:1 against the entrance to the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene#Mt 27:61–66; Lk 23:55–56 and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where he was laid.
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