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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Mark 15: MSG
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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
Trial before Pilate
1At daybreak, the chief priests—with the elders, legal experts, and the whole Sanhedrin—formed a plan. They bound Jesus, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate. 2Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “That’s what you say.” 3The chief priests were accusing him of many things.
4Pilate asked him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? What about all these accusations?” 5But Jesus gave no more answers, so that Pilate marveled.
6During the festival, Pilate released one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. 7A man named Barabbas was locked up with the rebels who had committed murder during an uprising. 8The crowd pushed forward and asked Pilate to release someone, as he regularly did. 9Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” 10He knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of jealousy. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead. 12Pilate replied, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call king of the Jews?”
13They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
14Pilate said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
They shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, so he released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus whipped, then handed him over to be crucified.
Jesus is tortured and killed
16The soldiers led Jesus away into the courtyard of the palace known as the governor’s headquarters,#15.16 Or praetorium and they called together the whole company of soldiers.#15.16 Or cohort (approximately six hundred soldiers) 17They dressed him up in a purple robe and twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on him. 18They saluted him, “Hey! King of the Jews!” 19Again and again, they struck his head with a stick. They spit on him and knelt before him to honor him. 20When they finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
21Simon, a man from Cyrene, Alexander and Rufus’ father, was coming in from the countryside. They forced him to carry his cross.
22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means Skull Place. 23They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he didn’t take it. 24They crucified him. They divided up his clothes, drawing lots for them to determine who would take what. 25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26The notice of the formal charge against him was written, “The king of the Jews.” 27They crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.#15.27 15:28 is omitted in most critical editions of the Gk New Testament The scripture was fulfilled, which says, He was numbered among criminals.
29People walking by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! So you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, were you? 30Save yourself and come down from that cross!”
31In the same way, the chief priests were making fun of him among themselves, together with the legal experts. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself. 32Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross. Then we’ll see and believe.” Even those who had been crucified with Jesus insulted him.
33From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. 34At three, Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?”
35After hearing him, some standing there said, “Look! He’s calling Elijah!” 36Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah will come to take him down.” 37But Jesus let out a loud cry and died.
38The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. 39When the centurion, who stood facing Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “This man was certainly God’s Son.”
40Some women were watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James (the younger one) and Joses, and Salome. 41When Jesus was in Galilee, these women had followed and supported him, along with many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him.
Jesus’ burial
42Since it was late in the afternoon on Preparation Day, just before the Sabbath, 43Joseph from Arimathea dared to approach Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was a prominent council member who also eagerly anticipated the coming of God’s kingdom.) 44Pilate wondered if Jesus was already dead. He called the centurion and asked him whether Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that Jesus was dead, Pilate gave the dead body to Joseph. 46He bought a linen cloth, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been carved out of rock. He rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was buried.
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