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
1 And immediately in the morning, after the leaders of the priests had taken counsel with the elders and the scribes and the entire council, binding Jesus, they led him away and delivered him to Pilate.
2 And Pilate questioned him, "You are the king of the Jews?" But in response, he said to him, "You are saying it."
3 And the leaders of the priests accused him in many things.
4 Then Pilate again questioned him, saying: "Do you not have any response? See how greatly they accuse you."
5 But Jesus continued to give no response, so that Pilate wondered.
6 Now on the feast day, he was accustomed to release to them one of the prisoners, whomever they requested.
7 But there was one called Barabbas, who had committed murder in the sedition, who was confined with those of the sedition.
8 And when the crowd had ascended, they began to petition him to do as he always did for them.
9 But Pilate answered them and said, "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?"
10 For he knew that it was out of envy that the leaders of the priests had betrayed him.
11 Then the chief priests incited the crowd, so that he would release Barabbas to them instead.
12 But Pilate, responding again, said to them: "Then what do you want me to do with the king of the Jews?"
13 But again they cried out, "Crucify him."
14 Yet truly, Pilate said to them: "Why? What evil has he done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify him."
15 Then Pilate, wishing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them, and he delivered Jesus, having severely scourged him, to be crucified.
16 Then the soldiers led him away to the court of the praetorium. And they called together the entire cohort.
17 And they clothed him with purple. And platting a crown of thorns, they placed it on him.
18 And they began to salute him: "Hail, king of the Jews."
19 And they struck his head with a reed, and they spit on him. And kneeling down, they reverenced him.
20 And after they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple, and they clothed him in his own garments. And they led him away, so that they might crucify him.
21 And they compelled a certain passerby, Simon the Cyrenian, who was arriving from the countryside, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to take up his cross.
22 And they led him through to the place called Golgotha, which means, 'the Place of Calvary.'
23 And they gave him wine with myrrh to drink. But he did not accept it.
24 And while crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots over them, to see who would take what.
25 Now it was the third hour. And they crucified him.
26 And the title of his case was written as: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 And with him they crucified two robbers: one at his right, and the other at his left.
28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which says: "And with the iniquitous he was reputed."
29 And the passersby blasphemed him, shaking their heads and saying, "Ah, you who would destroy the temple of God, and in three days rebuild it,
30 save yourself by descending from the cross."
31 And similarly the leaders of the priests, mocking him with the scribes, said to one another: "He saved others. He is not able to save himself.
32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, descend now from the cross, so that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
33 And when the sixth hour arrived, a darkness occurred over the entire earth, until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
35 And some of those standing near, upon hearing this, said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah."
36 Then one of them, running and filling a sponge with vinegar, and placing it around a reed, gave it to him to drink, saying: "Wait. Let us see if Elijah will come to take him down."
37 Then Jesus, having emitted a loud cry, expired.
38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom.
39 Then the centurion who stood opposite him, seeing that he had expired while crying out in this way, said: "Truly, this man was the Son of God."
40 Now there were also women watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome,
41 (and while he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him) and many other women, who had ascended along with him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening had now arrived (because it was the Preparation Day, which is before the Sabbath)
43 there arrived Joseph of Arimathea, a noble council member, who himself was also awaiting the kingdom of God. And he boldly entered to Pilate and petitioned for the body of Jesus.
44 But Pilate wondered if he had already died. And summoning a centurion, he questioned him as to whether he was already dead.
45 And when he had been informed by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 Then Joseph, having bought a fine linen cloth, and taking him down, wrapped him in the fine linen and laid him in a sepulcher, which was hewn from a rock. And he rolled a stone to the entrance of the tomb.
47 Now Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph observed where he was laid.
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