Mark 15
English Standard Version
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
15 (A)And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests (B)held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And (C)they bound Jesus and (D)led him away and (E)delivered him over to (F)Pilate. 2 (G)And Pilate asked him, (H)“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, (I)“You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, (J)“Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus (K)made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
6 (L)Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had (M)committed murder (N)in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that (O)it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with (P)the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? (Q)What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having (R)scourged[a] Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
16 (S)And the soldiers led him away inside (T)the palace (that is, (U)the governor's headquarters),[b] and they called together the whole (V)battalion.[c] 17 And they clothed him in (W)a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, (X)“Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and (Y)spitting on him and (Z)kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had (AA)mocked him, they stripped him of (AB)the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they (AC)led him out to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
21 (AD)And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 (AE)And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with (AF)myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and (AG)divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And (AH)it was the third hour[d] when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, (AI)“The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two (AJ)robbers, (AK)one on his right and one on his left.[e] 29 And (AL)those who passed by derided him, (AM)wagging their heads and saying, (AN)“Aha! (AO)You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, (AP)“He saved others; (AQ)he cannot save himself. 32 Let (AR)the Christ, (AS)the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may (AT)see and believe.” (AU)Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
The Death of Jesus
33 And when the sixth hour[f] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.[g] 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus (AV)cried with a loud voice, (AW)“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with (AX)sour wine, put it on a reed (AY)and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus (AZ)uttered a loud cry and (BA)breathed his last. 38 And (BB)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 (BC)And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he[h] breathed his last, he said, (BD)“Truly this man was the Son[i] of God!”
40 There were also (BE)women looking on (BF)from a distance, among whom were (BG)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and (BH)Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and (BI)ministered to him, and there were also many other women who (BJ)came up with him to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 (BK)And when evening had come, since it was (BL)the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, (BM)a respected member of the council, who (BN)was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.[j] And summoning (BO)the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from (BP)the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph[k] bought (BQ)a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and (BR)laid him in a tomb (BS)that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled (BT)a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 (BU)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
Footnotes
- Mark 15:15 A Roman judicial penalty, consisting of a severe beating with a multi-lashed whip containing embedded pieces of bone and metal
- Mark 15:16 Greek the praetorium
- Mark 15:16 Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, usually about 600 men
- Mark 15:25 That is, 9 a.m.
- Mark 15:27 Some manuscripts insert verse 28: And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “He was numbered with the transgressors”
- Mark 15:33 That is, noon
- Mark 15:33 That is, 3 p.m.
- Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts insert cried out and
- Mark 15:39 Or a son
- Mark 15:44 Or Pilate wondered whether he had already died
- Mark 15:46 Greek he
Mark 15
The Voice
15 When morning came, the chief priests met in council with all the Jewish leaders. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and turned Him over to the Roman governor, Pilate.
Pilate (after hearing them): 2 Are You the King of the Jews?
Jesus: You have said so.
3 The chief priests went on to accuse Jesus of many things, but Jesus simply stood quietly.
Pilate: 4 Do You have anything to say? How do You respond to all these charges that have been made against You?
5 But Jesus said nothing more, and Pilate was astonished.
6 Now it was his custom at that feast that Pilate should release one prisoner from custody, whomever the people most desired. 7 There was one rebel from those imprisoned for insurrection against the Roman occupation. He had committed murder during an uprising. His name was Barabbas. 8 A crowd had gathered in front of Pilate’s judgment seat to request that Pilate follow his usual custom.
9 Pilate turned to them.
Pilate: Why don’t I release to you the King of the Jews?
10 He knew that the chief priests had delivered Jesus because they were threatened by Him, not because Jesus was a criminal.
11 But priests moved among the crowd and persuaded them to call for Barabbas instead.
Pilate: 12 Then what do you want me to do with the King of the Jews?
Crowd: 13 Crucify Him, crucify Him!
14 But now he called to them.
Pilate: Why? What has He done to deserve such a sentence?
Crowd (crying all the louder): Crucify Him, crucify Him!
Barabbas is an active and a militant Jewish leader. In one sense, the choice that the crowd is offered—to have either Jesus or Barabbas released—can be seen as a choice between two types of revolutions. Do they want a revolution of power, a revolution that is easily visible, a revolution that will conquer their enemies in a way they can understand? Or do they want a revolution of healing, a revolution of love, a revolution that will bring the kingdom of God to earth in a mystical, transcendental way? It’s no wonder they make the choice they do. Who wants a gentle revolution in a time of war?
15 When Pilate saw that he could not persuade the crowd to change its mind, he released Barabbas to them and had Jesus publicly whipped, which was the normal prelude to crucifixion. Then he had Jesus led away to be crucified. 16 The soldiers took Him into the headquarters of the governor; and the rest of the soldiers in the detachment gathered there, hundreds of them. 17 They put a purple robe on Him and made a crown of thorns that they forced onto His head, 18 and they began to cry out in mock salute.
Soldiers: Hail to the King of the Jews!
19 For a long while they beat Him on the head with a reed, spat upon Him, and knelt down as if to honor Him. 20 When they had finished mocking Him, they stripped off His purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they took Him away to be executed.
21 Along the way, they met a man from Cyrene, Simon (the father of Rufus and Alexander), who was coming in from the fields; and they ordered him to carry the heavy crossbar of the cross. 22 And so they came at last to the execution site, a hill called Golgotha, which means the “Place of a Skull.”
23 The soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to dull His pain, but He refused it. 24 And so they crucified Him, divided up His clothes, and cast lots (an ancient equivalent of rolling dice) to see who would keep the clothes they had stripped from Him.
25 His crucifixion began about nine o’clock in the morning. 26 Over His head hung a sign that indicated the charge for which He was being crucified. It read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27 On either side of Him were two insurgents who also had received the death penalty. [28 And the Hebrew Scripture was completed that said, “He was considered just another criminal.”][a]
29 Those passing by on their way into or out of Jerusalem insulted and ridiculed Him.
Some in the Crowd: So You’re the One who was going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days? 30 Well, if You’re so powerful, then why don’t You rescue Yourself? Come on down from the cross!
Chief Priests and Scribes (mocking Jesus among themselves): 31 He rescued others, but He can’t rescue Himself. 32 Let the Anointed—the King of Israel—come down from the cross now, and we will see it and believe.
Even the insurgents who were being crucified next to Him taunted Him and reviled Him.
33 At noon, the day suddenly darkened for three hours across the entire land. 34 Sometime around three o’clock Jesus called out in a loud voice.
Jesus: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?
Jesus was speaking, as in the psalms, “My God, My God, why have You turned Your back on Me?”[b]
35 Some of those standing nearby misunderstood Him.
Bystanders: Hey, He’s calling for Elijah.
36 One of them filled a sponge with wine that had turned to vinegar and lifted it to Jesus’ lips on a stick so He could drink.
Bystander: Let’s see if Elijah will come to take Him down.
37 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and He took His last breath.
38 At that moment, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The tearing of the temple veil is a picture of what Jesus’ death has accomplished. The temple sanctuary is divided into two sections: the holy place and the most holy place. The most holy place is a chamber so sanctified that only the high priest can enter—and then only once a year. There God’s presence is manifest on earth.
A long curtain divides the two areas, and at the moment of Jesus’ death it is torn in two. The veil that serves as a means to protect everyone but the high priest from the power of God’s presence is no longer needed because Jesus, on account of His sacrificial death, gives everyone access to God. Only God Himself can rip the curtain in two “from top to bottom,” opening the way for people to come into His presence.
39 The Roman Centurion, the soldier in charge of the executions, stood in front of Jesus, [heard His words,][c] and saw the manner of His death.
Centurion: Surely this man was the Son of God!
40 Off in the distance, away from the crowds, stood some women who knew and had followed Jesus, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of the younger James, Joses, and Salome. 41 These were women who used to care for Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who had followed Jesus to Jerusalem joined them.
42 Evening came. The crucifixion had taken place on preparation day, Friday, before the Jewish Sabbath began at sundown. 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the ruling council who was also a believer anxiously waiting for the kingdom of God, went to Pilate and boldly asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate could not believe Jesus was already dead, so he sent for the Centurion, 45 who confirmed it. Then Pilate gave Joseph permission to take the body.
46 Joseph had the body wrapped in a linen burial cloth he had purchased and laid Him in a tomb that had been carved out of rock. Then he had a stone rolled over the opening to seal it. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching as the body was interred.
Footnotes
- 15:28 Some manuscripts omit verse 28, a quote from Isaiah 53:12.
- 15:34 Psalm 22:1
- 15:39 Some early manuscripts omit this portion.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.