Mark 15
1599 Geneva Bible
15 1 Of the things Christ suffered under Pilate. 11 Barabbas is preferred before Christ. 15 Pilate delivereth Christ to be crucified. 17 He is crowned with thorns. 19 They spit on him, and mock him. 21 Simon of Cyrene carrieth Christ’s cross. 27 Christ is crucified between two thieves. 26 He is railed at. 37 He giveth up the ghost. 43 Joseph burieth him.
1 And (A)[a]anon in the dawning, the high Priests held a Council with the Elders, and the Scribes, and the whole Council, and bound Jesus, and led him away, and [b]delivered him to Pilate.
2 Then Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered, and said unto him, Thou sayest it.
3 And the high Priests accused him of many things.
4 (B)Wherefore Pilate asked him again, saying, Answered thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.
5 But Jesus answered no more at all, so that Pilate marveled.
6 Now at the feast, Pilate [c]did deliver a prisoner unto them, whomsoever they would desire.
7 Then there was one named Barabbas, which was bound with his fellows, that had made insurrection, who in the insurrection had committed murder.
8 And the people cried aloud, and began to desire that he would do as he had ever done unto them.
9 Then Pilate answered them, and said, Will ye that I let loose unto you the King of the Jews?
10 For he knew that the high Priests had delivered him of envy.
11 But the high Priests had moved the people to desire that he would rather deliver Barabbas unto them.
12 And Pilate answered, and said again unto them, What will ye then that I do with him, whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13 And they cried again, Crucify him.
14 Then Pilate said unto them, But what evil hath he done? And they cried the more fervently, Crucify him.
15 So Pilate willing to content the people, loosed them Barabbas, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, that he might be crucified.
16 Then the soldiers led him away into the hall, which is the common hall, and called together the whole band,
17 [d]And clad him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18 And began to salute him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews.
19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and spat upon him, and bowed the knees, and did him reverence.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
21 (C)And they [e]compelled one that passed by, called Simon of Cyrene (which came out of the country, and was father of Alexander and Rufus) to bear his cross.
22 (D)[f]And they brought him to a place named Golgotha, which is by interpretation, the place of dead mens’ skulls.
23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24 (E)[g]And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots for them, what every man should have.
25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.
26 And the title of his cause was written above, THAT KING OF THE JEWS.
27 They crucified also with him two thieves, the one on the right hand, and the other on his left.
28 Thus the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, (F)And he was counted among the wicked.
29 And they that went by, railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, (G)Hey, thou that destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days,
30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31 Likewise also even the high Priests mocking, said among themselves with the Scribes, He saved other men, himself he cannot save.
32 Let Christ the king of Israel now come down from the cross, that we may see, and believe. They also that were crucified with him, reviled him.
33 ¶ Now when the sixth hour was come, [h]darkness arose over [i]all the land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the [j]ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, (H)Eloi, Eloi, lama-sabachthani? which is by interpretation, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah.
36 And one ran, and filled a (I)sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let him alone: let us see if Elijah will come, and take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the Temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom.
39 Now when the Centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he thus crying gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40 ¶ [k]There were also women which beheld afar off, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less, and of Joses, and Salome,
41 Which also when he was in Galilee, (J)followed him, and ministered unto him, and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42 (K)And now when the night was come (because it was the day of the preparation that is before the Sabbath)
43 (L)Joseph of Arimathea, an [l]honorable counselor, which also looked for the kingdom of God, came, and went in [m]boldly unto Pilate, and asked the body of Jesus.
44 And Pilate marveled, if he were already dead, and called unto him the Centurion, and asked of him whether he had been any while dead.
45 And when he knew the truth of the Centurion, he gave the body to Joseph:
46 Who bought a linen cloth, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher:
47 And Mary Magdalene, and Mary Joses’ mother, beheld where he should be laid.
Footnotes
- Mark 15:1 Christ being bound before the judgment seat of an earthly judge, in open assembly is condemned as guilty unto the death of the cross, not for his own sins, (as appeareth by the judge’s own words) but for all ours, that we most guilty creatures being delivered from the guiltiness of our sins, might be quitted before the judgment seat of God, even in the open assembly of the Angels.
- Mark 15:1 It was not lawful for them to put any man to death, for all causes of life and death were taken away from them, first by Herod the great, and afterward by the Romans, about forty years before the destruction of the Temple, and therefore they deliver Jesus to Pilate.
- Mark 15:6 Used Pilate to deliver.
- Mark 15:17 Christ going about to take away the sins of men, who went about to usurp the throne of God himself, is condemned as one that hunted after the kingdom, and mocked with a false show of a kingdom, that we on the other side, who shall indeed be eternal kings, might receive the crown of glory at God’s own hand.
- Mark 15:21 The rage of the wicked hath no measure, but in the mean season, even the weakness of Christ, being in pain under the heavy burden of the cross, doth manifestly show that a lamb is led to be sacrificed.
- Mark 15:22 Christ is led out of the walls of the earthly Jerusalem, into a foul place of dead men’s carcasses, as a man most unclean, not touching himself, but touching our sins, which were laid upon him, to the end that we being made clean by his blood, might be brought into the heavenly Sanctuary.
- Mark 15:24 Christ hangeth naked upon the cross, and as the most wickedest caitiff that ever was, most vilely reproved: that we being clothed with his righteousness, and blessed with his curses, and sanctified by his only oblation, may be taken up into heaven.
- Mark 15:33 How angry God was against our sin, which he punished in our surety, his son, it appeareth by this horrible darkness.
- Mark 15:33 By this word, land, he meaneth Palestine: so that the strangeness of the wonder, is so much the more set forth in that, that at the feast of the Passover, and in the full moon, when the Sun shined over all the rest of the world and at midday that corner of the world, wherein so wicked an act was committed, was overcovered with most gross darkness.
- Mark 15:34 Christ striving mightily with Satan, with sin, and with death, all three armed with the horrible curse of God, grievously tormented in body hanging upon the cross, and in soul plunged in the depth of hell, yet he riddeth himself, crying with a mighty voice: and notwithstanding the wound which he received of death in that that he died, yet by smiting both things above and things beneath, by renting of the veil of the Temple, and by the testimony wrung out of them which murdered him, he showeth evidently unto the rest of his enemies which are as yet obstinate, and mock at him, that he shall be known out of hand to be conqueror and Lord of all.
- Mark 15:40 Christ to the great shame of men which forsook the Lord, chose women for his witnesses, which beheld all this whole action.
- Mark 15:43 A man of great authority, of the counsel of the Sanhedrin, or else taken into counsel by Pilate.
- Mark 15:43 If we consider what danger Joseph cast himself into, we shall perceive how bold he was.
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.
Mark 15
King James Version
15 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.
3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.
5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, The King Of The Jews.
27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
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