FEATURES
FEATURES
MARK 15:23 | 1811
15:5 a Mk 14:61
15:9 b ver 2 15:11 c Ac 3:14 15:15 d Isa 53:6
15:16 e Jn 18:28, 33; 19:9
15:18 f ver 2 15:20 g Heb 13:12
15:21 h Mt 27:32 i Ro 16:13 j Mt 27:32;
Lk 23:26
“ You have said so,” Jesus re plied. 3 The chief priests ac cused him of many things. 4 So again Pi late asked him,“ Aren’ t you go ing to an swer? See how many things they are ac cus ing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no re ply, a and Pi late was amazed. 6 Now it was the cus tom at the fes ti val to re lease a pris oner whom the peo ple re quested. 7 A man called Bar ab bas was in prison with the in sur rec tion ists who had com mit ted mur der in the up ris ing. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pi late to do for them what he usu ally did.
9“ Do you want me to re lease to you the king of the Jews?” b asked Pi late, 10 know ing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pi late re lease Bar ab bas c in stead. 12“ What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pi late asked them. 13“ Cru cify him!” they shouted. 14“ Why? What crime has he com mit ted?” asked Pi late. But they shouted all the louder,“ Cru cify him!” 15 Want ing to sat isfy the crowd, Pi late re leased Bar ab bas to them. He had Jesus flogged, d and handed him over to be cru ci fied.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
15:16-20pp— Mt 27:27-31
16 The sol diers led Jesus away into the pal ace e( that is, the Prae to rium) and called to gether the whole com pany of sol diers. 17 They put a pur ple robe on him, then twisted to gether a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they be gan to call out to him,“ Hail, king of the Jews!” f 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Fall ing on their knees, they paid hom age to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the pur ple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out g to cru cify him.
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The Crucifixion of Jesus
15:22-32pp— Mt 27:33-44; Lk 23:33-43; Jn 19:17-24
21 A cer tain man from Cy rene, h Si mon, the fa ther of Al ex an der and Ru fus, i was pass ing by on his way in from the coun try, and they forced him to carry the cross. j 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Gol go tha( which means“ the place of the skull”). 23 Then they
blasphemy into a sufficiently political form to ensure Roman involvement. Since the Messiah was Israel’ s king( v. 2), this was not difficult, and the heightened tension at Passover and the apparently recently failed insurrection( v. 7) only heightened Roman concerns. Pilate. The Roman prefect of the minor province of Judea and under the supervision of the legate of the imperial province of Syria( see photo, p. 1758). 15:2 You have said so. Less direct than Jesus’ response to the high priest( 14:62), probably because what Pilate assumes and what Jesus means by the title are very different. 15:3 many things. A range of related accusations in order to give the impression of an overwhelming case. 15:5 still made no reply. See note on 14:61. Pilate was amazed. At the contrast between the intensity of Jesus’ accusers and Jesus’ refusal to defend himself, especially when facing crucifixion. 15:6 release a prisoner. Amnesty to display Roman nobility to the crowds. The crowd’ s demands will increasingly determine the outcome of the proceedings. 15:7 Barabbas. Apparently a popular hero of a local resistance group who was arrested in a recent disturbance. 15:10 self-interest. Lies behind the longstanding clash over authority( cf. 1:22; 2:10; 3:22; 11:28), particularly given Jesus’ popularity with the people. 15:13 Crucify. See notes on v. 24; 8:34. As“ king of the Jews”( vv. 12,18) and therefore a rival to Roman authority, a guilty verdict can have only one outcome. 15:14 – 15 It is important for Mark that a more
“ neutral” Roman official considers Jesus to be innocent of the charges. But having initiated the custom, Pilate cannot risk inflaming the crowd by ignoring the wishes of the people( v. 6), even if they are manipulated by their leaders( v. 11). All three parties— Pilate, the people, and the Jewish leaders— are complicit in Jesus’ death. 15:15 flogged. A brutal torture using whips of leather thongs often tipped with pieces of bone or metal. It severely weakened the prisoner, sometimes proving fatal. crucified. See notes on v. 24; 8:34. 15:16 – 20 The Soldiers Mock Jesus. The Jewish verdict was followed by violent mockery of the“ prophet”( 14:65); now the Roman sentence is followed by a violent mockery of the“ king.” 15:16 soldiers. Not Roman legionnaires but non-Jewish auxiliaries from neighboring regions. palace. Of Herod; Pilate’ s home while in Jerusalem. Praetorium. In this case, barracks. 15:17 – 18 purple robe... crown...“ Hail...!” A parody of imperial garb and salutation(“ Ave, Caesar!”). The violent elements complete Jesus’ final prediction of his suffering at Gentile hands( 10:34), recalling the sufferings of Isaiah’ s servant( Isa 50:6; cf. 8:34; 14:65). In a few short hours a Roman centurion will address Jesus in a very different manner( v. 39). 15:21 – 47 The New Passover Sacrifice. In relatively short order, Jesus’ predictions concerning his coming death are fulfilled, but ironically each stage already hints toward a very different outcome. Far transcending the conspiracies of the nations against God’ s beloved Son( cf. 1:11; 9:7; Ps 2:1,7), Jesus’ death is God’ s longawaited new exodus redemption( see note on
14:24) whereby he finally breaks the power of sin and death that holds humanity in bondage. If, in fact, Jesus dies on Passover eve( see note on 14:12), then, as John implies( John 1:29,36; 19:14) and Paul declares( 1 Cor 5:7), Jesus is indeed our new Passover lamb. 15:21 – 32 The Crucifixion of Jesus. Mark’ s account of the crucifixion passes over Jesus’ suffering in silence. Mark focuses instead on the truths expressed ironically in the abuse, Jesus’ one statement from the cross, the divine signs that testify to what is really going on, and the first human confession of Jesus’ divine Sonship. 15:21 Cyrene. An important city in Libya, North Africa, with a large Jewish population. father of Alexander and Rufus. Mentioned only by Mark. Since men are traditionally known by their fathers, Simon’ s identification by his sons possibly suggests that they are known to Mark’ s Roman audience( cf. Rom 16:13). This implies that they and perhaps their father had become followers of Jesus as a result of this experience. forced. Occupying forces could compel ordinary citizens to carry their baggage( cf. Matt 5:41). carry the cross. The condemned normally carried the crossbar, which often weighed 30 – 40 pounds( 13 – 18 kilograms), to the site of crucifixion. Jesus, weakened by flogging, was incapable of completing( cf. John 19:17) the relatively short journey, some 328 yards( 300 meters), to just outside the city walls, so Simon was pressed into service. 15:22 Golgotha. Or“ skull”; might reflect its being the site of many executions. The NT nowhere describes it as a hill. 15:23 wine mixed with myrrh. Probably
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