Mark 15
1Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, bound Jesus, carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. 2Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “So you say.” 3The chief priests accused him of many things. 4Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!” 5But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marvelled. 6Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. 7There was one called Barabbas, bound with his fellow insurgents, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. 8The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them. 9Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 10For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. 11But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead. 12Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13They cried out again, “Crucify him!” 14Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!”
15Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified. 16The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. 17They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. 20When they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. 21They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.
22They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, “The place of a skull.” 23They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he didn’t take it. 24Crucifying him, they parted his garments amongst them, casting lots on them, what each should take. 25It was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. 28The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “He was counted with transgressors.” 29Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, 30save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31Likewise, also the chief priests mocking amongst themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He can’t save himself. 32Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
33When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down.” 37Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit. 38The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. 39When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40There were also women watching from afar, amongst whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 41who, when he was in Galilee, followed him and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
42When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for God’s Kingdom, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. 44Pilate marvelled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long. 45When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
Christ before Pilate.
They bound Christ. It is good for us often to remember the bonds of the Lord Jesus, as bound with him who was bound for us. By delivering up the King, they, in effect, delivered up the kingdom of God, which was, therefore, as by their own consent, taken from them, and given to another nation. Christ gave Pilate a direct answer, but would not answer the witnesses, because the things they alleged were known to be false, even Pilate himself was convinced they were so. Pilate thought that he might appeal from the priests to the people, and that they would deliver Jesus out of the priests' hands. But they were more and more urged by the priests, and cried, Crucify him! Crucify him! Let us judge of persons and things by their merits, and the standard of God's word, and not by common report. The thought that no one ever was so shamefully treated, as the only perfectly wise, holy, and excellent Person that ever appeared on earth, leads the serious mind to strong views of man's wickedness and enmity to God. Let us more and more abhor the evil dispositions which marked the conduct of these persecutors.