Mark 15
Jesus before Pilate
1Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), immediately consulted together; and they bound Jesus, they took Him away [violently] and handed Him over to Pilate. 2Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He replied to him, “It is as you say.” 3The chief priests began accusing Him of many things. 4Then Pilate again asked Him, “Have You no answer [to give]? See how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5But Jesus gave no further answer; so Pilate was perplexed.
6Now at the [Passover] feast Pilate used to set free for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7The man called Barabbas was imprisoned with the insurrectionists (revolutionaries) who had committed murder in the civil rebellion. 8The crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?” 10For he was aware that the chief priests had turned Jesus over to him because of envy and resentment. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12Again Pilate answered, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13They screamed back, “Crucify Him!” 14But Pilate asked them, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they screamed all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over [to his soldiers] to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
16The soldiers led Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the entire [Roman] battalion [of 600 soldiers]. 17They dressed Him up in [a ranking Roman officer’s robe of] purple, and after twisting [together] a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him; 18and they began saluting and mocking Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19They kept beating Him on the head with a reed and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing in [mock] homage to Him. 20After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.
21They forced into service a passer-by coming in from the countryside, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to carry His cross.
The Crucifixion
22Then they brought Him to the place [called] Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh [to dull the pain], but He would not take it. 24And they crucified Him, and divided up His clothes among themselves, casting lots for them to see who should take what. 25It was the third hour (9:00 a.m.) when they crucified Him. 26The inscription of the accusation against Him had been written [above Him]: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
27They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28[And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with the transgressors.”] 29Those who were passing by were insulting Him with abusive and insolent language, wagging their heads [as a sign of contempt], and saying, “Ha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in [only] three days, 30save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” 31In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were ridiculing and mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself! 32Let the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe and trust [in Him]!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
33When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, “Look! He is calling for Elijah!” 36Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down.” 37But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. 38And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40Now some women also were watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome. 41When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to accompany him and minister to Him; and there were also many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent and respected member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God—and he courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time [only six hours after being crucified], and he summoned the centurion and asked him whether He was already dead. 45And when he learned from the centurion [that Jesus was in fact dead], he gave the body to Joseph [by granting him permission to remove it]. 46So Joseph purchased a [fine] linen cloth [for wrapping the body], and after taking Jesus down [from the cross], he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a [large, wheel-shaped] stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were [carefully] watching to see where He was laid.