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The Book of Mark

Mark Chapter 15

  

Jesus Faces Pilate

1
AS

soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a meeting with the elders, the scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.

2 Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

3 Then the chief priests accused Him of many things.  4  So again Pilate asked Him, “Aren’t You going to answer? See how many things they are accusing You of.”

5 But Jesus still did not answer, and Pilate was amazed. 

Jesus or Barabbas?

6 Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.  7  There was a man named Barabbas, who was in prison with other rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.  8  The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them as was his custom.

9“Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked.  10  For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.  11  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas to them instead.

12  Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”

13  “Crucify Him!” they shouted.

14  Then Pilate asked them, “Why? What evil has He done?”

But they shouted all the more, “Crucified Him!”

15  So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them. After he had Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16  Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole cohort of soldiers.  17  They put a purple robe on Him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on Him.  18  And they began to salute Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  19  Then they kept hitting Him on His head with a staff and spat on Him. Then they knelt down and payed homage to Him.  20  And when they had mocked Him, they stripped the purple robe off Him and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.

The Crucifixion

21  They forced a certain man, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country and passing by, to carry the cross Jesus carried.  22  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).  23  Then they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.  24  And they crucified Him. Then they divided His clothes among them, casting lots to determine what each would get.

25  It was the third hour when they crucified Him.  26  The written notice of the charge against Him read:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27  They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.  28  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And He was numbered among outlaws’.  29  Those who passed by yelled insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,  30  save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”

31  In the same way the chief priests and the scribes were also mocking Him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but Himself He cannot save.  32  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him.

The Death of Jesus

33  When it was the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.  34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35  When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah.”

36  Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. Then he said, “Now leave Him alone. Let’s see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37  Then Jesus let out a loud cry, and breathed his last.

38  Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  39  When the centurion, who was standing near Jesus, saw the way He cried out and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man really was the Son of God!”

40  Some women were looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.  41  When Jesus had been in Galilee, these women had followed Him and cared for His needs. Many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem were also there.

The Burial of Jesus

42  When evening came, since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),  43  Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was also himself waiting for the Kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  44  Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead. So he summoned a centurion, and asked him if Jesus was already dead.  45  When he learned from the centurion that Jesus really was dead, he gave the body to Joseph.  46  So Joseph bought some fine linen cloth, and taking the body down, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.  47  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.