Embedded Files
Sep 4-10, 2022
Compiled by Dr. "Joey" Alan Le, Ph.D.
Introduction
Introduction
It’s important to remember that many people and authorities were culpable in Jesus’s crucifixion. Mark recorded Jesus’s trial in front of the Sanhedrin as well as his interactions with Roman officials. Ultimately, we are all responsible because Jesus died for our sins (Coleman 2019, 1629).
Jesus before Pilate
Jesus before Pilate
15:1 AS SOON AS IT WAS MORNING. The court began at daybreak, making it necessary that the Sanhedrin meet in a night session. They were anxious to get a quick conviction before the people found out what they had done. Legally, the Sanhedrin had no authority to order the death of Jesus (Jn 18:31). The difficulty they faced in deferring to Rome was that under Roman law, blasphemy was not a capital offense. Consequently, they needed to present the case to Pilate so as to ensure Jesus’s death. Their decision was that when they brought Jesus to Pilate, they would charge him with high treason. LED HIM AWAY. They probably took him to the palace of Herod the Great, located northwest of the temple, where Pilate stayed when he came to Jerusalem from his home in Caesarea. PILATE. Pontius Pilate was the fifth procurator of Judea. He served from AD 26–36. Historians of the time called him an “inflexible, merciless, and obstinate” man who disliked the Jews and their customs (Coleman 2019, 1629).
15:2 Pilate would have been given a written deposition stating the charges against Jesus. Having read the charges, he now addresses the accused. KING OF THE JEWS? This is how the Sanhedrin translated the Jewish title “Messiah” so that Pilate would understand it. Put this way, it made Jesus seem guilty of treason (he would appear to be disputing the kingship of Caesar) (Coleman 2019, 1629). YOU SAY SO. It is better translated, “Whatever you say.” Jesus refuses to defend himself and implicate his fellow Jews in a Gentile’s court (Garland 1996, 578). How difficult it is to not defend one’s innocence and bring down the people who slander us?
15:3 ACCUSED HIM OF MANY THINGS. They accused him of opposing the payment of taxes to Rome, of stirring up people from Galilee and Judea to insurrection, and of claiming to be the rightful king of the Jews (Coleman 2019, 1629).
15:4–5 All the Gospels mention how Jesus remained silent before Pilate in the face of his charges. This scene would also be of special importance to the original recipients of the Gospel, some of whom would face a situation very similar to that which Jesus faced. Here, they see how he dealt with false accusations with dignity and trust in the purposes of the Godhead (Coleman 2019, 1629).
CONSIDER (VV. 1–5): In what ways did Pilate have authority during this encounter? In what ways did Jesus have authority?
Pilate Hands Jesus over to be Crucified
Pilate Hands Jesus over to be Crucified
15:7 BARABBAS. Barabbas may have been a right-wing extremist fighting to deliver Israel from the pollution of Roman rule, or he may have simply been a bandit. Social banditry plagued many parts of the empire. In Palestine, some of the peasants forced off their land when they were caught in the maelstrom of debt chose the path of outlawry rather than meek submission as tenant farmers or day laborers. Their victims were usually the rich landlords and their retainers. The rich man’s terrorist, however, is frequently the poor man’s Robin Hood. The impoverished common people, from whose ranks the bandits came, looked to them as heroic figures who justly exacted vengeance against their oppressors. They openly sympathized with them and frequently offered them protection at great cost to themselves when the Romans punished them severely for complicity. Barabbas may have been a hero in the eyes of the crowd, which explains their choice (Garland 1996, 579).
15:8 THE CROWD. It seems ironic that the crowd, who at the beginning of the week hailed Jesus as “he who comes in the name of the Lord” (11:9), could at the end of the week call for his crucifixion (Coleman 2019, 1630).
15:9–11 Pilate seemed satisfied that Jesus was not a true insurrectionist, and he appeared to want his release. His desire to release Jesus may have had little to do with justice and more out of a desire to do something that would annoy the Sanhedrin (with whom he had many run-ins) (Coleman 2019, 1630).
15:11 stirred up the crowd. The crowd has now become willing pawns to the chief priests (Garland 1996, 578). Have you seen crowds be easily manipulated?
15:12–14 Pilate seems surprised the crowd rejects his offer to release Jesus (Coleman 2019, 1630). The Roman governor who could do as he wishes winds up serving the wishes of the Jewish leaders and their crowd (Garland 1996, 583).
15:15 RELEASED BARABBAS. The death of Jesus (who is innocent) in the place of Barabbas (who is guilty) is a visual statement of the meaning of substitutionary atonement. It explains what Jesus meant in 10:45 when he said that he came to “give his life as a ransom for many.” FLOGGED. This was a terrible punishment. Soldiers would lash a naked and bound prisoner with a leather thong into which pieces of bone and lead had been woven. The flesh would be cut to shreds (Coleman 2019, 1630).
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
15:18 they began saluting him. Their ridicule probably expresses as much contempt for the Jews as it does for Jesus. Officially, the Jews had had no king after the death of Herod the Great. The mockery implies that this pitiful, weak figure is the kind of king they deserve (Garland 1996, 580). The soldiers’ mockery of Jesus reveals the evil that bursts forth from human hearts. It also reflects the human idea of what a king ought to be. The kings the soldiers have served are those who lord it over others and exercise authority, who maintain the illusions of power at the expense of others (10:42–45). Jesus does not fit any royal category known to them. People frequently take refuge in mocking what they cannot comprehend rather than trying to take it seriously. To bow down before such a king must have seemed to them both amusing and absurd. Jesus had no army. His frail followers deserted him. He was totally powerless to save himself (Garland 1996, 582).
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The Crucifixion of Jesus
15:21 SIMON. Possibly a Jew, from a Greek city on the north shore of Africa, who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. CARRY JESUS’S CROSS. The prisoner carried the heavy crossbeam through the winding streets as an “example” to others. Jesus, however, had already been without sleep for at least twenty-four hours and been beaten, flogged, and beaten again. He was physically unable to bear the weight of the crossbeam. RUFUS. Romans 16:13 mentions a Rufus. Mark wrote this Gospel for the church at Rome, and if this is the same Rufus, he would be able to verify this detail about his father (Coleman 2019, 1630).
15:22 GOLGOTHA. In Aramaic, “a skull.” This was probably a round, bare hillock outside Jerusalem (Coleman 2019, 1630).
15:23 WINE MIXED WITH MYRRH. It was a Jewish custom to offer this pain-deadening narcotic to prisoners about to be crucified (Ps 69:21) (Coleman 2019, 1630).
15:24 THEY CRUCIFIED HIM. Mark has looked to this event throughout his Gospel. When it happens, he records it in the simplest, starkest way. The person to be crucified was first stripped. Then his hands were tied or nailed to the crossbeam. This was lifted to the upright stake, and then the feet were nailed in place. DIVIDED UP HIS CLOTHES. The clothes of the condemned person belonged to the four soldiers who carried out the crucifixion (Ps 22:18; Jn 19:23–24) (Coleman 2019, 1630).
15:26 THE INSCRIPTION OF THE CHARGE. The crime for which the person was being crucified was specified on a whitened board fastened above the criminal. THE KING OF THE JEWS. By posting this sign on the cross, Pilate was simply attempting to further humiliate the Jews. The intent was to communicate that Jesus’s fate would be shared by anyone else who tried to assert their authority against Rome (Coleman 2019, 1631).
15:27 ONE ON HIS RIGHT AND ONE ON HIS LEFT. Earlier on, James and John had asked for the honor to sit at Jesus’s right and left hand when he came into his kingdom (10:37), a request Jesus denied. Now these two criminals are given the positions on either side of Jesus as he completes his earthly mission (Coleman 2019, 1631).
15:30 come down from the cross! Their logic was that if Jesus had some supernatural ability to bring down the massive Temple, then he would have the ability to bring himself down from a single cross (France 2009, 647).
15:31 HE SAVED OTHERS … BUT HE CANNOT SAVE HIMSELF! This is just the point! Because he is saving others, his own life is forfeited (Coleman 2019, 1631).
The Death of Jesus
The Death of Jesus
15:33 DARKNESS. A supernatural event, showing the significance of this death (Am 8:9). There is darkness for three hours (Coleman 2019, 1631).
15:38 CURTAIN OF THE TEMPLE. There were two curtains in the temple. An outer curtain separated the sanctuary from the courtyard. The inner curtain covered the Holy of Holies where only the high priest was admitted. It is most likely it was the latter curtain that was torn by God to allow all access to the Father through Jesus Christ (Coleman 2019, 1631).
15:39 CENTURION. The confession from the leader of the death squad therefore comes as a surprise. As a centurion, he is a battle-hardened campaigner promoted from the ranks, who had no reason to be sympathetic toward Jesus (Garland 1996, 595).
Truly this man was the son of God. To make this confession, the centurion must have changed his perception of the basic things that governed his entire life. As a centurion he has sworn allegiance to the emperor, and he represents Roman imperial power. For the Romans, “the notion of power was central to the definition of deity,”47 and the title “Son of God” properly belonged only to the emperor, who embodied Rome’s majesty. Remarkably, this soldier bestows the title on a Jew who has just been executed. He must have changed his mind not only about Jesus but also about what it meant to be a son of God. Divinity was no longer associated with the splendor and military might of an empire. It resided where there was no apparent splendor or might (Garland 1996, 604).
To make his confession, the centurion also must have completely revised his understanding of power. The power that Rome represented was coercive. It forced others to submit or else. Jesus’ powerless death exerts a different kind of power from what the centurion had served and used on others. He recognized that true power, which was revealed in the cross, is not coercive, exploitative, or manipulative. The power he served crushed others and transformed life into death. The power of the cross gives itself for others and transforms death into life (Garland 1996, 605).
CONSIDER (VV. 33–41): What are some possible reasons for Jesus’s cry in verse 34? Why was it significant that the temple curtain was torn in half from top to bottom? See Exodus 26:31–35.
WORSHIP (VV. 33–41): Stop what you are doing and take time to pray. Take time to thank Jesus for everything he endured on the cross. Thank him for his sacrifice on your behalf.
DIG DEEPER (VV. 33–41): Read Psalm 22:1–31, which is a messianic psalm written by David. How do the words of that psalm connect with Jesus’s experiences on the cross? With his death?
The Burial of Jesus
The Burial of Jesus
15:43 JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. Little is known of him, except that he was from a wealthy and prominent family and was a member of the Sanhedrin. To ask for the body was to admit allegiance to the now discredited Jesus and was, therefore, potentially dangerous. Often the Romans just left the bodies hanging on the cross to be eaten by vultures, though they did grant requests by the family to be allowed to bury the person. However, the Romans almost never allowed those convicted of treason to be buried. The fact that they do so now probably means Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of the charge of insurrection (vv. 9–11) (Coleman 2019, 1631).
15:45 The centurion confirms Jesus had died in six hours. As a supervisor of crucifixion, he had expert insight into such matters. Therefore, when Jesus rose several days later, it was resurrection and not resuscitation (Coleman 2019, 1632).
15:46 The body was washed, quickly wrapped, and then placed in a tomb. The tomb was then sealed against robbers or animals by means of a large stone. These stones were set in grooves which would guide the stone to the tomb’s entrance. Elevated above the tomb’s entrance, it would not be too difficult to set the stone in motion to roll against the entrance. It would be extremely difficult to remove the stone from the entrance since it would have to be pushed uphill (Coleman 2019, 1632).
15:47 Two of the three women at the Crucifixion saw clearly where Jesus was entombed, so when they returned in two days, they knew where to go (Coleman 2019, 1632).
CONSIDER (VV. 42–47): What did Joseph of Arimathea risk by requesting Jesus’s body? Why is it significant that Jesus was wrapped and buried in a tomb?
APPLY: What is a proper response to the pain and humiliation Jesus endured on the cross? Have you offered such a response with your life?
Works Cited
Works Cited
Coleman, Lyman. 2019. Life Connections Study Bible. Nashville: Holman Bibles.
France, Richard T. 2009. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text.The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans.
Garland, David E. 1996. Mark.The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
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