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The Gospel of Mark
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BIBLE STUDY MARK 15:1-47 REVIEW: In chapter 14, all of the opposition to Jesus finally comes to a head. Because of his challenges to their authority, the chief priests and the scribes are determined to arrest Jesus and have him killed. Yet they also know that it must be done in secret because of Jesus’ popularity with the people. After describing their murderous intentions, Mark then tells about the anointing of Jesus by a woman at the house of Simon the leper in Bethany. Although this incident is found in all four Gospels, the main emphasis in Mark’s gospel seems to be that Jesus is being anointed for his burial. Jesus knows that his passion and death is already at hand – and that he is “a dead man walking.” After telling about Judas’ agreement with the chief priests to betray Jesus to them, Mark then tells about Jesus’ celebration of the Passover with his disciples. During the meal, Jesus first makes a solemn announcement that one of the twelve will betray him. Then Mark tells us of Jesus’ institution of what we call Holy Communion. In Mark, however, the emphasis is not about “remembrance” (as in Luke 22:19 and 1 Cor. 11:24-25) nor about “forgiveness of sins” (Mt. 26:28) – but that Jesus is showing in a dramatic way that his coming suffering, death, and resurrection will be the ratification of a covenant between God and his people. Jesus then predicts that his disciples will desert him (thus fulfilling a prophecy from Zech. 13:7-9) but after his resurrection will go before them to Galilee. Mark also uses Jesus’ conversation with Peter to show once again that the disciples fail to understand or accept God’s purpose in Jesus’ suffering. This is in direct contrast to Jesus himself, who – in his praying in Gethsemane – accepts his Father’s will because he has an intimate child-parent relationship with his heavenly Father. Mark then tells of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, and the cowardly flight of all the disciples. His account of the flight of the naked young man (told only in Mark’s gospel) adds to the sense of the utter and total shame of the disciples’ in their cowardice. Finally, Mark tells of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin – especially emphasizing their deliberate attempts to shame and humiliate him. Apparently, this public shaming of Jesus was then a major factor in Peter’s attempt to distance himself from Jesus both physically (“going out into the forecourt”) and verbally by denying him three times. Mark’s account of Jesus’ passion should cause all of us to ask ourselves if WE are ready to accept suffering and shame for Jesus’ sake. CHAPTER 15:1-5 “Jesus before Pilate” “As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him, again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.” Why did the council decide to hand Jesus over to Pilate? The traditional explanation is that only Pilate had the authority to put anyone to death, but that is not clear. I (Pastor George) believe that another reason may be that they wanted to shame Jesus by having him suffer the most painful and humiliating death possible – by crucifixion – as part of the “status degradation ritual” that Pastor Josh described in his commentary on Mk. 14:53-65. According to Jewish law a religious curse was implicit in crucifixion (Deut. 21:23). Through having Jesus suffer this kind of death, the religious authorities were perhaps hoping to “shame” his followers and thereby put an end to his movement once and for all. According to John Harrington and Daniel Harrington in their commentary on The Gospel of Mark, the term “King of the Jews” is a Roman outsider’s translation of the Jewish term “Messiah”. Pilate is asking whether Jesus is another one of those Jewish messianic pretenders who caused so much trouble to both the Roman officials and the local Jewish community. The Roman policy was to deal with such persons quickly and brutally. Jesus’ reply “You say so” actually should be understood as a question: “Is that what you say?” Earlier, in the Jewish trial scene, Jesus showed no hesitation in saying “I am” when asked by the high priest if he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One. (Mk. 14:61-62). Pilate, however, is not asking Jesus about his relationship with God but simply wants to know if he is a political leader. Jesus of course does not see himself as being a political messiah, and that is why he gives a noncommittal answer to Pilate. Mark does not detail the charges that the chief priests brought against Jesus. Luke in his gospel, however, has them charging Jesus with perverting the people, forbidding them to pay taxes to the emperor, as well as claiming to be a king (Lk. 23:2). These were lies, but the chief priests obviously believed that the end justified the means. A question for us to ponder is whether WE ever feel that way in some situations?! Jesus made no further reply to Pilate, probably because he knew that any defense he might make would not change the outcome. He knew that the outcome was sealed. Perhaps this is also an allusion to the “suffering servant” song of Isaiah – especially Is. 53:7 (“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”) CHAPTER 15:6-15 “The Choice of the Crowd” “Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.” William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary speculates that the crowd may actually have been supporters of Barabbas from the beginning and that they had assembled with the deliberate intention of demanding Barabbas’ release. When they saw the possibility that Jesus might be released and not Barabbas they went mad. To the chief priests this was a heaven-sent opportunity. Circumstances had played into their hands. As Barclay puts it, they fanned the popular clamor for Barabbas and found it easy, for it was the release of Barabbas that they crowd had come to claim. It was not that the crowd was fickle. It was that it was a different crowd! Another point for us to ponder is the name “Barabbas” – which literally means “Son of the father”. It is ironic, to say the least, that the crowd is calling for the release of the “Son of the father” while calling for the crucifixion of the “Son of the Father”! The main focus of this passage, however, is the character of Pontius Pilate. Here he is shown as being weak and vacillating. He is portrayed as being like Herod Antipas in Mk. 6. Pilate’s concern is to preserve order. To do this, he is willing to sacrifice a man whom he knows is probably innocent. The flogging was probably done publicly. It is unknown whether this was a usual practice before crucifixion (the implication is that it was not), but it is done on this occasion and is yet another example of Jesus’ being shamed and humiliated. Perhaps Mark’s original readers in Rome would also see this as a “prototype” of the persecutions that they were suffering under the emperor Nero. CHAPTER 15:16-20 “The Soldiers’ Mockery” “Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.” A “cohort” was one tenth of a legion – about six hundred men. The term here is used loosely to refer to all the soldiers on duty at the headquarters (literally, the praetorium). The soldiers, although under Roman command, most likely were recruited from the Gentile population of Syria and Palestine. They did not include Jews, who were specifically exempted from military service in the Roman army. Why the soldiers mocked Jesus is never explained. One commentator speculates that there may have been an element of anti-Semitism here. Relations between Jews and their Gentile neighbors in the region were mutually antagonistic. It is very probable that these soldiers – who were from the area – saw Jesus as just another Jew who could be the object of their prejudice and disdain. Sadly, this sin is still repeated again and again today whenever people view and treat someone as merely being a member of another race, gender, or class. Another commentator notes how the soldiers dressed Jesus in false clothes of royalty in order to mock him. People still dress up Jesus in “false clothes” whenever they try to make him into something that he was not – whenever they warp his teachings to justify their own teachings and actions, or whenever they emphasize his kingship/divinity so much that they neglect the understanding that first and foremost Jesus is the friend of sinners and the lover and servant of all people. CHAPTER 15:21-32 “The Crucifixion of Jesus” They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.” A person who was condemned for crucifixion normally was compelled to carry the cross-beam to the site of his execution. Jesus obviously had been weakened from his scourging, so the soldiers compelled a civilian to carry the cross-beam for him. Simon was from Cyrene in North Africa, where there was a large Jewish colony. He most probably had come to Jerusalem as a pilgrim for the Passover, and carrying the cross-beam for a condemned criminal was certainly NOT what planned on! Yet, something must have happened to him as he carried Jesus’ cross. He is described as being “the father and Alexander and Rufus” – persons who were obviously well known to Mark’s original readers in Rome. Indeed, St. Paul in his letter to the Romans specifically greets “Rufus, chosen in the Lord.” (Rom. 16:13) It is very probable that because of this chance encounter, Simon’s life was forever changed and his sons also became disciple of Jesus! It is most likely that the inscription “The King of the Jews” and the fact that Jesus was crucified between “two bandits, one on his right and one on his left” are related. The secular historian Josephus uses the term “bandits” to refer to insurrectionists. In other words, Pilate had Jesus crucified between two insurrectionists and then placed “The King of the Jews” inscription over Jesus’ cross to show people what would happen to any messianic pretenders. Mark’s original readers, of course, would see the inscription as being an ironic affirmation of who Jesus truly is. They also would be reminded in an ironic way of James and John’s desire to sit, one at his right hand and one at his left, in his glory. (Mk. 10:37) The taunts by the crowd and the chief priests and the scribes are yet another manifestation of the “status degradation ritual” that Pastor Josh referred to in his explanation of Mk. 14:53-65. The entire scene of the crucifixion is portrayed is such a way that a reader would immediately think of Psalm 22 – the casting of lots for Jesus’ clothes (Ps. 22:18); the taunts (Ps. 22:7-8). CHAPTER 15:33-41 “The Death of Jesus” “When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.” There is so much for us to ponder in this passage. Let us deal with the details one by one… First, we note that “darkness came over the whole land...” This probably does not literally refer to the whole earth, but just Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Be that as it may, the point to Mark’s readers is that even the cosmos join in mourning what is happening here. Jesus’ saying is directly from Ps. 22:1 – in his Aramaic language. It is possible that some of the bystanders confused “Eloi” (“My God”) as referring to Elijah – who was supposed to return as the forerunner of the Messiah. Most likely, however, there was no real confusion – the bystanders’ reference to Elijah was yet another way of their mocking Jesus, as they had been doing in the preceding verses. Indeed, that would also explain why one of them then gave Jesus some sour wine to drink while saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” The sour wine is very likely an allusion to Ps. 69:21 – “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” The entire scene here shows how Jesus was mocked and persecuted even at the end by his enemies. Theologians have been divided as to why Jesus quoted Ps. 22:1. Some have emphasized his feeling of utter abandonment and discouragement – that in this moment, Jesus completely identified with humanity’s alienation from God. Others, including myself (Pastor George) believe that Jesus in saying this was remembering the entire Psalm 22 – including the end of it which emphasizes his deliverance and triumph. Indeed, the “loud cry” that Jesus gives after the wine is most likely one of triumph. Mark does not describe what the cry was, but John in his gospel (Jn. 19:30) has Jesus saying “It is finished.” In the Greek, this phrase is just one word – “Tetelestai” – “FINISHED”!! At the end, Jesus knew that he had accomplished all of his Father’s will! The main point about the curtain of the temple being torn in two “from top to bottom” is theological. Mark uses the verb “torn apart” - which is the same one used to describe the rending apart of the heavens at Jesus’ baptism (Mk. 1:10) – to show that through Jesus’ death the barrier that has separated us from God has been removed. It may also be an ironic reference to the charge by Jesus’ enemies that he would “destroy this temple that is made with hands…” (Mk. 14:58) The NRSV translation of the centurion’s statement is misleading. The actual Greek text has him confessing that “Truly, this man was a son of God.” Most likely the centurion was a Gentile who did not believe in the God of Israel. Nevertheless, he was impressed by the way Jesus had died. He may not have been thinking of Jesus in the way that we understand him (as the Son of God), but here is another example of a literary irony in Mark’s gospel – that the first human being to correctly identify Jesus with the Christological title was a Gentile Roman soldier! At the end of this section Mark mentions (for the first time!) the women who had been disciples of Jesus. Three of them are identified:
Mark mentions that they used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee (that is, they had been a part of Jesus’ group for a considerable time). He also mentions that “there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.” Contrary to most traditional assumptions, the group of Jesus’ followers was quite large and included many women as well as men. CHAPTER 15:42-47 “The Burial of Jesus” “When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. The Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.” In Matthew’s gospel, Joseph of Arimathea is identified as a rich man who was disciple of Jesus (Mt. 27:57). Here in Mark, Joseph of Arimathea is not identified in this way – but simply as being a respected member of the council who was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. In other words, he is identified as being a pious Jew who wanted to do the right thing in giving Jesus a proper burial – but NOT because he was a follower of Jesus. He rather simply wanted to observe the commandment in Deut. 21:22-23 – “When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree, he corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you for possession.” The typical Roman custom was not to grant an honorable burial to those who had been crucified, so it did take courage for Joseph of Arimathea to go to Pilate and ask for an exception to their general rule. We note that Jesus’ body was not anointed with spices according to the typical burial custom of the Jews. Presumably, this was because of the lateness of the hour – but it also validates Jesus’ earlier saying that the woman with the ointment “has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.” (Mk. 14:8) Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses (and James the younger?) witness Jesus’ burial – and then presumably tell the others in their group where the tomb is located. The women – out of all of the disciples – are the ones who directly see and report all of the details of Jesus’ death and burial! They are the source of the accounts of this that we have in the gospels! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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