Mark 15
1 Very early in the morning the chief priests met together with [the rest of] the Jewish council, [in order to decide how to accuse Jesus before the Roman governor. Their guards] tied Jesus’ hands [again]. They took him to [the house of] Pilate, [the governor, and they started to accuse him, saying] “[Jesus is claiming that he is a king!]!”
Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.
2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Do you [claim to be] the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “You yourself have said so.”
So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 Then the chief priests claimed that Jesus had done many bad things.
And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things.
4 So Pilate asked him again, “Don’t you have anything to say? Listen to how many bad things they are saying that you [have done]!”
Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!”
5 But [even though Jesus was not guilty], he did not say anything more. The result was that Pilate was very much surprised.
But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.
6 It was the governor’s custom [each year] during the [Passover] celebration to release [one person who was in prison. He customarily released] whichever prisoner the people requested.
Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release to the people a prisoner of their choosing.
7 [At that time] there was a man called Barabbas who had been {whom [the soldiers had]} [put in prison with some other men]. Those men had murdered [some soldiers] when they rebelled [against the Roman government].
And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.
8 A crowd approached [Pilate] and asked him [to release someone], just like he customarily did for them [during the Passover celebration].
So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom.
9 Pilate answered them, “Would you like me to release for you the [man whom you] Jewish [people say is your] king?”
“Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked.
10 [He asked this] because he realized what the chief priests were wanting to do. They were accusing Jesus because they were jealous of him [because many people were becoming his disciples].
For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
11 But the chief priests urged the crowd [to request] that Pilate release Barabbas for them instead [of Jesus].
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
12 Pilate said to them again, “[If I release Barabbas], what do you want me to do with the man whom [some of] you Jews say is [your] king?”
So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”
13 Then they shouted again, “[Command that your soldiers] crucify him!”
And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”
14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why? What crime has he committed?” But they shouted even louder, “[Command your soldiers to] crucify him!”
“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
15 So, because Pilate wanted to please the crowd, he released Barabbas for them. Then, after [his soldiers] had whipped Jesus with leather straps into which they had fastened metal pieces, [Pilate told the soldiers to take him away] in order that he would be crucified {they would crucify him}.
And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers took Jesus into the [courtyard of the] palace [where Pilate lived]. That place was the government headquarters. Then they summoned the whole (cohort/group of soldiers) [who were on duty there].
Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together.
17 [After the soldiers gathered together], they put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they placed on his head a crown that they made from [branches of] thornbushes. [They did those things in order to ridicule him by pretending that he was a king].
They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head.
18 Then they greeted him [like they would greet a king, in order to ridicule him], saying, “Hooray for the King [who rules] the Jews!”
And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
19 They repeatedly struck his head with a reed and spat on him. By kneeling down, they [pretended to honor] him.
They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him.
20 When they had finished ridiculing him, they pulled off the purple robe. They put his own clothes on him, and then they led him outside [of the city] in order to nail him to a cross.
After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.
21 [After Jesus carried his cross a short distance], a man named Simon from Cyrene [city came along]. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. He was passing by while he was returning [home] from outside [the city. The soldiers] compelled Simon to carry the cross [for Jesus].
Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
22 They brought them both to a place that they [call] Golgotha. That name means, ‘a place [like] a skull’.
They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull.
23 Then they tried to give Jesus wine that was {that they} mixed with [medicine called] myrrh. [They wanted him to drink it so that he would not feel so much pain when they crucified him]. But he did not drink it.
There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.
24 [Some] of the [soldiers took his clothes]. Then they nailed him to a cross. Afterwards, they divided his clothes among themselves by gambling with [something like] dice. They did this [in order to determine] which [piece of clothing] each one would get.
And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
It was the third hour when they crucified Him.
26 They [attached to the cross above Jesus’ head] a sign on which it had been written {someone had written} the reason why [they were nailing him to the cross]. [But all] that it said was, “The King of the Jews.”
And the charge inscribed against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 They also nailed to crosses two men who were bandits. They nailed one to a cross at the right side [of Jesus] and one to a cross at the left side [of Jesus].
Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left.
29 The people who were passing by insulted him by shaking their heads as [if here were an evil man]. They said, “Aha! You said that you would destroy the Temple and then you would build it again within three days.
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 [If you could do that, then] rescue yourself by coming down from the cross!”
come down from the cross and save Yourself!”
31 The chief priests, along with the men who taught the [Jewish] laws, also [wanted to] make fun of Jesus. So they said to each other, “He [claims to have] saved others [from their sicknesses] [IRO] but he cannot save himself!
In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!
32 He said, ‘I am the Messiah, I am the King who [rules the people of] Israel.’ [If his words are true], he should come down now from the cross! Then we will believe [him]!” The [two] men who were crucified beside him also insulted him.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him.
33 At noon the whole land became dark, [and it stayed dark] until three o’clock in the afternoon.
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
34 At three o’clock Jesus shouted loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” That means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”
At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
35 When some of the people who were standing there heard [the word ‘Eloi’, misunderstanding it], they said, “Listen! He is calling for [the prophet] Elijah!”
When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He placed it on [the tip of] a reed, and then he [held it] up for [Jesus] to suck out [the wine that was in] it. [While he was doing that, someone] said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah will come to take him down [from the cross]!”
And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”
37 And then, after Jesus shouted loudly, he stopped breathing [and died].
But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.
38 [At that moment] the [heavy thick] curtain that closed off [the most holy place in] the Temple split into two pieces from top to bottom. [That showed that ordinary people could now go into the presence of God].
And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 The officer who supervised the soldiers [who nailed Jesus to the cross] was standing in front of Jesus. When he saw how Jesus died, he exclaimed, “Truly, this man was the man who was also God!”
When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 There were also some women there, watching these events from a distance. They had accompanied Jesus when he was in Galilee [district], and they had provided what he needed. They had come with him to Jerusalem. Among those women was Mary from Magdala [town]. There was [another] Mary, who was the mother of the younger James and of Joses. There was also Salome.
And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
42 When evening was near, [a man named] Joseph from Arimathea [town came there]. He was a member of the [Jewish] council, one whom everyone respected. He was also one of those who had been waiting expectantly for the [time when] God [would send] his king to begin to rule. [He knew that, according to Jewish law, people’s bodies had to be buried] {[someone had to bury people’s bodies]} [on the day they died. He also realized that] it was the day when [people] prepared [things for] ([the Jewish day of rest/the Sabbath]), [and that the Sabbath would start when the sun set]. So he became courageous and went to Pilate and asked Pilate [to permit him to take] the body of Jesus [down from the cross and bury it immediately].
Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised [when he heard that] Jesus was already dead. So he summoned the officer who was in charge of the soldiers [who crucified Jesus], and he asked him if [Jesus] had already died.
Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so.
45 When the officer told [Pilate that Jesus was dead], Pilate allowed Joseph [to take away] the body.
When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 After Joseph bought a linen cloth, he [and others] took [Jesus’ body down from the cross]. They wrapped it in the linen cloth and laid it in a tomb that [previously] had been dug out of the rock [cliff]. Then they rolled a [huge flat] stone in front of the entrance to the tomb.
So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
47 Mary [from] Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where Jesus’ [body] was placed {where they placed Jesus’ [body]}.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.
