Mark 15

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

15Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council

—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.G2532G2112G1909G4404G749G4160G4824G3326G4245G2532G1122G2532G3650G4892G1210G2424G667G2532G3860G40912Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus replied, "You have said it."G2532G4091G1905G846G1488G4771G935G2453G1161G611G2036G846G4771G30043Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes,G2532G749G2723G846G4183G1161G846G611G37624and Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?"G1161G4091G1905G846G3825G3004G611G3756G3762G2396G4214G2649G46755But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate's surprise.G1161G2424G3765G611G3762G5620G4091G22966Now it was the governor's custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested.G1161G2596G1859G630G846G1520G1198G3746G1547One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising.G1161G2258G3004G912G1210G3326G4955G3748G4160G5408G1722G47148The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.G2532G3793G310G756G154G2531G104G4160G8469"Would you like me to release to you this 'King of the Jews'?" Pilate asked.G1161G4091G611G846G3004G2309G630G5213G935G245310(For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)G1063G1097G3754G749G3860G846G1223G535511But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.G1161G749G383G3793G2443G3123G630G912G84612Pilate asked them, "Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?"G1161G4091G611G2036G3825G846G5101G2309G3767G4160G3739G3004G935G245313They shouted back, "Crucify him!"G1161G2896G3825G4717G84614"Why?" Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?" But the mob roared even louder, "Crucify him!"G1161G4091G3004G846G1063G5101G2556G4160G1161G2896G4056G4717G84615So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.G1161G4091G1014G2425G4160G3793G630G912G846G2532G3860G2424G5417G2443G4717

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor's headquarters

and called out the entire regiment.G1161G4757G520G846G520G2080G833G3603G4232G2532G4779G3650G468617They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head.G2532G1746G846G4209G2532G4120G4735G174G4060G84618Then they saluted him and taunted, "Hail! King of the Jews!"G2532G756G782G846G5463G935G245319And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.G2532G5180G846G2776G2563G2532G1716G846G2532G5087G1119G4352G84620When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.G2532G3753G1702G846G1562G4209G846G2532G1746G2398G2440G1746G846G2532G1806G846G1806G2443G4717G846

The Crucifixion

21A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene

, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)G2532G29G5100G4613G2956G3855G2064G575G68G3962G223G2532G4504G2443G142G846G471622And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means "Place of the Skull").G2532G5342G846G1909G5117G1115G3739G2076G3177G5117G289823They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.G2532G1325G846G4095G3631G4669G1161G2983G375624Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice

to decide who would get each piece.G2532G4717G846G1266G846G2440G906G2819G1909G846G5101G5101G14225It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.G1161G2258G5154G5610G2532G4717G84626A sign was fastened to the cross, announcing the charge against him. It read, "The King of the Jews."G2532G1923G846G156G2258G1924G935G245327Two revolutionaries

were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.G2532G4862G846G4717G1417G3027G1520G1537G1188G2532G1520G1537G846G217628

G2532G1124G4137G3588G3004G2532G3049G3326G45929The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. "Ha! Look at you now!" they yelled at him. "You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.G2532G3899G987G846G2795G846G2776G2532G3004G3758G2647G3485G2532G3618G1722G5140G225030Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!"G4982G4572G2532G2597G575G471631The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself!G1161G3668G2532G749G1702G3004G4314G240G3326G1122G4982G243G1438G3756G1410G498232Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!" Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.G2597G5547G935G2474G2597G3568G575G4716G2443G1492G2532G4100G2532G4957G846G3679G846

The Death of Jesus

33At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.G1161G1096G1623G5610G1096G1096G4655G1909G3650G1093G2193G1766G561034Then at three o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

G2532G1766G5610G2424G994G3173G5456G3004G1682G1682G2982G4518G3739G2076G3177G3450G2316G3450G2316G5101G1519G1459G316535Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.G2532G5100G3936G191G3004G2400G5455G224336One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. "Wait!" he said. "Let's see whether Elijah comes to take him down!"G1161G1520G5143G2532G1072G4699G1072G3690G5037G4060G2563G4222G846G4222G3004G863G1492G1487G2243G2064G2507G846G250737Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last.G1161G2424G863G3173G5456G160638And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.G2532G2665G3485G4977G1519G1417G575G509G2193G273639When the Roman officer

who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "This man truly was the Son of God!"G1161G2760G3588G3936G1537G1727G846G1492G3754G3779G2896G1606G2036G230G3778G444G2258G5207G231640Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph

), and Salome.G1161G2258G2532G1135G2334G3113G575G2532G1722G3739G2258G3137G3094G2532G3137G3384G2385G3398G2532G2500G2532G453941They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.G3739G2532G3753G2258G1722G1056G190G846G2532G1247G846G2532G4183G243G3588G4872G846G1519G2414

The Burial of Jesus

42This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation

, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached,G2532G2235G3798G1096G1893G2258G3904G3603G2076G431543Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.

G2501G575G707G2158G1010G3739G2532G846G4327G2258G932G2316G2064G1525G5111G4314G4091G2532G154G4983G242444Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet.G1161G4091G2296G1487G2348G2235G2348G2532G4341G2760G1905G846G1487G599G3819G59945The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body.G2532G1097G575G2760G1433G4983G250146Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus' body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.G2532G59G4616G2532G2507G1750G846G4616G2532G2698G846G1722G3419G3739G2258G2998G1537G4073G2532G4351G3037G1909G2374G341947Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid.G1161G3137G3094G2532G3137G2500G2334G4226G5087