The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 15
You can listen to Mark 15 with us below.You can also read the passage in the New Living Translation here.
“Very 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.
Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.
Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.
“Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
So 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.
The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. When 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.
A 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.) And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.
Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
The 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. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let 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.
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then 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?”
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One 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!”
Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. They 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.
This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.) Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. Joseph 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. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid.”
Thank you for joining us in listening to Mark 15! You can also find a written copy of Mark 15 in the NLT here.
Below are some questions that made us think. Feel free to journal your answers to one or all of them!
Discussion Questions
1. After Jesus was tried before the Sanhedrin, the religious leaders brought Him to Pilate in the early morning. Pilate asked Jesus questions and the religious leaders continued to accuse Him, but Jesus did not defend Himself. Pilate realized the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy and offered to release Jesus, but the leaders stirred up the people to ask for Barabbas (a revolutionary and murderer) to be released instead.
Pilate asked the crowd what should be done to Jesus—they said to crucify Him. When Pilate asked what crime Jesus had committed, they didn't answer him. They just kept yelling, "Crucify." So Pilate released Barabbas and ordered that Jesus be flogged, then crucified.
- We see in this chapter that Pilate knew the religious leaders arrested Jesus because they were jealous. What do you think is the source of that kind of envy? How have you seen envy be destructive in your life or in the world?
- Pilate never declared Jesus guilty and he knew the religious leaders' motives were bad, yet he still handed Jesus over to be tortured and crucified. Why do you think Pilate acted the way he did? How do you see injustice in your community? When are you tempted to not do what is right?
2. The Roman soldiers not only flogged Jesus, but mocked Him, beat Him with a stick, and spit on Him. Then the soldiers forced a man named Simon to carry Jesus' cross to Golgotha. When they arrived, the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross. They divided His clothes and gambled for them. Two criminals were crucified on Jesus' right and left. The people and religious leaders continued to falsely accuse Him and mock Him.
Darkness came over the land from noon until three. At three, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed His last. The temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.
- Jesus went through this huge physical and emotional pain for us: "But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed" (Isaiah 53:3). How does it affect you to know that Jesus went through all of this physical and emotional suffering for you? How can knowing about Jesus' physical and emotional suffering help us when we are going through physical and emotional suffering?
-The suffering Jesus went through for us was more than emotional and physical—it was spiritual. Sin separates us from God, but Jesus endured that separation from God the Father so we don't have to. This complete payment for our sins made a way for us to be in God's presence. The curtain at the temple was torn in two. This was a physical representation of this spiritual reality: ALL people who accept Jesus' payment for their sins can now be in God's presence—not only priests and Jewish men, but ALL people. Have you accepted Jesus' payment for your sins? If so, tell us about it!
- Through Jesus' payment we have access to God! We can pray directly to Him! As we've learned, this privilege was bought at a high, high price. How might God be inviting you to spend time with Him? How does meditating on this passage change the way you value your time with God? You are so dearly loved!
3. When a Roman officer standing in front of Jesus saw how He died, he said, "This man truly was the Son of God!" Some women were there watching. They were followers of Jesus and had cared for Him in Galilee. Many other woman who had come with Him to Jerusalem were also there. This all happened on a Friday, the day before the Sabbath. A man name Joseph of Arimathea who was an honored religious leader took a risk and asked Pilate for permission to care for Jesus' body. Pilate had a soldier confirm that Jesus was dead and gave Joseph permission. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in cloth, and laid it in the tomb.
- What do you think of the Roman officer's response to Jesus' death? What is your response to Jesus' death?
-Mark, the writer of this gospel, is behaving in a counter-cultural way when he writes about the women who were at the cross and describes them as followers of Jesus. Their care for Jesus is described using the same word Mark used in Chapter 1 to describe the angels caring for Jesus in the wilderness. It is also used by Jesus Himself when he describes "the mission of the Son of Man (10:45)—diakoneō ("to serve)" (The IVP New Testament Commentary: Mark, 336). At the cross, the women were serving Jesus by being with Him in His suffering. How does this challenge or encourage you? What does this passage show you about the way God values women? What do you learn from this passage about what it means to serve?
- Joseph of Arimathea takes a risk and serves Jesus as well in this passage. He is described as "an honored member of the high council" and as a person who was "waiting for the Kingdom of God to come" (verse 43). Most of the religious leaders were so opposed to Jesus that they wanted Him dead! Joseph's risky actions show that he cared more about the Kingdom of God than his standing in the Jewish community. What matters most to you? What does it look like to be a person who is "waiting for the Kingdom of God"? Tell about a time God asked you to take a risk for Him. How might God be asking you to serve Him today?
